Visual Arts

Erin Holscher Almazan - "Elaine" from the series Tethers

To kick-off its fall season, the Dayton Visual Arts Center (DVAC) presents In Vivo: Erin Holscher Almazan, Francis Schanberger and Diane Stemper, opening for Urban Nights, Friday, September 14, 5-10 pm and running through October 20.  A homegrown showcase of the area’s most talented artists, the exhibiton features drawing and prints by University of Dayton (UD) faculty member Erin Holscher Almazan; photographs and prints by UD Artist-in-Residence Francis Schanberger; pen & ink drawings and artist’s books by Diane Stemper; and is curated by Bridgette Bogle, painter and art department Associate Professor, Sinclair Community College.

In Vivo: Latin for “within the living” exemplifies the artists’ investigations into biology, cosmology and anatomy. They approach their chosen subjects—classifying, categorizing and organizing—with a degree of the romantic, humorous, political or metaphorical.

Special Site Specific Project:  Anthotype and Photogram Coats by Francis Schanberger

Get ready for this: Schanberger will be tackling a fugitive photographic process called Anthotype—considered “fugitive” since the the image is created by the fading power of light.

With a background in biochemistry and cell biology, Schanberger’s affinity to lab coats is tied to their appeal as a symbol for a scientist, doctor or nineteenth century naturalist as well as an early experience in which his lab supervisor admonished him to “Never wear your lab coat outdoors. If you do, you will bring back spores that will contaminate our cell lines.”

Since 2004, he experimented with a dark ground (cyanotype) and light ground (anthotype) photogram designs on coats. For him, it is a way of brnging the outdoors back inside to “contaminate” the research being displayed. Experiments of the naturalists, both processes were used and invented by an early photographer.

The anthotype process is a very “green” photographic process that utilizes the fading power of light to “etch” an image on material coated with plant pigments. Berries, flower petals and beet roots are the favorite of practitioners of this photographic technique. It is considered a fugitive photographic process since the image is created by the fading power of light.

For DVAC’s Site Specific installation, the progress will be seen on Ash Seed Coat (In Progress During Exhibition), a saffron stained coat which will get about two hours of late, late afternoon exposure. He will also create an ash seed light resist which will form an image on both sides of the garment. The coat will have the added context of using a fabric dye used by monks in Asia. This final coat will be a mixture of the spiritual and scientific; an ephemeral recording of its time at the Dayton Visual Arts Center.

Francis Schanberger - "Don't Take This Personally"

Wait. What’s this About Wine in the Studio?

Picture this: a late Saturday afternoon: start at UD’s Print Studio; get an up-close and personal view of three artists’ materials and methods in a casual, behind-the scenes gathering; follow-up with a glass of wine or beer with the artists at Jimmie’s Ladder 11; head-out with your very own signed, limited edition print to start or add to your collection by one of your new artist friends. Ends before your Saturday night plans.

And that’s just what DVAC has organized for a small group of 24 guests. Studio Visit: A DVAC Field-trip will take place on Saturday, September 22, 2012. Tickets available on a first-come; first-served basis and are $85 each; $100 couples. For Field-trip only (studio + 1 drink ticket each): $35 each, $50 couples.  A new experience. A deeper connection to art. A good time. RSVP to [email protected] or call 937.224.3822.

Diane Stemper - "Tropical Pursuits"

About the Artists

All three artists live, work and teach in Dayton; have won numerous grants and fellowships; and whose artwork is known and widely collected throughout the region and across the country. They will be featured in DVAC’s Fall exhibition: In Vivo: Erin Holscher Almazan, Francis Schanberger and Diane Stemper, Sep 14-Oct 20. Erin received her BFA from Minnesota State University Moorhead and her MFA in Printmaking from Rochester Institute of Technology, New York and is Associate Professor of Printmaking and Drawing at the University of Dayton. Francis received a BS in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from University of California San Diego and MFA in Photograph and Digital Imaging from The Ohio Stte Unveristy and is Artist-in–Residence at the University of Dayton. Diane received a BFA in Printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MA in Interdisciplinary Arts from San Francisco State University.

For 19 years K12 Gallery has been providing the Miami Valley with summer art making experiences for all ages.  With summer art camps offered in three separate studio spaces for three age groups (K-2^nd grade, 3^rd-6^th grade, and 7^th-12^th grade), students are able to explore and truly immerse themselves in the project for the week.  Each week offers a different art medium for each age group.

The newest addition to K12 Gallery is TEJAS the “Teen Educational & Joint Adult Studio”.  This 1,000 sq ft space allows teens to learn more than just the basics; it provides them with a mentorship opportunity and a chance to exhibit their work.  “When I teach a K12/TEJAS summer art camp I bring my knowledge and passion for art as well as life experiences to my students, and they in turn, inspire me.  It is a rare opportunity to grow and learn together in a completely open and creative environment,” states Rebecca Sargent, MFA, TEJAS Exhibition and Programming Coordinator.

This year, the line-up of camps has been the best yet.  Eco-friendly art, Portfolio Development, Gamers Camp, and Clay are just a few of the camps that have already taken place this summer.  Teen camp participant Alexis Geeting shared her favorite camp experience. ”My favorite camp this year has been Portfolio Development, we learned everything from drawing and painting skills to prepping and hanging a show-we even designed our own exhibition announcements!” Every year K12 Gallery/TEJAS provides quality instruction in the visual arts to hundreds of kids and teens in the Dayton area.  Our camp staff consists of working artists in the community, art teachers, and arts professionals.  The lead artist for each camp has the education and experience to offer students a unique and valuable experience in art camp.  Students are engaged and they have FUN!

In addition to creating art in the studio, students get an opportunity to visit artists at work in our community, see and explore art related spaces on daily field trips and artist talks. On Friday students get to spend time eating lunch and splashing in the fountains at Riverscape Metro Park!  The week ends with an art show and reception that celebrates the creativity and hard work each student has been involved in during the week’s camp.

Although the summer is halfway gone, K12 Gallery/TEJAS still has plenty of opportunities to get your child involved in an extraordinary experience.  Summer Art Camps run through August 10, 2012. It is not too late to sign up for a camp!  The cost of a weeklong camp is $150 for members and $225 for non-members. You can see the full schedule, pricing information and details at www.k12gallery.com or by calling 461-5149.

Summer Art Camp Schedule

K-2 Camps:

Week 6: July 23-27^th 9:30am-3:30pm

“Duct, Duct, Glue”

Design and create your own costume from all kinds of materials including fabric, duct tape, paper, junk jewelry, glue and much more.  Students will have a set of designs and sketches as well as a finished costume to show at the end of camp.  Join us Friday July 27^th at 3:00pm to celebrate the week with family, friends and refreshments!

Lead Artist: Atalie Gagnet

Week 7: July 30-August 3^rd 9:30am-3:30pm

“Clay Family Portraits”

Learn clay techniques including hand building and wheel throwing.  Make family heirlooms, dog bowls or cat cookie jars for your family pets .  Create a portrait of your family in a 3-D clay relief.  Use photos and other materials to collage your background and frame the entire piece.    Join us Friday August 3^rd at 3:00pm to celebrate the week with family, friends and refreshments!

Lead Artist: Ben Deeter

Week 8: August 6-10^th 9:30am-3:30pm

“HandPRINTS: clay and ink”

Explore the world of printmaking!  Students will create and embellish prints in a variety of ways including sun prints, monoprinting and screenprinting.  Add painting, drawing and collage to prints to create a fantastic finished masterpiece. Students will also explore mold-making: cast your face out of plaster and sink your hands in clay to make a mold of your handprints.  Join us Friday August 10^th  at 3:00pm to celebrate the week with family, friends and refreshments!

Lead Artist: Bethany Booth

3-6 Camps:

Week 6: July 23-27^th 9:30am-3:30pm

“City Shapes: Painting and Drawing”

The city is a fantastic place to explore sights, sounds and shapes.  Students will view, paint and draw buildings from a variety of locations including street-level on the side walk, inside a downtown building, several stories high and on a downtown rooftop!  Join us Friday July 20^th at 3:00pm to celebrate the week with family, friends and refreshments!

Lead Artist: Phyllis Niemeyer Miller

Week 7: July 30-August 3^rd 9:30am-3:30pm

“Costume Design”

Warrior’s, fashionistas, super heroes and fairytale characters all have one thing in common…fantastic costumes!  Design and create your own costume using materials such as fabric, junk jewelry, glue, needle and thread, and other embellishments.  Walk the runway at the end of camp in our costume fashion show.  Join us Friday August 3^rd at 3:00pm to celebrate the week with family, friends and refreshments!

Lead Artist: Atalie Gagnet

Week 8: August 6-10^th 9:30am-3:30pm

“Alternative Processes: Photography, Graphic Arts, Drawing & Painting”

Learn the basics of photography and graphic arts, including photoshop.  Manipulate your images to create new and exciting pieces of artwork.  Use cameras, drawing materials, paint and other materials to finish your masterpiece!  Join us Friday August 10^th  at 3:00pm to celebrate the week with family, friends and refreshments!

Lead Artist: Diana Cordero

7-12^th Camps:

Week 6: July 23-27^th 9:30am-3:30pm

NEW“Art of Innovation: Film”

Learn the basics of filmmaking.  Students will learn the history of film, sketch storyboards and create and edit their own group short film. Launch your film on K12’s YouTube Channel with help from fellow teen Bradley Lee (a YouTube expert!)  Friends and family are invited to view the final cut (complete with popcorn and soda) at the week’s end. This camp made possible through funding from the Ohio Arts Council.

Join us Friday July 27^th at 3:00pm to celebrate the week with family, friends and refreshments!

Lead Artist: Film Dayton & Bradley Lee

Week 7: July 30-August 3^rd 9:30am-3:30pm

“Hot Glass”

Manipulate glass under a torch head to create colorfully designed beads.  Students will learn the art of “lampworking” or glass bead making.  Turn your beads into finished pieces; necklaces, bracelets, earrings or even small sculptures with wire.  Students will also learn glass fusing.

Join us Friday August 3^rd at 3:00pm to celebrate the week with family, friends and refreshments!

Lead Artist: Kelly Smith & Karen Armacoft

Week 8: August 6-10^th 9:30am-3:30pm

“Clay Throwing & Handbuilding”

Learn wheel throwing techniques or build on the skills you already have.  Use hand built elements, clay tools and glazes to finish your clay creations.  All clay pieces will be fired and ready to go at the end of camp.

(submitted by K12 Gallery)

Glenna Jennings

Editor’s Note: The following was written and submitted by Philip Titlebaum – an intern with Blue Sky Project)

Glenna Jennings was born in Alpine, CA, where she navigated a landscape of monster trucks, chaparral and soccer moms that still informs much of her practice.

She holds BAs in Photography (Art Center College of Design), English-Journalism (Pepperdine University) and Spanish (Pepperdine University). She received her MFA in Visual Arts from the University of California San Diego in 2010. Before joining the faculty at The University of Dayton, Jennings served as the U.S. director of the Geneva-Los Angeles based art collective compactspace, where she curated dozens of shows with emerging and established artists and faculty from Southern California art programs, including CalArts, USC, UCSD, UCLA, Art Center College of Design and Otis.

Jennings work includes photography, writing, video and curating, and she has exhibited throughout the U.S., Europe and Mexico. Her work was recently included in the 2010 California Biennial and resides in multiple public and private collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and the Winda Cultural Center in Kielce, Poland. Jennings joined the faculty of the University of Dayton’s Department of Visual Arts in 2011.

Serbian mothers, two-buck chuck and taco shop fare collide in Glenna Jennings’ ongoing series At Table, a collection of photographs that investigate and celebrate the everyday act of gathering to eat and drink. Since 2006, Jennings has been documenting her encounters with various social groups throughout the U.S., Europe and Mexico. She turns her lens on a world in which the formalities of the mundane manifest in the common act of food and beverage consumption, portraying the everyday as dramatic spectacle.

For the current installation of the project, Jennings has created a series of wallpapers inspired by Kitsch, popular culture and historical pattern-making. These photo-based designs house her imagery in its own micro-universe, evoking the underlying domesticity, humor and reverence inherent to the At Table experience.

At Table: Rachel's 40th (La Mesa, CA)

At Table is currently on display at the Blue Sky Gallery located at 33 North Main Street, Dayton, Ohio. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Glenna Jennings and find out a little bit more about her work and experiences.

Philip Titlebaum: How did you get involved with Blue Sky Project?

Glenna Jennings: This past Spring, I met Blue Sky co-creator Peter Benkendorf and he invited me to become part of the Blue Sky community as a collaborating artist. He and artistic director Rodney Veal were very receptive to my ideas and we were off and running! I was impressed by the scope of Blue Sky’s mission and the quality of work produced by its many resident artists over the years. The summer so far in Dayton has been a productive blast! I had the chance to meet and work alongside the amazing artist Katherine Mann and to meet so many like-minded members of the Dayton community. Blue Sky is unique to the other art organizations I have worked with on the West Coast in its generosity and community spirit. I look forward to seeing it grow!

PT: What inspired you to begin your At Table series?

At Table: The Californians, shown on I Mangiatori II (Robert eats.)

GJ: First of all, I love to eat and drink, preferably while seated! However, much of the imagery is not solely about the act of consuming food or beverages. It is loaded with other cultural artifacts and gestures, from beauty products and party favors to Soviet Kitsch and orthodox iconography. The images are really about spaces of common ground and physical engagement. I switched from a film-based to a mainly digital practice in 2006 and the quality and quantity of my imagery changed a great deal. I had been shooting a lot of medium and large format work during my BFA days at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA and (under the constraints of that institution) was very focused on results. The economy of the digital process loosened me up and allowed the images to flow. I became a better editor in that process, as the dramatic moments I cull from hundreds of shots of friends and family are fairly rare – I generally get about 5-12 ‘usable’ images per year. Therefore, what started as a side project to adapt my process has become a lifelong quest for dramatic everyday moments.

Of course, most folks don’t like to be photographed while shoving food in their mouths or indulging in cheap wine, so I had to “shoot” my subjects into submission. At that time, I had been doing some commercial work in Los Angeles and I was extremely turned off by the standard requests to make models skinnier and skin smoother. However, there is still a mode of objectification inherent in the At Table process. Most of my subjects are not thrilled with how they come out in the photos, but they are willing participants who later revel in the results (except for my mother – she still hates the photos of her!). It is perhaps cliché to position the photograph as a receptacle of personal memory, and equally over-academic to stake its legitimacy solely in cultural documentation. But these images are both, and I am not afraid to say I find their drama and chaos beautiful.

At Table: Mom and Mickey (Alpine, CA)

PT: What have you learned through your study of consumption?

GJ: In the 90s and early 2000s “consumption” was a catch phrase in the global art institution (if I can indeed claim one exists!). We had, among others, Andreas Gursky’s uber-photo of a 99-cent store and other spaces of consumer behavior. We also had Martin Parr’s amazing images in Think of England and other bodies of work. I gravitate toward Parr’s humor and humanism, the way he captured both the pride and humility of a nation stubbornly (and cheekily) morphing into the global economy. Of course, there are countless other influences and histories I have discovered throughout this ‘side-project.’ However, I began to see these photos more as celebrations than clinical documents of consumer behavior – so I use the term “consumption” in a more ‘tongue-in-cheek’ manner. Most of us readily acknowledge our consumer status, but “consumption,” with its plurality of definitions, is belittling and frightening. In these images it is the gestures and expressions that immediately draw my attention rather than the brand names that litter the foreground. We are the masters of the table; the goods are mere fodder.

On another note, several of the friends and family in the series are no longer with us, and their photos were deemed appropriate to be displayed at funerals and memorial ceremonies. Those events truly revealed the schism between consumption and celebration. That’s where the pathos entered. At my dear friend Fellini’s wake, I realized this personal archive could have greater significance outside the institution – it served its most important function of catharsis and remembrance while sitting on a short easel at West Hollywood’s Silver Spoon Café.

At Table: Fellini's Eve (West Hollywood, CA)

PT: What led to the decision to create wallpapers for this manifestation of the project?

GJ: The wallpapers were a delusional gift from the muses! Well, Let’s see…

Since moving to Dayton in August 2011, I have been doing research into the history of the National Cash Register, focusing on images of Patterson’s social welfare programs housed within the local NCR archive. I recently received a Peter McGrath Human Rights fellowship from the University of Dayton to more fully realize this project, which will result in a body of multi-media works that mesh archival imagery with current investigations of how we view labor and leisure from a Human Rights perspective. My studio walls are filled with Xerox copies of photos depicting various groups of laborers doing workplace calisthenics in factories and offices. I was drawn to the formal patterns in these images, to the way the bodies made sense of themselves through corporate-imposed repetition and mimicry. These faces and bodies had begun to form a wallpaper within my home, yet I would never meet, interview or know any of the subjects. That is an intense feeling for me and I am sure for many who do archival work!

The connection of that research to kitschy, celebrity-based patterns is tangential, but it was one of those exhilarating studio moments — one minute you are reading about the history of a local economy and the next you are Googling “famous people eating.” I had never made “internet art” and had a longing to do so. I basically turned a rudimentary assignment I had given in class into a personal exercise and enjoyed the results. In a conceptually simple but perceptually accurate sense, any duplicated and manipulated image can become a pattern, which is fun and eerie! Moreover, most people look pretty hilarious when they are eating, and the public loves to see celebrated figures made vulnerable.

I wanted a new context for my existing images, and at the risk of falling into gimmick, I churned out custom “appropriated” wallpapers. I am still looking into the economic and aesthetic history of wallpaper, but mostly I am having a lot of fun. Wallpaper was a good solution because it reinforced the domestic theme of the work and formally separated these charged images from the white cubes they inhabit. The representational aspect is not immediately apparent – you can’t see Betty White eating a hot dog or Mike Tyson shoving a green glob into his mouth until you get really close – and that’s what I want you to do!

At Table: Fellini's Eve and Rachel's 40th, shown on I Mangiatori I (Betty eats.)

PT: Where does the series go from here?

GJ: I’d love to wallpaper the entire state of Ohio! But in the meantime, I am turning my lens on less familiar groups of people. I have begun to document my new friends and visitors in Dayton, as well as the international students from UD’s Intensive English Program who have graciously invited me into their homes. As a newcomer, the At Table series offers me the opportunity to meet new people and continue my research into Dayton’s history. In an “immigrant friendly” city, I should expect to find a great deal of diversity in our everyday operations, but this is not always the case. As a Spanish speaker, I am hoping to forge a relationship with our Latino community and present imagery of diverse groups of Daytonians who don’t often meet around the table. I am available most any time if you have room for a voyeur/guest! This new work will debut at Blue Sky in November, just in time for the holiday season.

PT: What is the best way for people to get a hold of you if they would like to be a part of the project?

GJ: Just send an email to my UD account: [email protected] — and let me know what I should bring!

PT: Could you tell me about your upcoming photo project for Cityfolk?

GJ: The Cityfolk project came along as I was in the midst of researching the ethnographic nature of Dayton for a curatorial project with The Dayton International Peace Museum to open in 2013. Jean Berry invited me to take part in the Cityfolk initiative to bring large-scale photos to public spaces throughout Dayton. As part of my project, I will be running a photo-booth on Courthouse Square during Urban Nights to make portraits of all and any Daytonians who stop by. This event is also supported by the “Dayton, Ohio: You Are Here!” project, initiated by Terry Welker. The final product – large scale portraits – will debut on various city walls this coming winter. It is really exciting to work with yet another organization that supports art and diversity! Oh, and there will be wallpaper!

PT: What is your other work like?

GJ: I have an interesting personal relation to the arts – the first day of my BFA program (which would be my 3rd Bachelor’s) was 9/11/2001. I had left a career teaching English as a Second language to follow this art dream into a cultural, physical and economic explosion. There was a lot of fantasy and escapism in my early work, but it was full of passion and a lusty pursuit of the relevance of Kitsch to a society in the midst of a major representational wake-up call. I began to form lasting professional relationships with other artists, which mainly resulted in compactspace, a Geneve-LA based art collective and gallery that had a nice 6-year run in downtown Los Angeles. That experience fueled my curatorial work and inspires me to stretch myself as thin as possible – after all, there is no such thing as a “solo show” – I love working with other artists and seeing how disparate works create new narratives.

On my first day of Grad School at The University of California San Diego, my father passed away. This devastation was of a far more personal nature, and I had a hard time making new work. The only way through the grief was to create around, in, over and about his death. Inheritance, a collection of works that includes portraits of various women from my life eating and drinking around a table with my father’s prized pistol, was the result of this experience. (My dad left me, a leftie, 17 guns, most of which I still intend to sell to fund art.)

My work since then has been eclectic in terms of subject matter – a conflation of Doestoevsky’s Crime and Punishment with high school cheerleading, the aesthetics of Place and Space in a small Mexican-American border town, and now NCR. What unites these disparate topics is a passionate need to organize chaos while celebrating disorder. Those age-old binaries – Fact/Ficion, History/Memory, Life/Death – they’re all in there! It is probably not surprising that Ira Glass is a personal hero of mine.

PT: Anything else?

GJ: Why, yes! I am currently creating a course titled “Photography as Social Practice.” We will look at the legacy of photo-journalism from a traditional academic standpoint, but we will also collaborate with other community-based groups, including Blue Sky, Cityfolk, The Rivers Institute and The Center for the Environment and Sustainability to locate and/or create projects of Art Activism within our community. I aim to get students of multiple disciplines involved in this initiative. We will get out there and pixilate the Dayton map with possibilities. This is an opportunity for the UD students to get beyond the distant rhetoric they observed this past fall with Occupy Dayton. Basically, I aim to keep that dream alive through an ‘insurgency’ of hope, help and community empowerment.

Blue Sky Project is a summer experience that empowers professional artists from around the world and local youth to collaborate and build community through the creation of ambitious works of contemporary art and performance. Blue Sky also maintains a gallery at 33 North Main Street, Dayton, Ohio where Jennings work is on display through July 27.

Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann is a Washington, DC – based painter who works primarily on paper. She received her BA from Brown University and MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art.  She is the recipient of a Fulbright grant to Taiwan, the AIR Gallery Fellowship program in Brooklyn, NY, and the So-Hamiltonian Fellowship in Washington, DC.  She has participated as an artist in residence at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Vermont Studio Center, Salzburg Kunstlerhauss, Triangle Workshop and Anderson Ranch Art Center residencies, and will take part in the Bemis Center residency program later this year.  Mann is currently an instructor at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Blue Sky Project is a summer experience that empowers professional artists from around the world and local youth to collaborate and build community through the creation of ambitious works of contemporary art and performance.  Katherine Mann participated in the Blue Sky Project in 2009 and is now one of six returning resident artist who have come back to the program for the summer of 2012.  I had the opportunity to sit down with Katherine and discuss her work and experiences.

Philip Titlebaum:  What was it that initially drew you to Blue Sky Project?

Katherine Mann:  I heard about Blue Sky Project when I was in grad school.  I think I just found it on a listing online and I liked the idea of doing something in the community.  Before that I had done a couple community projects but didn’t think of myself as a community oriented artist.  I mostly kind of just stuck to myself in the studio.  Working by yourself in the studio can be really great and your work changes as you take risks on your own but my work has always been about introducing incongruous elements into a larger environment and it seemed like the perfect way to do that was by using other people to help me make the work. Introducing high school students into the work sounded like a really interesting challenge and it was.  It was great.

PT:  Could you briefly discuss your 2009 Blue Sky experience?

KM:  I came there with one project idea, which was to make a large painting essentially.  We finished that and we had all this extra time on our hands.  The idea of the painting project was that I’m interested in pattern and abstraction so I sent all these kids out into the community and we built our own patterns and abstractions from sketching and looking at patterns of leaves and bricks and whatever else was out there in the wide world and then brought all those together and placed them into a larger painting that ended up being twenty-five feet long using a lot of print making.  In the end that piece looked very much like my work but it had all these other voices in it.  They all kind of came together and it was a really strong painting.  But since we had this extra time, we began looking at the space we were supposed to exhibit in and they had this big pit in the middle of the building.  Since my process has always incorporated pouring; I’ll begin paintings by pouring inks and water and allowing them to dry and then building on top of that and using that sort of as a skeleton of a larger abstract painting, so it seemed like I should do this on a really grand scale. This pit was about sixty by thirty feet in diameter so why not make something that large and have the kids work together with me to make something that felt truly immersive.  That initial idea then got grabbed onto by a bunch of the other artists especially Rodney [Veal], the choreographer and dancer and it turned into all of these other projects.

PT: Can you speak a little bit about the projects that came out of that?

KM: The pit projects began with two collaborative dance and painting performances, where the process of pouring paint into this giant architectural space became performative, with dancers in the same space and the act of pouring paint becoming choreographed.  We poured gallons and gallons of paint into that pit, then allowed it to dry and painted on top of that.  We ended up with a huge wall and floor drawing, but one in which the process of pouring and dancing was integral.

PT:  What effect did that experience have on you as an artist?

KM: I think it made my work stronger.  It made me understand that my work doesn’t have to only be painting; I can expand into other mediums and it’ll still be my work.  It also allowed me to understand that when you’re working with a bunch of other people somebody’s going to make a move that I don’t personally like and that I’ll cringe at but eventually all of that can come together.  Since my work is so much about systems anyway, there ought to be some parts of the painting that make me cringe.  Everything shouldn’t work seamlessly.  I’m not interested in a seamless painting, I’m interested in a fragmented painting that has elements of poetry and lyricism but then other jarring elements as well.  Working with other people really did that, especially going out of my comfort zone and working with other artists including sound, dance, choreography, and installation.

PT:  How has this year been different?

KM:  It’s more solitary, I’m not working with the kids but I am still working with the same dancer, with Rodney.  Everything that I said about 2009 is still true this year, I just have more time on my own.  It’s more like other traditional residencies that artists are used to in which you have a lot of solitary alone time; the time and the space to make work, which is in and of itself a gift, plus the risk taking ability that Blue Sky has.  The only thing that’s missing is the kids, which is too bad, but they’ll be back.

PT:  Can you speak a little about what to expect at your upcoming exhibition on June 27?

KM:  They’ll get to see the installation that I’m creating for Rodney to dance in; the beginning of a collaboration that I’ll be doing with Rodney and Shaw Pong [Liu]; so a painter, a chorographer/dancer, and a sound artist, beginning with me.  I’m creating this environment that the dancers and sound will become a part of.  We’ll see the beginnings of that environment.  I’ll install a twenty-five or thirty foot cut paper installation that will be hanging in the space.  Essentially what people will see is the work that I’ve done in June.

PT:  Is there anything you’d like to leave people with?

KM:  I’m really happy with the work that I’ve done over the last couple weeks.  Even what I was saying before about taking risks and moving into new mediums in 2009, when I was here with Blue Sky, I’ve still always thought of myself very much as a painter and a two-dimensional thinker, so this new piece that will be exhibited on June 27 is going to be my first foray into real three-dimensionality.  I’m working with a lot of cut, filigreed paper that’s kind of folded in on itself and hung so that it sways and moves in a three-dimensional manner.  That’s something that people should check out.

“New Works by Katherine Mann” is an exhibition that is free and open to the public. It will take place on Wednesday, June 27 from 5:00 – 8:00 PM at 8 North Main Street, Dayton, Ohio. The work also comprises 1/3rd of a collaboration with choreographer Rodney Veal and sound artist Shaw Pong Liu, which will be performed August 10 & 11 at 8 North Main Street, Dayton, Ohio. “New Works by Katherine Mann” can be seen by appointment through August 1 by calling Blue Sky Project @ 937.732.5123.

(Submitted by Philip Titlebaum, an intern with Blue Sky Project)

Maya Lin - "Flow"

(Ticket Contest Details Below)

The Dayton Art Institute’s current special exhibition, Changing Landscapes: Contemporary Chinese Fiber Art, offers a rare look at the world of contemporary Chinese fiber art. It is the first exhibition of contemporary Chinese fiber art to travel outside China, and The Dayton Art Institute is the last of only three U.S. venues to host the exhibition. Changing Landscapes is on view at DAI now through June 17.

Changing Landscapes showcases the work of 48 artists selected from the past five International Fiber Art Biennales, held in China since 2000, which are devoted to innovative and exciting new ideas and thinking in the global field of fiber art.

The exhibition was originally co-curated by Ni Yue-Hong, a professor at the Fiber Arts Institute in China, and Deborah Corsini, curator at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles in California. Guest curator for The Dayton Art Institute’s presentation is Lisa Morrisette, from the Department of Art and Art History at Wright State University.

The works range from figurative to abstract, two dimensional to sculptural, crafted to conceptual. They vividly demonstrate how contemporary Chinese fiber artists are forging a new aesthetic by synthesizing their own experience with the diverse influences of China’s artistic heritage. The techniques and forms of the artworks include a broad spectrum, from classic tapestry weaving and pile weaving (a rug hooking technique), to embroidery, printing and dyeing, and large-scale constructed sculptural pieces.

"Resplendence"

Traditionally, tapestry has been a transcription of painting, employing yarns like wool, silk, and linen to create two-dimensional wall hangings. Zheng Dan’s tapestry Resplendence is an example of the rich dimensional effects of hand woven tapestry. This triptych has subtle color variations feathered together using a variety of traditional techniques from hatching to knotting. Her curving forms pulsate and softly glow with the addition of metallic fibers.

Many artists utilize more unusual materials, such as metal, wood and plastics. Zhao Dandan, for example, uses stainless steel to create a three-dimensional armature whose shape is reminiscent of a crescent moon or boat. Into this armature she weaves delicate, translucent threads of plastic that both fill and cascade from the belly of the arc.

Increasingly, fiber is simply another medium for artists to express their vision; the material is used to express something beyond the nature of the material. Their approach transforms fibers to articulate a personal artistic viewpoint.

"Memory of August"

The title Changing Landscapes is not just a reference to the outer visible form of the world, but serves as a metaphor for the inner landscape of an artist’s heart and mind. Wang Kai’s Origin of the River, a monumental work that cascades from ceiling to floor, creates both the image and feel of the falls on China’s Yellow River. Bai Xin’s set of corn fiber, pine, and bamboo cubes, Balminess, captures the space and color of fields from her childhood memories. As a subject matter in Chinese art history, landscape dates back to the 7^th century. This venerated subject has been used in both painting and poetry to convey social, political, and philosophical views of the world. Transcending the literal, landscape operates on a metaphoric level – the concrete object refers to other things.

Changing Landscapes provides a snapshot of how three generations of artists have used fiber as an expressive media to respond to economic, political, and social changes that have transformed the Chinese landscape over the past decade.

For more, go to www.daytonartinstitute.org/changinglandscapes.

MAYA LIN: FLOW

In conjunction with Changing Landscapes, The Dayton Art Institute is also showing one of Maya Lin’s large-scale installations, Flow.

Lin is perhaps best known for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. She achieved national recognition when, as a 21 year-old senior at Yale University, her design for the memorial was selected from among 1,420 submissions. Since that first work, she has gone on to create numerous public monuments, architecture, earthworks and installations, as well as smaller-scale gallery pieces.

Her work defies categorization. Moving between boundaries, she explores relationships between architecture, sculpture, and landscape, between the natural and the man-made, between science and art. Her inspiration is drawn from a wide range of sources, including geological phenomena and topography, prehistoric earthworks, Japanese gardens, and engineering principals such as fluid mechanics.

Flow embodies landscape, framed within the space of architecture. Thousands of 2 x 4s are cut and stacked on end to create a commanding form whose shape is somewhere between a hill and a wave, the swells of which reach two feet high. Working with industrial materials and abstract forms, Lin evokes the natural rather than man-made. Her work is not a reproduction of landscape; rather it recreates the feeling of landscape. She is interested in the human relation to the environment, translating forms and experience.

The sculpted form of Flow is a static grouping of 2 x 4s, but it implies the movement of the current or the ripple of a wave. It echoes sculpted prehistoric earthworks, such as the Serpent Mound in Ohio, or the topographic lines of a map.

For more, go to www.daytonartinstitute.org/flow. To watch a time-lapse video of Flow’s installation at the museum, click here to visit the DAI’s YouTube page.

Maya Lin’s Flow by the numbers:

Number of crates: 29

Average weight of each crate: 293 lbs.

Total weight: 8,500 lbs.

Average dimensions of crates: 28” x 53” x 48”

Individual 2x4s in Flow: 10,148

Time for 2 art handlers to install: 45 hours

Coffee consumed by art handlers: 256 ounces

HOW TO GO

Tickets include admission to Changing Landscapes, Flow and DAI’s permanent collection. A $1 per transaction Historic Preservation Fee will be added to all ticket sales.

Adults: $12

Seniors (60+), Students (18+ w/ID) & Active Military: $9

Youth (ages 7-17): $6

Museum Members & Children (6 & under): Free

The Dayton Art Institute is located at 456 Belmonte Park North in downtown Dayton, just off Interstate 75. The museum is open Wednesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon – 5 p.m., with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Thursdays.

(submitted by The Dayton Art Institute)

Ticket Contest!!!

We have three pairs of tickets to this exhibit (a $24 value) and we want to give them to YOU!  So just this article and then fill out the form below – we’ll announce three winners next Monday April 24 after 3pm.  GOOD LUCK!

[form 23 “Contest Entry – DAI Changing Landscapes”]

"Life Raft" - MB Hopkins

The Dayton Visual Arts Center (DVAC) presents the Annual DVAC Art Auction on April 27, 2012 at the Sinclair Community College Ponitz Center. The much anticipated auction, now in its 18th year, is the only auction in the region dedicated exclusively to visual art and is responsible for generations of Daytonians living with and making art a part of their daily lives. This year, 109 works of art by DVAC member artists in a wide range of media and prices will be presented in both silent and live auctions.

DVAC presents artworks of the highest quality by respected veteran and emerging regional artists. Artists represented in the 2012 Auction include painters Julie Beyer, MB Hopkins, Katherine Kadish and Jean Koeller; photographers Doug McLarty, Richard Malogorski, Fred Niles and Francis Schanberger; and printmakers David Leach, Ray Must and Kim Vito.

About the Auction

The Annual DVAC Art Auction expects to draw in 600 guests and will also feature live music by Puzzle of Light, a cash bar, ample hors d’oeuvres and free parking. Not to miss: the DP&L Live Auction––an event in itself, the live auction features Dayton’s “Superstar” auctioneer, Doug Sorrell, whose high-spirited coaching of new and experienced bidders has become a highlight of the event.

Tickets are $50 for DVAC Members, $60 for nonmembers, and $75 at the door. Tickets may be purchased online at www.daytonvisualarts.org; or by calling DVAC at (937) 224-3822. All auction artwork will be available to be viewed digitally on our Web site, www.daytonvisualarts.org, beginning April 6. If you are unable to attend the auction, you are able to make a sealed bid.

"Spring Garden" - Kim Vito

About the Auction Preview Exhibition

You may also view selected artwork in person at DVAC’s Auction Preview Exhibition, April 6-24, 2012. The opening reception will take place as part of downtown Dayton’s 1st Stop 1st Friday celebrations, Friday, April 6, 5-8 p.m.

About DVAC

The Dayton Visual Arts Center provides art for the community and a community for artists. DVAC receives operating support from the Ohio Arts Council, Culture Works, Montgomery County, the Virginia W. Kettering Foundation and Members.

Ticket Contest

As proud media sponsors for the Annual DVAC Art Auction on April 27, we are happy to give YOU a chance to win a pair of tickets to this very popular event – a $150 value!  Simplythis article and then fill out the form below – we’ll announce winners on Monday April 16th… Good Luck!

Contest Closed…. and Congratulations to 

Jennifer Lockwood, Brenda Boyd and Lynn Kesson – you have each won a pair of tickets to the DVAC Art Auction!