plaster possibiliies at REDUX

Here are some photos from my Plaster Possibilities class that just wrapped up at Redux Contemporary Art Center. The kids were great! They weren't afraid to get messy and make some really neat work.

 Alexis - 8 yrs old

Connor - 9 yrs old

 Emily- 13 yrs old

Ainslee - 8 yrs old

public art proposals

The bubble project is coming along. Last week Jarod and I submitted a few proposals through CaFE, a site that hosts calls for submissions and applications for a wide range of artistic projects. The above image is of our aluminum "tool" that we cast ourselves in our foundry at the College of Charleston. This will be given to our plastic fabricators as a mold for the plastic bubbles (seen below). Jarod used his photoshopping genius to fix up the aluminum surface. We will work through the summer to get it to actually look like this, repairing holes and cracks with Devcon Aluminim Putty.

Below is another photoshopped image of a VERY basic example of how the bubble tiles may be installed, however, we hope to see this realized on a MUCH larger scale.

And if you're interested... here is part of our statement about the project... our design approach, if you will.

Charzewski and Moore’s collaborative approach to the design will undoubtedly be based upon our individual art practices. What unites our work is our use of the topographical style, or the grid, as a basic reference and starting point. The grid is a common denominator for engagement in our work and the final result is orderly, yet fluid, and slightly chaotic when necessary.

Part of our design strategy will encompass this topographical style and will result in a sort of controlled chaos. Our collaborative project, involves the replication of a single module, or master tile, which contains a sculptured surface of a bubble eruption that appears to be random to the viewer. The individual bubbles are specifically placed on the master tile so that when another identical tile is placed next to it is continues the bubble topography. We would like to mass produce these identical tiles, and with them create a large-scale installation that responds to existing architecture and enhances the surrounding environment.

why

In thinking about my work and how to sum it up in an artist's statement, I've found myself struggling to narrow things down. Anything I say, no matter how convincing it may be, simply feels like BS. I can't convince myself. This question of "why do we make things?" is something artists are supposed to be constantly asking themselves... there's supposed to be this element of intent, of significance to every detail... right?

One time, I was working on a sculpture in a public space (Franconia Sculpture Park) and a visitor came up to me and said "I have one question... Why?" I asked him to verify... did he mean "Why make sculpture?" or "Why make this particular sculpture?" and he said it made no difference... he just wanted to know WHY. Our exchange was awkward and I gave him no real answer, but I couldn't get the question out of my head.

I came to the conclusion that, if I knew WHY I made things, I don't think I'd be interested in making things anymore. I make things because I want to know why I make things. Out of curiosity of my own creative process. It's a never-ending process. And I hope I never find an answer.

I found the below quote by Robert Wilson in an online magazine entitled Whitewall. Wilson has been called "America's — or even the world's — foremost vanguard 'theater artist,'" and he says...

"My responsibility as an artist is not to say what something is, but to ask questions. Not to say what it is, but to say "What is it?" That's the reason to work."

Good... at least I'm not the only one.

gabriel kuri

I first encountered Gabriel Kuri's work in 2007 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. The exhibition was a group show of contemporary Mexican artists. If I remember correctly, Trinity (shown below) was his only contribution. These hand-woven, floor-to-ceiling receipts had quite an appeal to me. The minimal aesthetic. The reference to the everyday. The irony between the manufactured and the hand-made.

 

 "Kuri has been described as a playful accountant who uses personal experience as a point of departure to explore the ways we quantify and chart the most basic events and transactions in our lives."

Boston ICA

To my knowledge, I haven't come across Kuri's work since that summer day in Chicago until... today! The first image popped up in my Daily Serving surfing, in discussion of his solo show that's currently up at the Boston ICA. I immediately recognized it. From further research I also quickly found that Gabriel Kuri has been commissioned to create the visual identity for the 2011 Armory Art Fair.

Images of the rest of his work are spotty and hard to come by on Google, but the giant hand-woven receipts seem to be his claim to fame.

job listings in the arts

I thought I'd post some links... some resources for artists. I've been pouring over these sites recently looking for potential post-graduation opportunities. These links primarily pertain to job opportunities. More opportunity-related links to come...

New York Foundation for the Arts: art-related jobs, internships, residencies, and calls - primarily in NYC (but not everything)

Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance: art-related jobs in Philadelphia, PA

American Association of Museums: art-related jobs in the US (mostly upper-level jobs)

Arts Opportunities: art-related jobs, internships, residencies, and calls in the US (listings not as extensive as other on sites)

Alliance of Artists Communities: jobs associated with various artists communities/residency programs

frank stella

When I think of Frank Stella, I think stripes. I think shaped canvases. I think minimalism. I think of what he had to say about turning the painting into the object, rather than a surface on which an image is produced. I like the Frank Stella that comes to mind when I think of Frank Stella.

 

But what I hadn't realized until recently is that my Frank Stella of stripes (above) has been replaced by a man who makes not-so-minimal sculptures (seen below). Stella has been making this type of work since the late 70's, yet I think I'm correct in assuming that the majority of the art-viewing population thinks of stripes when they think of Stella.

It's not that these are terrible sculptures. I mean, I don't necessarily like them, but they're not BAD. I just have this odd sense of betrayal when I see them. Like I'm hit with this feeling of, "but that couldn't possibly be a Frank Stella." Seeing them makes me want to really look into his work and to see what he's trying to accomplish with these wacky 3D forms. Perhaps it's not so different from his 2D work after all, and I'm assuming/hoping that's the case, but I'm not yet convinced. I just really don't like them.

Ok, I said it. I really don't like Frank Stella's sculptures.

Worth sharing, I think... particularly in light of my recent sculpture/dance collaboration. below is a video of a dance choreographed by Merce Cunningham. Costumes and set by Frank Stella.

who knew?

Check it out... apparently I'm on the College of Charleston's homepage! ha! CLICK HERE to see it for real.

KK7

Tonight the dancers will be performing Darkness/Light (the dance collaboration I've been working on) at Kulture Klash! Hopefully it doesn't rain, because they will be dancing outside! Eek!

CLICK HERE to read what Charleston Scene has to say about the event.

city paper write-up

CLICK HERE to read the City Paper's review of the 2011 Young Contemporaries exhibition.

we have aluminum!

 We poured metal on Friday and anxiously awaited Saturday when we could bust open the mold and see what we got. We had no clue what to expect. Since it was such a large mold, we could only keep our fingers crossed that we wouldn't run out of aluminum... the biggest crucible can only hold 80 pounds! There were fears of air bubbles, leaks, and shrinkage, all of which occurred, but only on a minimal scale. We're hoping it's nothing we can't fix.

 Once we got all the sand cleaned off, we had to "chase" the "flashing." Which just means we had to chisel off all of the extra stuff. There's a little foundry vocab for you!  This has been such an interesting process for me. I took a foundry class last spring, but due to a malfunctioning furnace and kiln, never got to do many pours. This project is giving me the chance to learn metal casting in a much more hands-on way, which, despite the hours upon hours of tedious technical stuff, has proven to be quite an exciting learning process.

Young Contemporaries 2011

Congratulations to all the Young Contemporaries prize winners! My installation, Flesh In, Flesh Out, which I spoke about in the previous post (in the background of the above photo), took the title of "Best Sculpture." Pretty cool!

I had one other piece in the show, entitled Objectified (seen below).

4' x 2' x 2'

fiberglass insulation on pedestal

Flesh In, Flesh Out

 

I recently completed an installation for the Halsey's annual juried student exhibition, Young Contemporaries. I proposed it as one thing, and it kind of turned into a thing of its own. It came to life, despite the fact that upon proposing it, there were many unknowns as to how it was actually going to come together. It was very much an experiment, materially as well as formally, but I'm quite pleased with the results.

 13' x 6' x 4'

made with polyethylene fabric coated with polyurethane, held together with hotglue

The piece is designed to be experienced from both sides. Viewers are invited to step inside, which is the most exciting part, if you ask me!

Many people have been asking me about the nature of the material that I used. It's actually been recycled from a sculpture I made a while back... look familiar?

CLICK HERE to see more photos of this piece