Proposal for MAEP at MIA....

So while I have been gone, I have continued applying for the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. There are three deadlines a year, and with each deadline, one exhibition is awarded by the panel. I can’t tell you how many times I have applied, but every time I do, the proposal gets better. And every time I get a rejection, I call the program administrator to get panel feedback about my proposal. There was a deadline in October, and I got close. Real close. So I convened what we call the Art Justice League, three dear, generous, talented artist friends for chips and gauc and we tightened that baby up. There was talk, some swearing, I took notes and the phrase “juicy titties” came up; a productive meeting. And then one of these artist/friends offered to help me create a digital video of my proposed work in the space. Mostly I sat next to him and pointed at stuff while he made After Effects look easy! He made a sweet little video of my proposed drawn sculptures in the space. I could not have produced a better proposal. I submitted it 2/22/19. I am waiting for the decision. Fingers crossed.

The video is too large to post here, but this screen shot will give you an idea. It was amazing! Thank you for all of your help and support!

Steadily making new work for my June exhibition....

June feels so far away, yet it is not.  I am working on these paper forms in my studio while the weather is still wintery, but hoping to get outside in another week or two to start cutting the styrofoam bases for these shapes.  We are supposed to get another snow this weekend and I am hoping it is the last!  I do enjoy being indoors and stitching on these, and just got caught up on Season 5 of The Americans while doing that, and I bought my pass for Season 6!  It is three episodes in and I am so nervous for what is going to happen to the Jennings family.  I am also very nervous for how all these parts are going to come together into a piece and once the sun starts shining regularly, I should know more.  

I so love the texture of the eyelets layered on one another.  I have backed off to a single stitch to attach them to save time, so they're a little loose.  I kind of like that movement they can make.  

september, seriously?

Things have been nuts.  There has been no time.  My classes started, my son's school hasn't.  I made a trip to my mom's in California with my son and mules were ridden.  I installed my piece "Ligatures" at Artistry in Bloomington, and a week later I attended the reception.  The exhibition is titled "It's Personal" and I am showing with Paula Barkmeier.  The city of Bloomington's communication specialist produced this short video on the exhibition if you would like to take a look: "It's Personal."

"Corded 2" by Paula Barkmeier

all done!

So I am so excited to be done with my installation at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. I finished last night at 6 pm and treated myself to some Thai before driving back from the cities.  I am so pleased with the results.  This is the first time I have created a site specific piece and I think it worked out well.  The center has just completed a major site renovation which has moved their retail space to the front window.  At the end of this space is an approximately 16x4.5x5 foot space that, although had a beautiful floor to ceiling window, was used as storage.  The director, Jeff Rathermel, decided to repurpose this space as an installation gallery which would change four times a year.  I  am the first artist to use the space.  Jeff put in a faux floor that was painted white so I could drill into it to secure the hands.  He was kind enough to help me get the panel attached to the wall before I started with the hands (I am not a fan of ladders).  Each hand is secured on a small dowel drilled into the floor.  Then I made stitches from the eyelets on the hands back to the panel, or between hands.  I was concerned about keeping the tension of the stitches from the hands to the panel, but it was nothing that a little double sided tape and carefully placed brads couldn't take care of.  I was also concerned that the piece wouldn't engage enough of the space, but I was able to get thread to about a height of six feet on the panel, with stitched hands coming out at varying depths from the panel. I couldn't get it all with my iPhone, but hopefully my talented photographer husband can.  I used 15 hands in total, and only had one finger break.  It was fun to realize someone was watching me while I worked and turn around to see their reaction.  One young lady gave me a big smile and then came in to ask about it.  She said "It really was so beautiful to just stumble upon, and at first I thought I would take a picture.  But I realized I want to come back and see it some more."  What a lovely thing to say, and I am so lucky to have this opportunity!  Here are some pictures from when I finished the install.  It was dark, snowing and blowing when I finished, so I have yet to get an image from the sidewalk outside the window.  Hopefully soon!  I did drive by and it was beautifully lit.  If you are in the cities and have an opportunity to see it, please let me know what you think.  There are also two book shows opening in the space on Friday, 1/9/15 as well.  

I am still deciding on a title.  I am the worst at that.  I did ask  a dear writer friend for thoughts and he suggested "Hand Job."  I know.  I've still got tonight to decide.  And now I am going to work out and then eat some holiday M&M chocolate biscotti I just made.  Happy new year!

Installation....

I have never made a work specifically for a space, that lives only in that space and time.  For "Stitch and Rend" I created my first site specific installation.  

These are the same sewing pattern paper with eye closures attached.  As I was thinking about this piece, I hoped that the thread would be again sewn through the eyes and extend beyond it's borders to a needle in the wall.  I hoped the thread would pass through that needle and back to the paper.  As I got started I realized the needle did not have enough body to give me the tension I needed, and my old eyes and not so nimble fingers couldn't work through all those needle heads.  I went with #17 1 inch brads instead, and it worked great.  I pinned the squares to the wall, but hoped with enough tension and thread, the squares would float above the wall.  I really enjoyed working across the three.  I'm torn on the outcome.  I love the mass of thread in the 2-D pieces and really wanted to see that same amount of layering.  At the same time, it felt like these needed to be in the process of growing towards those other shapes and too much thread wouldn't allow for that.  But finally, there was only so much time and I still had other work to finish.  This piece is a real beginning for me, and I can't wait to see where it goes.  

The gallery director had not yet been through to adjust the lights appropriately.  I am looking forward to posting finished installation images when I get them.