22 gauge

Shots from Christine Clark's recent installation at Nine Gallery in Portland that was on view last month. I haven't seen every single show that this long-time local venue for installation art has mounted since their migration from 12th down to the Park Blocks almost two years ago, but I was really glad to finally see someone really embrace the room and make it feel different than just a tiny little box. (Can you tell I miss the old Nine Gallery space?)



This show was centered around the use of a single material--22 gauge wire. The room must be about 12 feet square, if memory serves me, and it was exciting to see the quivering of the delicate lines suspending the forms just below a comfortable eye level.

Most of the shapes were cage-like, a few of them stuffed with human hair, one of Christine's signature materials. The shadows were great too--a real sensory experience.



Nine Gallery is located inside of Blue Sky Gallery.

a show I'd like to see...

...but thanks to the magic of radio, I almost feel like I did....

Seattle Artists Ward Shelley and Alex Schweder have been living in their respective ends of a suspended structure at the Lawrimore Project this past week. Any shift in motion by one creates and equal and opposite reaction for the other, ultimately creating a story of communication and partnership. If the NPR link above doesn't satiate you, click here for the Stranger's version.

Happy Mairaday!

Another one of Maira Kalman's "And the Pursuit of Happiness" columns is out. Click here and have a great weekend!

just bust a move!

This article in the New York Times inspired a blog entry about a friend of mine, Mary Lou Zeek, who runs a sweet little eponymous gallery down in Salem. She and I are both big fans of the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, and the last time I saw Mary Lou, she told me about a project she's launching inspired by one of the pieces in their permanent collection: the BraBall.

This piece was made by artist Emily Duffy. The piece began in 2000, when Duffy responded to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about a male artist who was looking for a home for his "large bra collection." He was looking for someone to take the entire collection of several thousand bras, not just a choice few, which was Duffy's original plan. Letting the project take on a life of its own, the bra ball was started. It is truly a sight to behold whether you are naturally inclined towards that particular bodily region or not--The completed ball of bras contains 18,085 bras, is over five feet in diameter, and weighs more than 1,800 pounds. You can read Duffy's exciting account of the whole project on her website by clicking here.

Mary Lou Zeek was inspired by the bra ball and asked Duffy for her permission to recreate it. (Duffy gave her blessing!) Of course, since Mary Lou is involved, there's a twist. She's asking artists to decorate and send in bras over the next five months and mail them to the gallery. Each bra will be documented and a catalog will be created with all the bras included. In October, they will start assembling the ball
in conjuction with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

If you're so inclined, this show is open to any and all artists. Click here for more information about Mary Lou Zeek Gallery.

Queen Anne (gone wild)

Congratulations to my friend Terry Bostwick, whose amazing and thoughtful furniture was profiled recently. My favorite piece of his has always been his furry variation on a traditional Queen Anne chair, pictured in the foreground here. Click here to read the article in the West Linn Tidings.

digs

Inspired by our new bathroom remodel, I would like to direct you to a fun article from the NYT last summer about an artistic take on this pesky undertaking...Speaking of which, I have an apartment for rent. Click here to see the pretty pictures. Click here if you need more info.

dreamy

three creative spaces

I love visiting studios and seeing how other artists set up their work spaces, both on inspirational and practical levels. Last weekend on my trip to Whidbey Island, I got to see the work spaces of three very creative people.

Keke Cribbs:




Alicia Lomne (Keke's daughter and a fine artist in her own right)




I stayed at the home of Danielle Bodine, whose work I showed you in the Wire we Here" show. She and her husband Norm live in an amazing Japanese-inspired house, with a beautiful view of the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains.

a wall of inspirational tools

a few of the objects that Danielle uses as molds

The view from the studio window.


Norm has done an incredible job landscaping the property, including this pond. Want more? Click here to read an article the Seattle Times did that tells about the home in more detail.

Wired in WA

Had a really great whirlwind trip to Whidbey Island last weekend for the Wire we Here? show I made the Canus Sockinibblia piece for. Here are some images from the show--and stay tuned, dear reader, because I have more images to post showing some great studios I saw on my journey. The above piece is a "wheel of fortune" made by show curator Keke Cribbs.


Unfortunately I didn't get the name of the artist who made these huge bird cage-like forms.

Tod Pardon's homage to Margaux Lange.


Midori Saito with her beautiful necklace made of....toilet paper! She also had some wonderful brooches made with wire and paper.


Micki Lippe had her own jewelry in the show as well.

Marcia Macdonald brooch.



Danielle Bodine, better known for her fiber art work like the little fetishistic critter above, had an interesting wall piece, cloudlike forms made from loom parts. At the bottom, it withered down to a ball of wire that touched the ground.



Rings by Brigitte Martin

Brad Pressman's "The Interior World of an Anonymous Genius (as seen from the outside)"

One of my all-time favorite glass artists, Richard Marquis, created this assemblage of found wire tools.
Marquis also brought a few larger found pieces, not for sale, but made a great addition to the show. This is a tool made for cleaning chimmneys, as is the next one.



And a pair of wire rug beaters, also on loan from Marquis.

A little taste of 1st Thurs...

A few shows of note from Portland's Pearl District--Blue Sky Gallery has a fantastic photography show by Andy Freeberg called "Guardians." He took all of the images at the Hermitage Museum in Moscow, fascinated by the local women who volunteer their time to sit and watch over the collection. Freeberg notes that some women specifically choose certain paintings to stand near, which is something I've always wondered about as I visit various museums myself--but what's even more amazing is the similarities between these women and the paintings. I will include a few here, but click here to go to Freeberg's site to see the rest. (But if you're in Portland, try to make it down to see the show--these prints are gorgeous.)




Around the corner, The Museum of Contemporary Craft has a great lineup that I've been trying to see for at least a month now--Mandy Greer engulfs the entire ground floor, even continuing up the staircase a bit, with her installation Dare alla Luce. My first reaction was actually a bit of disappointment--the murals on the wall seemed very influenced by a lot of trends I see in contemporary design and indi Craft, using silhouettes of nature as a major motif. But the more time I spent there, the more the whole show unfolded and revealed itself worthy of this venue. The enormous, intricately embellished hanging chandellier-like pieces in the center cast a shadow of their own silhouette layer on the walls, and this pleased me. The walls started to remind me of one of my favorite artists when I was a young girl--Peter Max.

The attention to detail of all the sculptural work was quite satisfying. I briefly engaged in a conversation between a volunteer and another gallery patron about the labor involved in making the show, and we imagined a Marie Watt-style sewing circle of assistants patiently sewing the beads and shell bits onto one giant globe form. I don't know whether this is true or not, but it's a staggering amount of handiwork. Those chandelliers were the real show stoppers, reminding me of another part of my childhood, hiking deep into the Cascades with my family and observing the moss infested branches.

Upstairs is a full solo show by Darrel Morris, whose work I really appreciated in the Museum's best show a few years ago when they were still in their Corbett Street Location. The simply stitched renderings of various images borrowed from the print media (I hope he's paying attention to the unfolding saga with Shepard Fairey!) are a nice palate cleanser after taking in the excesses downstairs. Equally intriguing as the needlework is the interesting choice of canvases: brightly colored and out-of-square. Yum.

I also really enjoyed their massive collection of ceramic works by Toshiko Takaezu, a ceramic artist whose work was in its heyday half a century ago. She was noted as the first artist to "close-or nearly close-a ceramic vessel." The simple forms of her vases and sculptures, and abstract use of traditional glazes work well together--and this work provides a paternal ground for the other work on view at MCC. It makes me wonder: will Morris and Greer's work seem painfully dated in 5 or 50 years?

Before I go, I want to mention that the Glenn Adamson lecture is now available online--I'm personally thrilled because I had to miss it due to familial obligations and boy, was I disappointed. I'm also thrilled because I have a big solo drive ahead of me as I travel north for the weekend for the Wire We Here show, so this podcast will be a welcome companion. Click here for details on that show.

wait and see

I previously blogged about the pending acquisition of the Museum of Contemporary Craft by one of our local art schools, Pacific Northwest College of Art. There has been a lot of speculation, both in the media and among my peers about what this means. I am hoping of course, that the Museum will be allowed to continue its mission of presenting contemporary craft and not just be swallowed by another institution with its own agenda. Right now I think it's a time for us all to be patient and see what happens.

Contrary to last weekend's Oregonian article, I don't think it's fair to blame former director David Cohen or the museum's board. Cohen took a risk, and where would we all be without the risk takers? I also don't view the Museum of Contemporary Craft as a failure. It may be hard to understand this if you don't participate in craft communities outside of Portland, but this museum's programming gained international attention as a leader in the movement.

A series of lectures will allow the museum to speak for itself about how they see their future. I plan to go and hear these talks, but the proof will surely be in the pudding made in the next few years.

---
Community Conversations on the Integration of Two Educational and Cultural Institutions

Please join Pacific Northwest College of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Craft, and invited members of Oregon's creative community, to engage in a series of conversations about the anticipated integration of two of Portland's most venerable institutions that have, in recent years, reinvented themselves to respond to changing educational and cultural needs.

Through these conversations, we will explore the broader concepts relevant to creating a more vibrant and expanded educational and cultural institution that will strengthen its contribution to the cultural voice and economic vitality of the region.

Towards a New Future: Embracing the Vision
Wednesday, March 18, 6:30pm
Museum of Contemporary Craft, 724 NW Davis St.

The Changing Dynamics of Craft and Design
Thursday, April 9, 6:30pm
Pacific Northwest College of Art, Swigert Commons, 1241 NW Johnson St.

Strengthening the Curriculum
Thursday, April 16, 6:30pm
Pacific Northwest College of Art, Swigert Commons

Redefining a Museum's Role: A Cultural and Educational Resource
Thursday, April 23, 6:30pm
Museum of Contemporary Craft

Creative Grid: Building Community Through Collaboration
Thursday, April 30, 6:30pm
Pacific Northwest College of Art, Swigert Commons

16 days of winter left!

Although the weather patterns seem to have changed since I was a kiddo, I'm so excited to see the crocus bulbs popping up all over town, as well as the pleasant decline in my energy bills. Bring it on, Mother Nature, I'm ready to see what you have in store for us in the next few months.

Wordy Blogginghood

I recently stumbled upon images of a beautiful installation in the Crawley Public Library in East Sussex, UK. Fourteen trees were sandblasted with text from the library and placed floor to ceiling in spots throughout the entire building. The project was a collaboration between artist Gordon Young and graphic design company Why Not Associates, although library patrons picked the actual text used on the trees themselves.


The blog of the Creative Review has some great pictures that include a lot of process shots when the trees were covered with a black resist for the sandblasting, which, in my humble opinion, are just as beautiful as the finished product.

This reminds me of my all-time favorite public library art--at the San Francisco Public Library near city hall. When their library went through a post-earthquake renovation, they also made the final switch from card catalogs to computers. Before getting rid of the ancient relics, they asked patrons to pick cards for books that meant something to them and write about it on the card itself. The two artists who conceived of this project, Ann Hamilton and Ann Chamberlain, then used the cards to wallpaper the outer walls of the information desks located in the same corner of each floor, with a subtle blue wash over the entire surface. It's really fun to read the cards and see what people of all ages and nationalities wanted to say about their favorite books. Read more about this project by clicking here.