Observing ArtPrize, Part 1

During ArtPrize 2011, I wanted to do a series of videos that would feature ArtPrize, but would also have some interest once ArtPrize was over. I wanted to avoid the whole issue of who might win, and focus instead on why people would participate beyond whether or not they were trying to win the grand prize, and learn what is was that made them want to be part of this experience. Here is the first video in a series I like to call, Observing ArtPrize.  

Rebecca Green: Old World, New World

Not long since her first appearance on the Observatory, which made note of her first solo show in early December, Rebecca Green has seen a sharp increase in attention.

You and Me Against the World - by Rebecca Green

Now a recognized name in Grand Rapids, Rebecca Green’s acclaim continues to rise in West Michigan and beyond. Recently joining the online artist network Dribbble, she has quickly gained 50 avid followers. Her current work, titled Old World, New World, will debut in Saugatuck tomorrow at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts from 6 to 8 p.m. It will remain on display until April 28th.

This trip down the lakeshore comes as a significant development for Rebecca. She says of the show, “So far I’ve worked primarily in Grand Rapids, and this is my first solo debut in a different city. I’m excited for the chance to share with a new community, and have already felt very welcomed by all the staff at the SCA.”

The event is also a first for another Kendall alum. The show was brought to fruition by Miranda Krajniak, who graduated from Kendall in 2006. Now an Education Manager, Miranda has made her curatorial debut with this show. She says of this, "We've never shown a young progressive artist from Grand Rapids in a solo format, and hope in doing so to bring a younger, more adventurous perspective to an area often regarded as older."

“I’m excited for the chance to share with a new community, and have already felt very welcomed by all the staff at the SCA.”

— Rebecca Green

In The Trees - by Rebecca Green

Among Rebecca’s collection of paintings and drawings are some of her largest works, to date. She has taken elements and themes from past works and placed a stronger focus on pattern. Rebecca has also taken a different approach to size and layout; she says of this, “it intensifies the world that I’ve created.”

I urge anyone who can make it to the show to do so. Rebecca is a talented and productive artist - one whom I feel always seems to intrigue a crowd. The SCA seems to agree; they say of her, “We’ll be thrilled to say we had her here 10 years down the road.” I hope that statement rings true. Additionally tied to her styling and sensibilities, the opening includes a full vegan spread prepared on site and complimentary drinks will further enhance the cohesive effort.

Video: A Visit to Black Cloud Gallery

I hope that alumni will stay in touch with me, and let me know what they are up to. Recently, one of our alums in Chicago, who is involved with a gallery called Black Cloud Gallery, told me about it. He told me about the area of Chicago where the gallery is located. He told me about the kind of revitalization that's going on there. And, as a result, I had an opportunity to go and visit.

I found it fascinating. And it's fascinating for several reasons. For one, it is a way in which a person is following a career path that involves the arts. But secondly, it involves the way in which young artists are connecting with the community and enriching the place in which they live. Black Cloud Gallery was a real find. And I know that many alumni are involved in a variety of other interesting projects. I hope they will let me know about them.

- Oliver

Connecting at Material ConneXion

Dr. Evans with KCAD alumni at Material ConneXion

Material ConneXion was the vision of George Beylerian. It is a source for designers and artists to learn about, discover, and discuss new and innovative materials. While an exciting visit in New York City, Kendall happens to have a Material ConneXion library that stands as the largest in academia. The library is a helpful resource for students and staff. The following takes place at Material ConneXion in New York, where I enjoyed meeting with several KCAD alumni, colleagues, and friends.

Production: By George! Pictures http://www.bygeorgepictures.com/ Music: Selectronics http://selectronics.bandcamp.com/

Alum Awarded Penland Residency

I would like to share some great news from former Kendall graduate, Dustin Farnsworth. Currently, Dustin is finishing a residency at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN. What's more, Dustin has informed me that upon the completion of this residency in May, he will immediately be moving to North Carolina, as he has been selected for a three-year Penland Residency at Pendland School of Crafts. I am very excited, and very happy for Dustin. I wish him the best of luck. You may read more about him, as well as view his work on his website. Some of his work is also available for sale here.

News of a Woodworking Alum

Round Stools (Photo via whitcombandcompany.com)

KCAD Graduate, Andy Whitcomb, has been featured on Design Sponge for his wonderful woodworking and furniture design. Andy currently lives and works in Seattle. You can read about his works on his company website, or follow his company on Facebook. The Design Sponge story, by Grace Bonney, here.  

Tenure of a Designer, Tenth Year of a Studio

Photo courtesy of Conduit Studios

Shortly after Neocon, I contacted John O'Neill of Conduit Studios to get his thoughts on this year’s showrooms. He was kind enough to share with me his story, his studio, and his thoughts on many subjects; including the importance and relevance design has in West Michigan; his process of integrating both business and creative; and his thoughts on pro bono work.

 

I learned a great deal about his process and have decided to write a piece about what I had learned. First, I'd like to share how he and I first met.I first became aware of John when he was a freshman, which would have been in 1997 or '98. I happened to see a student walking into the College, carrying a work that I assumed was for his 3-D class. Because I thought the work was interesting, I wondered if whoever this student was might consider selling it. So I did some checking, found out John’s name, learned from the faculty that he was a highly respected student even then (which is a good thing, because it is always awkward if I “latch on to” a student who is about to be dismissed from Kendall), and I asked someone to ask John if he might want to sell the work, which he agreed to do. It was the first student work I bought at Kendall, and it hangs in my office. Where I was wrong was in assuming that it was created for his 3-D class. It turns out that John created the work for his psychology class and that, from what he told me, the work represents his mind.

 

John has made some milestones since that psychology class. Upon graduation in 2001, he co-founded Conduit. This year happens to be the design studio's tenth anniversary. I am both proud and happy to hear of this achievement. I am also glad to say that, along the way, I have become a friend of John's.

 

I'd like to point out that John went directly from college to Conduit; upon graduation from Kendall, he stayed busy freelancing for various businesses. He worked in what I call "the coffee shop circuit." (It's remarkable - and fitting - that so many creatives, artists, and even musicians have gotten their start in cafes.) One day, at a Kava House in East Town, John ran into Tim Carpenter who shared a similar situation, creating print design while baristas served espresso. The two began to work together, and in a sense, Conduit was formed. The studio now has 5 full-time employees who create for some of the biggest companies in the area. The studio is housed in a beautiful space in downtown Grand Rapids. I hope to write about more about it in subsequent post, as I feel it deserves one.

 

From the discussion, I learned that John is no stranger to small business; his father, and several uncles owned and operated their own businesses. It seems the entrepreneurial spirit is strong among his lineage, which may explain, to some degree, his level of success for someone his age. That and a passion for design, which seemed to develop early. He said of his design interest: "It's not like I chose design; it kind of felt like design chose me. Even when I was a kid. It seems like it was always there."

 

John is passionate about the design community in West Michigan. He is a board member of both Design West Michigan and AIGA West Michigan. He promoted the idea that West Michigan is design-centric because designers in the area are asked to perform many different roles. He expressed that designers do more than design; they also consult more regularly with clients. And maybe this role of consultant is becoming more prominent because, as John puts it, design "doesn't always have an aesthetic outcome."  John said of design in West Michigan: "It just seems like there's a lot of us." While putting together the new AIGA West Michigan chapter, John was excited to see the amount of interest designers displayed to join. "There's a real critical mass of people here," he said.

 

If you visit Conduit online, you can see that they have designed and consulted for a wide (and long) list of reputable clients. I was especially interested in his pro bono work, particularly curious of his studio's process working with pro bono clients. He shared his thoughts, using his work with the UICA as an example.

 

In 2004, he volunteered to help the UICA promote the first annual Live Coverage event. Conduit has helped out every year since, designing all the of the event materials. He says of the work, "[we] use it as a chance to express our creativity." He expressed that pro bono work offers more flexibility. He said of doing pro bono work: "If we can fit it into our schedule, we'd love to."

Photography Graduate Going Places

From just east of Grand Rapids to the East Coast, recent KCAD alumni, Katie Zychowski, will be honored for her work and featured in two shows: one local, at the state capital in Lansing; the other in New Jersey at Monmouth University.

A recent graduate of KCAD’s  photography program, Katie Zychowski has much to look forward to this fall. Her work has been chosen to be part of an upcoming exhibit at the state capital. Members of the Legislative Art Caucus have selected Katie to be part of the Student Art in Legislature (Arts in the House) Initiative after a nomination, which came from professor and head of Photography, Darlene Kaczmarczyk.

"We Settled on Wanting" - Katie Zychowski

"I Followed When We Separated," a photograph taken from Katie's Photography Thesis, was selected and will be displayed in the Anderson House Office Building. This month, a formal reception will recognize her work as part of the initiative. I expect this to be an exciting and interesting show in Lansing.

And, until October 14, Katie is being recognized on the East Coast. Her work is currently showing at Monmouth University's Ice House Gallery, in New Jersey. She was asked by Anne Leighton Massoni, after her senior thesis show. Katie is showing photographic pieces from her senior thesis entitled Langour, Temperance, Repose. I look forward to hearing more of Katie, and her work, as she continues to pursue her career in photography.

Observing ArtPrize

Illustration - Greg Oberle

On Wednesday, September 28th, and Thursday, September 29th, I plan to visit each work in ArtPrize that has a Kendall connection, starting with the work by outside artists who are exhibiting at Kendall itself. Most of the time, however, will be spent observing work—and when possible, visiting with artists—who are associated with Kendall, either by being current students, staff, faculty, alumni, including artists associated with Kendall through the Continuing Studies Program.

I will be touring ArtPrize because, on the simplest level, I love the excitement and diversity of ArtPrize—so many people looking at so much creative work. And I want to recognize and celebrate the Kendall people who are participating in ArtPrize. There are too many of them to try to hold a reception or a similar event—and besides, such an event asks busy and committed artists to come to me, whereas I would rather go to them.

I will be publishing an itinerary of the tour early next week. I will also announce when I am heading to a given venue or to the work of a given artist on Twitter and Facebook.

What if I don’t see my venue on the itinerary?  

Send an email to hello@oliverhevans.com and let me know. You will be immediately added.

My hope is that some artists will meet me at their work so we can talk about their work and about ArtPrize itself.

If I meet you, what are you likely to ask me?

In addition to celebrating the quality of your work and simply discussing it, I am interested in how an artist decides to participate in ArtPrize, how much advance planning went into that decision, what was the process that led you to submit the work you chose, what expectations/hopes do you have of the audience for your work? And we might talk a little about ArtPrize and the democratization of art. ArtPrize is absolutely right when it says that the important thing is the conversation about art. So what I really seek is a brief conversation—preferably videoed with you and probably lasting fifteen to twenty minutes.

Last Wednesday, for example, I had the chance to start this kind of conversation with Jonathan Brilliant, who is showing in the Kendall Gallery. Tuesday was his last night in Grand Rapids; and his answers to my questions, his perceptions of ArtPrize, and his interest in being part of ArtPrize were intriguing and illuminating. I look forward to sharing them next week when the tour itself will appear in video, images, and text here on my Blog.

I am intrigued by the questions I just outlined and by the kind of conversation those questions can trigger.  So I look forward to Observing ArtPrize in a very special way the middle of next week.

Follow my tour via Facebook or Twitter.

- Oliver

Running Artist Makes Great Strides

One evening last week, I happened on a very busy brewery. Perhaps the summer heat brought on a neighborhood-wide craving for craft beer, because Brewery Vivant was alive with traffic.

Housed in what was once a neighborhood funeral home chapel, I noticed dinner parties, after-work socialites, young couples on dates, old couples on dates, and a most helpful staff - all enjoying the ambiance, the drinks, the menu, and the artwork of a recent KCAD alum, Jacob Zars.

The work, titled "Fun With Electrocution," will be exhibited on the walls of Brewery Vivant throughout the summer, adding as much beauty as it does curiosity to the venue's experience and overall aesthetic - which still lightly alludes to the dead and nearly buried. Jacob’s exhibit consists of 8 monotypes that toy with, and welcome the idea of death through a series of electrifying scenarios. I felt the work most effective, given the nature of the space. It requires the amount of intimacy and appeal offered by the venue to really capture the element of danger.

The close relationship between Jacob's work and the venue is, according to Jacob, all by design. He saw an opportunity in Vivant, where the collection could live and breathe along with the space and its visitors. He said of the relationship, "I was trying to tell stories on each wall. The art has to feel comfortable in its place." He added, "the work enhances the venue and the venue enhances the work." I believe his curating instinct is accurate, as each piece curiously contemplates an idea of darkness that I find wild with the notion of life or the living - just as the word Vivant, itself, suggests "to be alive" or "lively."

After discussing Jacob’s process of curating his work within the venue, we discussed his process of the work itself; which may suggest why he was so careful and thoughtful about where it was to be shown throughout the summer. He shared that each print took approximately thirty hours to create. Each transparency was carefully and directionally brushed with mainly black ink (one of the works includes some color) before it met paper. He explained his use of watercolors, cardboard, ink, and paper with great detail and passion. Jacob also included that the work was part of a larger, 24-image collection he created more than a year ago as part of his senior project. Jacob said the eight pieces used at the brewery "chose themselves" for the show.

I'd like to point out that Jacob made a big decision to pursue art verses the many athletic offers from other institutions. He said of his choice to study art, "it just doesn't compare." Fortunately, Jacob was able to demonstrate his love of sports while at KCAD. He helped start the Kendall Soccer Team and KCAD Club Tennis. He continues his love of distance running and still works part-time at Gazelle Sports, assisting other athletes.

Jacob said he would like to pursue an interest curating work for local venues in Grand Rapids. He also expressed that he will continue to create art in his studio space and at area events such as UICA Live Coverage or the Art Battle For Community at Sazerac Lounge - where, last year, Jacob won first place.

Jacob’s Twitter | His twitter handle, @RunningArtist, is a username that I find fitting (and revealing) of his passion for both athletics and art.

Jacob's

Linkedin

KCAD Alumni Board President Presents Beautiful Decay

Terry Frixen - Photo by Ryan P. Photo

I am pleased to share with you this post about KCAD alum, Terry Frixen; partly because I have always found it gratifying when graduates such as Terry have the ability to continue onto successful careers while managing the passion and inspiration to create fine art of their own.I also wanted to write about Terry, who currently serves as President of KCAD’s Alumni Board, because of his many roles within the community.

Terry, a Fine Art Photography graduate, has sustained a balance between his career with Meijer and his personal portfolio; including his latest show titled "Beautiful Decay," which was on display at Pub 43, a local venue in Grand Rapids.While Terry was a student at Kendall, he held a job at Meijer. When he graduated, the company awarded Terry a series of promotions. Three years ago, he had proven himself enough to the company that he secured a position in the corporate office. What's more remarkable is that Terry remained committed to the art community and to various non-profit organizations as he climbed the corporate ladder.

Terry volunteers for the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA) visual arts committee, the Kids Food Basket, and soon plans to start training at the GRAM, where he wishes to help out. Terry is also the Artist Relations Coordinator of the SiTE:LAB team. He says of his volunteerism: "I feel that by volunteering with the groups that I am, I will meet great people, make great connections, and learn a lot. This is starting to prove true." I should probably note that SiTE:LAB, co-founded by KCAD adjunct sculpture professor Paul Amenta, is a non-profit group of artist and art enthusiasts - one of which I hope to write about in the future.

"Beautiful Decay" was shown throughout the month of June. For those of you who hadn't the chance to see his collection hung elegantly along the north wall of the venue, Terry has graciously included two pieces of work from the show as part of this blog post.

He explains "Beautiful Decay" as a collection of three different series that express his recent fascination with rust, warped or rotted wood, and chipped or peeled paint. He says of his work: "I look at all the images I have right now and I feel that it truly shows the beauty in what could be considered ugly."

Terry has managed to pursue his love of photography, his career at Meijer, and his volunteer activities in the community, including the KCAD Alumni board, where he currently serves as the board president.

Terry’s Twitter: @tgf1980