YelloWall Collective - 'Substitute'

It took weeks for this random group of creative thinkers to come up with a name for ourselves. So when the thought was tossed out that we throw our collective talents into a common visual arts submission for an upcoming art show, we - of course - had to sift through quite a bundle of ideas. What we settled on was an 'exquisite corpse' project of a life-sized figure with the working title of 'The YelloWall Doll'.

The specifications:
- Allot one body part to each interested artist
- The artist would then create the 'life-size' limb/organ/part using the medium of his/her own choosing
- During creation, the artist should bear in mind the need for attachment to the other components & incorporate a hook, loop or other connection point

A total of 20 artists ended up participating:
Ken Arthur, Laurie Beekman, Jeff Bell, Linda Chevalier, Kevin Cochran, Kathy Fetzer-Goodwin, GypsyLuc Hargis, Jason Kaufman, Misty King, Jenny Lucas, Tracy McAdams, Antoinette McMillen, Karch Mohafer, Andi Phillips, Kate Shannon, Cameron Sharp, Tyler Sweet, John Thrasher, Kate Westfall, Sabrina York

With that many artists in the mix, we ended up with some amazing elements fashioned from a multitude of materials. These materials ranged from the organic end of human hair to the manufactured end of a prosthetic leg.

In addition to the efforts of each artist to create his/her body part, there was also a lot of effort put forth in organizing, assembling & transporting 'Substitute'. Through the process we experienced excitement, frustration, cohesion, problem-solving, teamwork, creation, synergy, pride & elation. We had absolutely no idea how the final project would turn out. When you throw together 20 different artists with vastly different visions, styles, skill levels, preferred media & voices you definitely go into it with a big question-mark at the end.

In the end, the hard work & headaches paid off! The exquisite corpse piece was accepted into the 65th Annual May Show at the Mansfield Art Center http://www.mansfieldartcenter.org/. But not only was it accepted, it also won a cash award for creativity.

During the opening reception, patrons of the show were constantly huddled around studying, discussing & pointing at 'Substitute'. From conversations, it seems that what drew them to the piece was intrigue, fascination and, mainly, the understanding that many individual parts came tgether to form a cohesive whole.

The one thing that remains to be seen is what will become of our little 8' tall Frankensteinesque creation once the show is complete. There has been talk of finding him a permanent home somewhere in the Mansfield community where he can continue to live & breath & share his almagous message. As a Collective, we would love to see that happen. Of course, if it doesn't, we've already got a backup plan in the works...

[See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisite_corpse to learn more about the history & variations of an exquisite corpse project.]