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.]

Electro Dynamic Machinery

My "Electro Dynamic Machinery" piece was accepted into the "Borrowed Words" show. I used the altered book format along with collage, acrylic & a telescopic antennae for this piece. The concept is that of organic relationships vs electronic interference. The scene is that of a mother, child & family pet by a fireplace. Only, instead of a fire, the hearth takes on the attributes of a television set displaying a mechanical image and a mathematical formula. The words that peek through from the background, the image of a scale/measuring device on the mantle & the antennae jutting from the top of the piece reinforce the concept.

The vintage, homey image juxtaposed with these more industrial elements is meant to speak to the place where deep relationships & personal interaction have taken a backseat to the more distant form of technological communication. At the same time, there is still a sense of connection & interaction & shared space between the characters. Is this an altogether bad development in society? What do we need to do in response to it? Can true connection still happen with wires, transmissions & motherboards in between?


ROY G BIV Gallery for Emerging Artists http://www.roygbivgallery.org/ is the show sponsor. The exhibition is at the Columbus Metropolitan Main Library Carnegie Gallery at 96 S Grant Ave, Columbus, OH & will take place from Thursday 5/6/2010 through Wednesday 6/16/2010.

The criteria for the show:
"The work must use text as a visual element in the work. Examples include but are not limited to comics, captioned photographs, and collage, to name a few. Creativity and ingenuity in the work is, as always, greatly encouraged.

The words comprising the text must be borrowed from previously published texts. These can be from a diverse array of sources - lyrics, printed articles, novels, famous speeches, slogans, etc."

The Opening reception will be Thursday, May 6 from 5pm-7pm. Come out & support local arts & artists! Be sure & study the Borrowed Words that are left behind in the background of the piece.

"Volary"

Funny.

I have had pieces juried into major art shows in Charlotte & a half dozen other cities/metro areas. In those places, I receved multiple awards for my artwork. When I moved to the sleepy People's Republic of Bucyrus almost 2 years ago, I began looking for local art venues. Mansfield, at 30 minutes away, is the closest art scene.

Show entry in Columbus has been no problem. I even had a solo show @ Kenosis over in mansfield. But, for some reason, breaking into juried shows @ Artworks on Main & the Mansfield Art Center has been an uncrackable nut - until today.

I entered 4 pieces. One actually - finally - made it through the gauntlet somehow! What's funny is that I assembled the piece that got in [literally] the day before entry. The idea, however, had been brewing in my soul for weeks. I used some recycled anatomical collage figures from another piece. And while they took some time to make originally, the assembly of the final piece took about 4 hours. And it got in. Now compare that to the hours & hours of painstaking production on each of the other 3 pieces. Each of these, I feel, are just as worthy.

Funny.

In addition, the exquisite corpse project I helped organize also got in. 14 or so artists were involved. Each artist took a body part with the simple rules of: create a somewhat life-size part, use any medium you want, turn it in & we'll mesh it all together Frankenstein-style. The final creation is a sight to behold. The figure is nowhere near as refined as we had planned due to time constraints.

It got in.

It won an award.

Funny.