Feature Mon May 12 2008
Rosetta Magdalen has expressed herself as a flamenco artist through her dancing, teaching and choreography. Five years ago she founded and became artistic director of Flamenco Chicago, located at 2147 W. Belmont. Flamenco Chicago holds its Spring Student Showcase on Sunday, May 18 at the St. Patrick Performing Arts Centre, with its next six-week class session the week of May 26. We caught up with Magdalen to ask her about her school and her passion for dancing.
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- Lauri Apple |
Feature Mon May 05 2008
Have you heard about Lumetype but don't know what it is? An easy way to learn more about this printmaking process is to visit the Caro d'Offay Gallery between now and June 6, where "Cascade-Shatter-Flow" -- an exhibit of the work of Columbia College Professor Friedhard Kiekeben -- is on display. Or you can attend a free Lumetype lecture on May 7 given by Lumetype inventor/patent owner and gallery owner d'Offay, with a special intro by Kiekeben, or enroll in one of the gallery's classes. Recently we spoke with Kiekeben and d'Offay about the Lumetype process and its origins, and learned a bit about quantum physics as well.
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- Lauri Apple |
Feature Sun Apr 27 2008
Residence first, gallery second, Get Knifed is a Pilsen-based artist collective project that holds shows and workshops based around themes thought up by its founders: painter Max Bare, photographer Nate Bettinger and "other" Chris Cowgill. Get Knifed held its most recent event, "Returns," in conjunction with this past weekend's Artropolis mega-event, and will host its next show -- featuring works by Bettinger and Bare -- as part of the Chicago Arts District 2nd Fridays Gallery Crawl on May 9. Recently Bettinger spent a few minutes telling Gapers Block about his home/gallery's m.o. and upcoming activities.
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- Lauri Apple |
Feature Mon Apr 21 2008
Based in Humboldt Park, the Finch Gallery is one of the many Chicago arts spots featured in Artropolis, an arts extravaganza taking place April 25-28 at the Merchandise Mart. As part of its participation, Finch put out an open call for submissions of essays and writings on the arts, independent actions, and commentary, the fruits of which will be published and distributed to the public and reprinted on the gallery's website. (The deadline for submissions is April 23; send entries to info@finchgallery.com.) Finch Executive Director Nicholas Freeman recently spoke to GB about his vision for the publication, his gallery's upcoming goings-on, and his positive spin on "money laundering."
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- Lauri Apple |
Feature Sun Apr 13 2008
Is Illinois getting stingy in its arts funding? On February 20, Governor Rod Blagojevich unveiled his proposed FY2009 budget, which sets state funding for the Illinois Arts Council at $15.2 million -- 23% less than the amount of arts funding granted in FY2007 (but the same amount granted in FY 2008). What gives? Leading the charge for the restoration of lost arts funding is the Illinois Arts Alliance/Foundation, a statewide arts advocacy organization based downtown. IAAF Executive Director Ra Joy recently took a few minutes out of his day to explain the funding situation.
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- Lauri Apple |
Feature Mon Apr 07 2008
Fields of grapes, race cars, wildlife, Baroque-style cherubs: Chicago muralist Augustina Droze has painted these subjects, and many others, for both commercial and individual clients that have included princes, the poor of India, a family in Naperville, and even President Bush. A Detroit native and former student at the Art Institute of Chicago, Droze has also lived and/or studied in India, Cincinnati, and Barcelona, and in her travels has adopted a style that is reminiscent of the Renaissance era. Recently she took some time out of her travels and projects to answer a few questions about her craft.
How did you decide to focus on murals instead of smaller works?
Murals are better canvases than smaller paintings. I like the room for expression that working with such huge spaces provides. It is also a very non-elitist art form, in that a mural forces everyone who passes by it to make an aesthetic and emotional judgment, whether they have an affinity to art or not. In my opinion, public and commercial spaces provide the greatest forum for reaching a wide and diverse audience.
How do you find places that want murals, and how do you negotiate with them to get the image they want?
I am typically approached by a client who has a specific wall selected for a mural. Sometimes they have a theme in mind. Otherwise, I provide them with some reference material and a variety of designs so that they can make a decision about what direction they should take.
What was your first mural project, when was it, and what can you remember thinking?
My first mural project was in 1999. I wasn't sure what to expect, to be quite honest. It was a ceiling medallion, and everything I painted was crooked. Painting something so permanent was frightening. Since then I have definitely perfected my skills, and I come equipped to every project with the appropriate tools.
Which do you find more challenging -- small or large works?
Nowadays, I find painting smaller paintings more challenging. The small scale of a frame-able canvas seems restricting. During the years that I have primarily been painting murals, I have concentrated less on my oil paintings, but recently I have been working on a new body of work that I will be sharing in the coming months.
You're quite a world traveler. What are some of your favorite places (visually speaking), and how do you think your travels have influenced your style or choice of subjects?
By far, my favorite place to be is India. The contrast between extreme beauty and extreme sadness is striking. Beyond the visual elements, the devastating poverty of India has influenced the way I view the world and the way I view art; it opened my eyes to the fact that I have a useful talent that can be harnessed to help societies in need, both here and abroad. I have decided to focus my energy more towards using public art to make a positive change in our world.
In largely illiterate societies, the arts play an important role in disseminating social lessons. For example, in Kenya, the visual and performing arts are crucial in fighting HIV transmission; artists teach villagers -- through song, drama, and painting -- that they should wear condoms.
Do you ever get strange requests for murals of the "can you paint my maltepoo waltzing with Chuck Klosterman while surrounded by chocolate bunnies and aliens" sort?
I have had many strange requests -- although the oddest murals I have created I happily designed myself. A very artistic couple who owned a gallery commissioned me to paint several murals in their home a few years ago. They placed no restrictions on me. In their front foyer, I painted a scene of animals taking over the world, with an unfurling banner that read, "veni, vidi, vici." Their front porch ceiling became a bizarre celestial scene of the phases of womanhood, complete with an embryo and umbilical cord, nude obese women, and skeletons. Not quite what you would expect in a perfectly appointed suburban home!
How did you end up painting a mural in India?
The project in India was a joint project I did with the Child Aid Foundation, which is a school for orphaned and needy children in Andra Pradesh. To enhance the emphasis on literacy, we decided to create a large mural on the school premises. This created a big buzz, with the story making the second page of The Hindu, which is a major newspaper in India.
And the mural for President Bush?
That project was a transportable mural I painted with children from around the world at the World Children’s Festival in Washington, D.C. I did this project in collaboration with the International Child Art Foundation. I worked with a team of bright and creative children from the United Arab Emirates and Latvia. We created a mural focused on the theme of global dialogue and cross-cultural relations.
What are you working on now?
At the moment, I'm working on a series of commercial and residential projects. I'm designing a mural that depicts various medical and holistic health procedures for a large health center in Michigan. I'm also taking some time to focus on my new collection of oil paintings.
Last question: Are any of your public murals in Chicago?
Most of my public projects have been in other states and countries. And, unfortunately, most of my murals in Chicago are in private residences. I have some public projects in the works, though!
About the Author:
A native of Johnstown, PA, Lauri Apple is a contender for the title, "world's most renowned bag lady," thanks to her somewhat popular (at times) website, FoundClothing. Lauri has a JD and doesn't know why, but it will take about 30 years for her to pay it off, and that worries her. Her favorite cities are Prague, Pittsburgh, Austin and Chicago. When she's not looking through people's trash, she's either painting, taking pictures, or making/thinking about making cartoons about her weird life.
- Lauri Apple |
Feature Sun Mar 30 2008
A native of Scotland, Sara Schnadt moved to the United States in 1986 with her American mother and sister, and came to Chicago in 1995 to earn her masters degree in fine arts (MFA) at the Art Institute of Chicago. By day, she serves as Webmaster for the Chicago Artists' Resource, part of the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs. By night, weekends and other free moments, she is an innovative performance and installation artist whose work incorporates body movement and dance, found objects and themes drawn from Schnadt's wealth of personal experiences. You can catch her next performance on May 2 at Looptopia 2008 from 5-10 p.m. at Macy's State St. windows (111 N. State St.), where she will be representing the Museum of Contemporary Art's 12x12 series.
You grew up on a commune. Can you describe a day in the life for us?
At Findhorn, an intentional community in Scotland where I lived until I was 14, a core group of people from around the world lived and worked together. An average day for an adult would start with breakfast at home, then going to a work department -- for example: working in the garden, the kitchen, the arts center, the publications or bookings departments (Findhorn is also a new age workshop center and has published a lot of books.). Wherever you worked, you started the day with an "attunement": a brief check-in and meditation with your work group. You then worked half the morning, had a tea break, worked the rest of the morning, had lunch with the whole community in a central dining room, worked the afternoon with another tea break, then had an end of day attunement, then dinner with everyone again. The priority for working was to achieve group harmony, and to discuss, as the day went along, how your life philosophy could be integrated into what you were doing. As a child, I shared all my meals, holidays and celebrations with the community, and there were invented rituals around each.
On the weekends, international touring visual and performing artists often presented or gave workshops. There were also community-produced variety shows called "sharings," with comedy skits and songs to entertain everyone. As a child, I took workshops and performed. My first exhibited painting was in a group show at the World Wilderness Congress (hosted at our arts center) when I was 11. My first master class with a contemporary London choreographer was at the age of 13. I am extremely lucky in this regard, I know.
How did this experience influence your work?
By exposing me to multiple artistic disciplines from a young age, many of which have become part of my work. It also caused me to see art and ritual as integral to daily life -- and performed ritual as a way to distill the group's life experiences and feed them back into a shared philosophy of living. Since moving to the U.S., I have used my work to find ways to translate this experience in larger, less rarified contexts -- one commonly held belief, history, cultural trend, or public site at a time.
Who, or what, are your primary sources of inspiration?
Probably because of my background, I am most engaged when I am making work in some kind of context -- making work for a festival when I know the other artists performing, and especially making work in response to a public space or site that has a rich history or set of collectively-held references. For example, my piece Reading Gestures, which I performed last November for the Site Unseen performance festival at the Cultural Center, was a response to the library's reading room. I focused on body language that described how people interrelate around all of that collective knowledge.
I am also inspired by my day job. I oversaw the building of, and manage, the Chicago Artists' Resource Website, which is basically a comprehensive reflection of local arts support systems, and an online community hub for local artists. The skills I have developed through this work have changed the scale and complexity of my artwork, and have also inspired me to incorporate technology and information structures. Serving the local art community through CAR also aligns with the values of my upbringing, and has changed my relationship to the art community. It places me within a large network and makes me feel like an active contributor in a dialogue with other artists, rather than an isolated artist trying to get her share.
Other artists/trends I think about a lot include relational aesthetics -- creating environments for audience interaction -- and the work of Rudolph Stingel, Mark Lombardi, Trisha Brown, Merce Cunningham, Ann Hamilton, Meredith Monk, and Gunther Gras.
One of the themes in your work is the importance of ritual. Can you talk more about that?
Ritual is not so much a theme of my work, but more a vocabulary. I often subtly ritualize everyday gestures through repetition, movement quality, scale, or relating them to a very aesthetisized task. This is part of an overall goal in my work: to distill collective experience into a rarified moment that can have a philosophical impact on the viewer.
Some of your recent performances have lasted for three hours. How do you maintain your energy level and focus for so long?
My work comes primarily from my background in sculpture and dance, so I use performance installation as my format. This format, as opposed to work more grounded in a theatrical tradition, usually involves the performer becoming a live element in a sculptural environment. Even three hours is an extremely short time window for an exhibit. And also the work, like an exhibit, is intended to be seen with smaller groups of people coming and going. So a longer time period is ideal. I maintain the energy to perform between two and seven hours at a time, depending on the piece -- the same way a visual artist would maintain the stamina to work intently in the studio for that long. It can take more, but the concentration and adrenaline rush of being in front of an audience also give you energy, and put you into an altered time sense, so that the hours slip by.
You use found objects in your work. Where do you find them, and what sorts of objects?
This depends on the piece. Thrift stores are great, and for my last piece at the MCA's 12x12 series in December -- where I "built" the Internet as a performance using large quantities of "community contributed" wool, wire and twine -- I reached out to networks of knitters and new media artists, who donated materials.
What's the most challenging piece you've done? The most enjoyable?
Reading Gestures last November was both for me. The piece was about six times more ambitious technically, and in terms of scale, than any previous piece. It involved live feed remote video, built-in projections onto books at six reading stations throughout an enormous hall, large quantities of image research, developing six library-subject-specific image collages to be used as projection sources, seven performers, making blank books, and a lot of custom construction work that took over my house for several months ahead of time. It was also that much more satisfying. What the audience got out of the piece was proportional to what I put into it. Also, I think, sometimes you get the concept and an execution of a piece just right. You really hit a sweet spot. This takes a lot of work, but there is also an element of luck to having all the elements come together just right. This piece hit the sweet spot for me, and it was delightful and so satisfying see the finished work and the audience response.
Do you engage in other artistic pursuits -- painting, drawing, etc.?
I have classical training in photorealistic drawing and painting. This is very useful to develop ideas and illustrate them for proposals. I also collage and make found object sculptures around my house as an ongoing creative offshoot of larger projects.
What are you working on now?
I am getting ready to adapt my room-sized, labor-intensive Connectivity installation from my December 12x12 for Looptopia. What I will lose in scale/complexity and installation time, I will gain in spades in accidental audience. I am very excited to see how this goes. I am also in the research and fund-raising stages for a new piece about gestures, interactivity and online space. Building a version of an element of Connectivity, and the audience's response to it, the new piece will involve a giant field of tiny metal nuts with a system of sensors that records travel patterns of a performer through them (dancing to articulate the building of online structures and networks) and mark-making by the audience (to represent community content). This piece will involve more technical research and more developed choreography than previous pieces.
About the Author:
A native of Johnstown, PA, Lauri Apple is a contender for the title, "world's most renowned bag lady," thanks to her somewhat popular (at times) website, FoundClothing. Lauri has a JD and doesn't know why, but it will take about 30 years for her to pay it off, and that worries her. Her favorite cities are Prague, Pittsburgh, Austin and Chicago. When she's not looking through people's trash, she's either painting, taking pictures, or making/thinking about making cartoons about her weird life.
- Lauri Apple |
Feature Mon Mar 24 2008
On Saturday, March 29, trudge your unwanted garb on over to the Chicago Swap-O-Rama-Rama (SORR), a clothing swap and series of do-it-yourself workshops that promotes clothing reuse and recycling. In exchange for a $20 donation and a bag of clothes, participants can root through the big collective pile of duds and take an unlimited amount of whatever they find -- whether it's 17 cotton Old Navy shirts, or just one Balenciaga bag. Chicago SORR organizer Katie Hawkey is a "lifetime crafter" who moved here a few years ago to jump into the theatre scene, but ended up pursuing a career in marketing and Web development. She took a few minutes from organizing and coordinating with volunteers to answer a few questions about thrifting fashion and the Chicago SORR, which takes place at the AV-aerie, 2000 W. Fulton (*310), from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
What should people expect?
SORR Chicago is going to be a completely unique event. In addition to swapping clothes, we will have workshops going on throughout the day -- everything from embroidery to silkscreens, from fixing your own sewing machine to weaving a hand bag, from frogging to trashion. In addition to the group workshops, there will be plenty of helpful volunteers on hand to give one-on-one assistance with any project. Plus, we will have competitions, walk-offs (a la Zoolander), photo shoots, live music, MCs, and fashion runway walks in which everyone can strut their stuff. It's going to be a blast!
How did you get involved in SORR?
My mother read about a SORR, held in San Diego, in a crafting magazine last summer. She was looking for ways to raise money for a Folk Art School she is working to build downstate in Chillicothe, and we both thought that holding a SORR in Chicago would be a fun way to start the fund-raising campaign.
Are you a swapaholic?
SORR will actually be my first clothing swap, although I am a lifetime crafter. But I have always loved garage sales! I found a box of these great old silk scarfs from the 1960s at a sale a few years ago that I just love; I wear them all the time. The woman who sold them to me told me great stories about how she used to wear them out to dances. They're so colorful and graphic, with bold patterns and retro-fabulous flair. Sometimes I find amazing old clip-on earrings for 50 cents, and rewire them onto hooked earrings or into a necklace.
What is your fashion background? Your personal style?
I'm not much of a fashion buff or girly-girl. My closet is pretty much stocked with basics that I can put together in any combo, but I always try to throw in one thing that is unique to me, like a skirt my mom made, or an antique necklace my boyfriend gave to me, or a pair of my current obsession -- giant retro earrings. I usually wear things that are easy to take care of and look good without a lot a fuss, because I'm always on the go and refuse to slow down for anything.
How did you choose the location?
I found out about AV-aerie from a friend of mine who attended Depart-ment last spring. Once I visited the space, I fell in love with the giant ceilings, gorgeous view of downtown, and creative energy that surrounds the place. The staff was excited to have a chance to do another project that would involve the crafting community. It was a perfect fit.
You're organizing another swap downstate. Tell us about that.
The SORR in Chillicothe will be held April 12 at Three Sisters Park. This is actually the park that will build the Folk Arts School my mother is working to start. It will be similar to the Chicago SORR, with similar workshops and tables. My mother and her crafting buddies are running it, and these are the ladies (and gents) to learn from: They have been crafting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, weaving and creating for most of their lives. They've got some mad skills, and they are eager to help anyone and everyone learn.
Who are your favorite reused clothing designers?
Kerri Van Auken is my favorite reused clothing designer. She's a good friend of mine, and every time I see her, she looks fabulous; she's wearing something I've never seen before, and I KNOW the whole outfit cost her less than $20. She's one of my personal heroes that way. When she compliments something I'm wearing, I remember and make sure to wear it more often! I am so often inspired by the people in my life who can see beauty in anything, and I really admire those who have the ability to bring it out so that others can see it, too. They remind me that all I have to do to find beauty in my surroundings is to look. Cheesy, but true.
[I was going to throw in a cheese joke here, but it didn't work ...] So, what are you plans for future swaps?
I'm just trying to get through this one! But if it goes well, you can bet there will be a Swap-O-Rama-Rama-Chicago 2009. Wanna help?
About the Author:
A native of Johnstown, PA, Lauri Apple is a contender for the title, "world's most renowned bag lady," thanks to her somewhat popular (at times) website, FoundClothing. Lauri has a JD and doesn't know why, but it will take about 30 years for her to pay it off, and that worries her. Her favorite cities are Prague, Pittsburgh, Austin and Chicago. When she's not looking through people's trash, she's either painting, taking pictures, or making/thinking about making cartoons about her weird life. She will be running the "Trashion" workshop at this year's Swap-O-Rama-Rama.
- David Schalliol |
Feature Mon Mar 17 2008
Medicine Park, located at 2659 W. Chicago Ave., is a brand-new gallery space featuring work by Chicago artists of all mediums. Run by Amy Cargill and Jackie Keothavy, the space opened on Feb. 15, 2008 with a reception hosted by pop culture painter Derek Erdman and photographer Jim Newberry. The gallery's next show, Henbane: Dialectics of the Feminine Sublime, features a mixed-media menu of drawings, photo, video, sculpture by Jenny Kendler, Meg Leary, Molly J. Schafer, Amber Hawk Swanson and Stacia Yeapanisopens. The show opens March 21 with a reception from 7-11 p.m. (Video screening at 8 p.m.) Recently A/C had a brief chat with Cargill, a friendly Oklahoma native who considers her new venture "a gift."
What's your artistic background?
I have a dilletantish background in art. I paint, but I would not consider myself an artist. I'm more of a film editor by craft, more in the digital realm of filmmaking, transferring, and archiving. Sometimes I shoot video -- I've made a few documentaries [including Ladies and Gentlemen, which examines three transgendered women's efforts to promote anti-discrimination legislation in Illinois].
How do you like having your own gallery?
It's been a catalytic year of change for me, so the timing of opening the space worked out. It's new territory for me, but it's exciting to have a space that can be used for film. I'm excited about different mediums. I like the idea of an informal space where you can come and do your own thing, have friends over, make it laid-back and informal, and not be professionally trained as gallerists.
What is Medicine Park's emphasis?
We don't want to lay out any set of aesthetics beforehand, we just want to see what we get. Anything film-related I'm totally excited about, as well as mixed-media and multi-media. We just want to show new artists who aren't ... not outsider artists, really, but new and exciting. Tap into the fresh stuff out there. I kind of feel like a lot of things are recycled, with the same people just showing up at different places.
Can you tell us about Jackie, and how you teamed up?
Jackie has a background in nonprofit media and media arts. She's more of the brains behind the operation right now. We were working at a nonprofit company, the Kindling Group, editing PBS series; she was doing Web design, and one day we said, "let's collaborate ... on something."
Tell us about the space, and how you found it.
It's 1,400 square feet -- probably 100 people can come through. The front is the gallery, and there's also a loft where I'm living. We found it on Craig's List. I obsessively check for spaces, which are fewer and farther between because of all the bureaucratic bullshit, and all of the granite tabletops and such. It's nearly impossible to find a raw space or storefront these days. Everything is getting totally rehabbed.
How did you decide on that location?
This space fit our needs at the right time. I don't know of too many other spaces like this in this part of town. The price is right -- we're hoping we can stay afloat for a while.
Have you ever been a promoter before?
No, but it's getting fun. I have a lot of friends who are just smart entrepreneurs, and am taking a lot of notes from them. Also, I go to more shows and openings now than I ever have, as well as film events that I know about.
What's your take on the Chicago art scene?
I think Chicago's a great place to exist as an artist, because you can afford to. I can afford to have a gallery with no experience. I can't imagine doing that in New York.
Got any local favorites?
As far as favorite spaces and artists go, the Bucket Rider Gallery is always on it, in that it features great artists, great shows and has a great business model.
About the Author:
A native of Johnstown, PA, Lauri Apple is a contender for the title, "world's most renowned bag lady," thanks to her somewhat popular (at times) website, FoundClothing. Lauri has a JD and doesn't know why, but it will take about 30 years for her to pay it off, and that worries her. Her favorite cities are Prague, Pittsburgh, Austin and Chicago. When she's not looking through people's trash, she's either painting, taking pictures, or making/thinking about making cartoons about her weird life.
- David Schalliol |
Feature Mon Mar 10 2008
As photo sharing websites such as flickr and SmugMug increase in popularity, their coupling with daily urban life is becoming more apparent. Kevin Eatinger, a Chicago-based photographer, has been particularly involved with bridging the online and offline worlds. We caught up with Kevin after the 7 on 8 Group Show at Cafe Latakia to talk about his work and the way his photographic practice has been affected by flickr.
photo by David Schalliol
Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I'm a Chicagoan. I was born in Chicago and raised in Oak Park; I moved back into the city when I was 24 years old. I find a lot of interest in my surroundings, if it's in Chicago or anywhere else. I've been working in advertising and graphic design since I was 22, when I was hired for a job as a key line/paste-up artist at Reuben H. Donnelly (Yellow Pages). That was great exposure to a lot of wonderful creative people -- learning from them, hanging around them and always running ideas and projects by other artists, everybody motivating each other. For me, it was a fantastic learning experience breaking into a creative field back then.
What got you into photography?
I guess you could say my grandfathers. Both of them had cameras and were always photographing where they traveled and at family gatherings. That rubbed off on my mother and father -- they both had cameras. My dad took hundreds of photographs when he served in Korea, and my mother documented her friends and family. All that shaped me.
Unlike a lot of people who specialize in one or two areas of photography, you experiment with a wide range of subjects: self-portraiture, architecture, jazz musician portraiture, urban landscapes, abandoned building documentation and more detail-oriented work. What motivates you across the range?
I see it all as being something to capture, record and interpret. I can easily see how photographers specialize in one or two fields. Those may be their strong suits, and perhaps their most recognizable works, so then clients hire them to do the work they’re familiar with. Also, a photographer’s "book" is usually a stronger representation if their work is not covering all categories. You have to say a lot with only 10-15 images.
Like you said, I do experiment. It's fun and enjoyable when I have to push myself to try something in another vein. Photography is a form of art, and giving my personal expression and creative vision in an image, no matter the genre of photography, is just simply exciting. I feel I do some styles better than others. Other styles I might merely touch upon their imagery. I realize that there are other photographers who are really well versed in a particular style, so I enjoy seeing what can truly be created through their eyes. That sparks my interest or just begs me to try something new.
With that range, how did you pick which images to include in this show?
Choosing my images was based on knowing the styles of two other people who were going to be in the show and the type of artwork they would most likely be showing. Since there wasn’t a set theme, I wanted to have something that would perhaps be a counterpoint and might enhance the variety of the artwork. As it turned out, the other artists had such different styles and wonderful techniques that everyone’s art played off of each other’s, giving viewers a lot of different "flavors" that worked well together.
I'm particularly interested in the way you've used the Internet to bridge the online and physical worlds. In what kinds of bridging activities have you participated? What's been your role?
Aside from the photography "meet-ups" that I've joined, my first big bridge was the Digitally Entwinedphotography show held at Acme Gallery last year. The show was the seeded and organized firstly by another great Flickr photographer, fotoFANATIC.
By all accounts, that event was a success. What made it a success and what was your role?
I was a participant, who, along with the other 14 photographers, helped with some of the organizing. There were some key people in the show who booked the space, designed flyers and created a website advertising the show. There was also a youtube video created and write-ups in a few Chicago publications. Additionally, food, entertainment and beverages were provided.
Of that work, I believe the contributing factors to its success were the use of the Internet announcing, inviting and "spreading the word," as well as local publications running stories about the show -- plus, easily, 15 photographers inviting family, friends and everyone they knew on flickr.
What about these experiences are most important?
I think my most valued experiences are the new contacts with like minded individuals who are practicing photographic ventures, the accessibility to new works and having my work seen by others. The connectivity gleaned from the Internet has been like attending 10 universities and working 20 different jobs all at once. The amount of people who you can now communicate with in a social circumstance is unbelievable. I can share images, ideas and learn techniques from a huge number of people. I've been exposed to people I could not have imagined meeting. Also, possibilities exist for more gallery shows or the creation of a collective in photography.
Are there any upcoming bridging projects about which you're particularly excited?
At the moment I'm still meeting up with small groups of photographers about every weekend to photograph ... something! Most recently -- and most interestingly -- it has been the documenting of abandoned structures in and around Chicago. But I'm always open to new ventures and photographic expeditions; I'm just trying to keeps my photo "chops" up.
Do you see these kinds of interactions playing a role in the way photography, if not art, is produced and experienced in Chicago?
I think I do. The involvement in arts is growing wider with the interaction of artists, budding and experienced, meeting over the Internet. You are also asking a very profound question about art, especially with the way art programs are cut back and canceled in public school systems everywhere. Some of the artists I have met through flickr, for example, are between 18 and their mid-20s. Is the web the next learning ground or social discourse for children and teens who are interested in art and its connection to histories, both individual and societal? Will the Internet be made accessible to children in low-income communities, especially if Chicago makes a shift toward classes on the web? I believe that art should be inclusive of everyone. People have a natural inclination toward art and self-expression.
Has your approach to interacting with other photographers both online and in the physical world changed as a result of this interaction?
What has changed, for me, has been exposure to more creative people quickly. Sometimes a person who lives down the block from you can be a working artist/photographer you might never happen to meet, aside from web groups or personal websites. I've met people who live or work nearby who are photographers I wouldn't have had the chance to bump into, except for computer connections.
How about your approach to photography?
Some of my approaches to photography may evolve into a broader spectrum due to being exposed to far more styles and aesthetics then even 5 or 10 years ago. Due to what I've seen through the Internet, I've thought: "I'd like to try that."
About the Author:
David Schalliol is Managing Editor of Gapers Block and a graduate student in sociology at the University of Chicago. Visit his website, metroblossom, and that flickr place for more information about his projects.
- David Schalliol |
Feature Mon Mar 03 2008
Erik Newman, a 43 year-old Chicago-based artist, lives alone in one of the city's last cheap loft spaces, hidden in a nook of a warehouse on the near West Side. To enter, you'll need to call him on his cell phone and then wait for him to come downstairs and open the mechanized gate topped with barbed wire. Once inside the warehouse, you’ll step into a workshop crammed full of tools, the remnants of old projects and wood waiting for a purpose. Just beyond the shop area, Newman has crafted a living space that's cheap, eco-friendly and chock-full of storied objects, including furniture he built himself, pieces of a boat he's constructing, a collection of screen-printed posters, and a fake leg (it came with a used car he once bought). The cozy, eclectic interior belies the fact that it was once a raw warehouse space.
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- David Schalliol |
