Posts from ‘Public Art’
One Nest ~ Many Fish!
It’s been in the Western winds: Jackson Hole artist Kathryn Mapes Turner and her brother, sustainable builder Mark Turner, have launched an innovative project. Though the siblings are Jackson-based, they’ve deep roots in the Washington D.C. area, owing to their family’s political legacy.
They’re smart, these two.
Their “One Nest” collaborative project combines sustainable building design and broadly embraced aesthetic with art created in one of the West’s most prominent art markets. In “the heart of Virgina horse and wine country,” near Shenandoah National Park, is a home designed by Mark, filled with artwork by his sister Kathryn. On Saturday, May 18th, 4-8:00 pm, and Sunday, May 19th, 2-6:00 pm, the public is invited to tour the structure, survey the land and take in the art.
Mark’s company, Greenspur, Inc., is, says the builder, inspired in part by Wallace Stegner’s words: “There it was, there it is, the PLACE where during the best of our lives friendship had its home and happiness had its headquarters.” Kathryn’s plein air and studio paintings are inspired by the natural world, light and “wide open spaces.”
It’s a great concept, and how much more fulfilling could it be than to co-create such a complete project with family you love?
May’s open house is in fact the project’s Grand Opening, and though it is free reservations are necessary; if you wish to attend, I’d sign up quick! The D.C. crowd will descend! The link to reserve a visit can be found here. Links: http://onenestproject.com/2013/03/21/space-greenspur-inc/ www.turnerfineart.com “One Nest” address: 3322 Carrington Road, Delaplane, VA 20144.
•
Pinedale’s Winning Entry, “Time to Make Waves.”
”If children are a measure of our future, Wyoming’s future will follow a path of creativity and imagination.” ~ Wyoming Representative Tim Stubson, Casper.
Imagination and creativity link all of us. Creativity bridges the often times daunting distances between Wyoming’s citizens, and it takes special care and effort to send the message to our children that those distances can be vaporized. Like a morning meditation zeroing in on awakening creativity and imagining our potential, we must strive to dissolve what we believe are our limits. And we must show the rest of the country what we are making here. What can we be to the big wide world? Hundreds, if not thousands, of miles may lie between Wyoming’s creativity and other, larger arts centers and communities. Every reach counts.
Photo Courtesy Kevin Wittig and Mountain Pulse
Fifteen years ago a Chicago art exhibit, “Cows on Parade,” made history. The idea behind the exhibit was to get as many artists, celebrities, designers and other creative personalities to decorate fiberglass cows and spread them out across the city. The show was a great tourism draw and has been emulated many times over; all the cows were auctioned off for charity.
“Traveling Trout” is a big school of artistically designed fiberglass fish; 37 Wyoming schools took part in a fish-art competition, and winners were announced late last month. The entire exhibit is on display at the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s outdoor sculpture garden and trail through October 6, 2013. You can see them from the road, breaching and diving, snagging fireflies. Thousands of dollars in cash prizes were awarded to the winning students and schools, and that’s a great cause. Later this fall, the exhibit will travel around the rest of the state. www.wildlifeart.org
Welcome back! Let’s do some warm-ups.
It will be so interesting to see if Culture Front’s next gathering, entitled “Making It: Commercial Success in the Arts,” picks up where last month’s discussion left off. That discussion, about interpreting the West, became a forum on how to survive making art in the West. Shari Edwy Brownfield, Natalia Duncan Macker and September Vhay are this month’s guest artists, appearing at The Rose on Wednesday, April 24th, 5:30 pm.
Lots of consideration, lately, of professionalism, compensation, selling work and feeling good. We love doing work we love, but in these challenging times it is so important to pay anyone for their services. Hey, it’s just good karma, an “inescapable spiritual law.” Trade can work when it fills a need; but fee compensation buys the bread. Support your supporters! Freelancers and contract workers are jumping through hoops to attain what should be instantly offered. This applies not only to artists, but to those working professionally in the fields of social media, p.r., marketing, technology, graphics, hospitality and other arenas. If you request assistance from someone and they agree to help out, offer something in return that honors their gift to you. Dinner, house-sitting, promotions, car detailing, barn raising, dishwashing, conservation duty, babysitting, art, gardening, a job reference, a title or…money.
By now, many Jackson Hole arts personalities and organizations have heard the news that on March 18th, the Jackson Town Council created a Public Art Task Force. That new entity will have an official relationship with JH Public Art, and Carrie Geraci was named Public Art Coordinator. The step bolsters JH Public Art’s efforts to establish “systematic review of all public art projects proposed in the valley,” providing a “second layer of review” that places community and public safety as top priorities.
Geraci sent out the call to anyone interested in working with the Public Art Task force, an opportunity to be involved in the direction and quality of public art going forward. An interesting prospect, and I sent Geraci some questions about how the Task Force would work and what how JH Public Art, a non-profit, would be incorporated into Town planning for public art.
Geraci says the task force will will consist of approximately seven individuals, and positions are voluntary. Geraci estimates that the number of task force meetings per year could count anywhere from two to 12, depending on need.
Diehl Gallery sends out announcements by the bushel; wisely, they’re letting the public know about artists new to the gallery as we move towards our busy summer season…YES, we are moving towards summer!
Artist Joe Andoe caught my eye. He paints horses (doesn’t he) among other subject matter, but what’s fascinating is his biography. He’s a wild man! He’s lucky to be alive! At least his press materials intimate as much.
New York Times columnist Janet Maslin wrote that Andoe lived a life “straight out of Chuck Palahniuk’s twisted imagination (the dude wrote “Fight Club.“) Mama was a gum-popping cutie. Little Joe was “a big slug of a baby.” Maslin writes Andoe’s mom rarely saw him during his younger years, and Andoe says his only explanation is that he “tried to stay the hell out of the way.” Popeye, the cartoon character, inspired Andoe to draw Popeye-like tattoos on his grandfather, and eventually Andoe became a “cowboy artist”. What an apt addition to Jackson Hole’s arts scene!
NPR’s All Things Considered said Andoe “talks the way he paints–in simple, direct phrases. He’s no horseman. He’s always preferred fast cars and motorcycles.” www.diehlgallery.com
•
There’s a cairn in the world!
When children and free-spirited adults come across interactive public art happenings, it’s magic. It is STRONG medicine. Creating art-on-the-spot, coupled with the sense of leaving your own mark, forms indelible positive memories and connection. With luck, this is exactly what will occur when Jackson artist Bronwyn Minton unveils her Open Air Cairn exhibition project in downtown Jackson this summer.
Once again, a very good New Year to everyone! It’s quite cold here in Jackson, a wonderful time of year to think about direction, imagine ideals, and understand what brings true happiness. My deepest heartfelt thanks to everyone following the Jackson Hole Art Blog—and a special thank you to those who support the Blog. Last week, the Jackson Hole Art Blog’s Facebook page reached almost 600 people! Nice trend, and I’m hoping more of you will “like” the page, and connect with me on Facebook, because the Blog is balanced, informative and provides the broadest picture of what’s happening in our dynamic, ever-diversifying art market. It’s not just about being a market, of course; it’s about a state of mind and our inspirations. Our inspirations are infinite.
As far back as 2009, we wrote about vertical gardens: http://jacksonholearttours.com/ArtBlog/2009/04/20/vertical-gardens-green-public-art/…we wrote about smart growth & urban planning: http://jacksonholearttours.com/ArtBlog/2008/07/09/smart-growth-for-jackson-hole/…we wrote about public art, space and environmental stewardship: http://jacksonholearttours.com/ArtBlog/2009/01/12/2009-a-year-with-heart-three-things/…we wrote about arts & economy: http://jacksonholearttours.com/ArtBlog/2009/06/05/arts-economy-jackson-hole-wyoming/
It’s a new year for the Jackson Hole Art Blog, too. I’ve been writing this blog for over three years—closer to four. And it’s still my baby, my love, my creation and pleasure. I’m going to change how and what I write. I won’t change everything, and I reserve the right—particularly in the summer months—to veer away from the format I’m about to describe.
