I find myself a bit ambitious when it comes to the summer break. I think of all the projects I want to get done whether it be on the house, my art, my physical self……it doesn’t take much to put together a substantial list. Most recently, I participated in a group exhibition that was in conjunction with the Bemis Center’s Creativity Festival. It was the first time Bemis put together such an event and I think for the most part it was successful. There were lots of things going on from visual exhibitions (Midwest Voices and Visions, The Nest Egg), panel discussions/presentations topped off with DJ parties. I created a work that was part of a group exhibit called The Labyrinth. The curator of the exhibit, playright Susann Suprenant, invited some artists to create individual pieces that were to be installed at different stations of the labyrinth. Participants walking the labyrinth would be lead to each station and encouraged to interact with whatever was there in some way. An important aspect of the pieces were that each artist was given a word from which their piece would be inspired from. I was one of the last artists to get their word so mine ended up being ‘loss’. My solution was to create a panel with cartoon-like flowers stuck to it. Participants were invited to remove the flowers via a sign stating ‘Take Some’. Once removed, the negative space behind the flower was revealed. Overall, I think it worked pretty well. I did something like this similar while in graduate school. I like how the piece started to evolve with some of the flowers gone.
I often thought most artist go through a plant phase of some sort. I definitely am in one now. It must be do to all the flowers and plants in and around my house.
Exit art in New York City has a cool summer series to check out. They are asking for a response to what green means to you. E-mail your submission and it will be printed out on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper (hopefully 100% recycled!!) and displayed in their gallery. Check out this website for details!
http://www.exitart.org/site/pub/exhibition_programs/call_for_proposals.html#easy
I have a couple of small patches of dirt in my front yard that look like a bit of a jungle after the midwest’s torrential spring rains. This was the first year I used the lovely, rich compost my little microbial friends have been crafting for me in the back of my house. It’s pretty amazing that garbage can nourish new life. Looking at my house, a similar process is underway; restoring and remodeling to ensure another century for a place called home. Likewise, I respond to my proofs, my make ready’s, as similar opportunities. Subjecting these pages to the process of composting-with pencil, pen, and stencils- imbues the images with a raw sensibility, they are playful in a way that my other more compulsively planned prints do not allow. Saving the earth, one print at a time!
So, how does one spend an entire summer? The obvious answer is making work . However, I like to do a few things at the same time. Being a new home owner has really been a lesson in patience and balance. Currently, I have to hang a piece that I am constructing for an exhibition that opens this weekend. In between getting that ready, I’ve been thinking of the other shows that are coming down the pipe – a group show featuring 88 artists at the Omaha Hot Shops, a Muny show being put on at the Bemis Underground, curated by a new friend and relatively new transplant to the city, Alice KIm……The thing that has been at the forefront and has demanded all my attention, though, is trying to lay down a new kitchen floor. I mean really, how hard can it be? I was soon to find out! Of couse, being an artist, I had a brilliant idea for it. I bought 5 boxes of vinyl tile, each a different color. I then cut each tile in half and would lay them down in a brick pattern. In my head, it was wonderful. Unfortunately, when you are laying things in a pattern, things have to line up correctly. If you are off slightly, you ruin the whole thing. Well, that’s exactly what happened. I had lain 75% of it and it looked so awful, I ripped the entire thing out and tried it again. This time laying them in a much easier configuration. Sure there are still some mistakes, but for a first-timer, I’m pretty pleased.
Anita Jung, Associate Professor of Printmaking at University of Iowa and fellow PressPlayPrint blog member sends this report and request regarding the current flood situation:
Well, Iowa City is not so nice these days. We are currently at 30.8 feet (4am Sat) and projected to crest at 33 feet, eleven feet above flood stage, this Tuesday. It is five feet higher than any known previous flood, ahhh the mixed blessing of living in interesting times. My studio is in North Hall (those windows are my studio), I also included a picture of our museum and print studio (the corner window is my office). The water will take along time to recede and then the clean-up will be extensive. I hope we will be ready for classes in late August.
I cannot begin to express how proud I am of my graduate students. They put in a heroic effort to save and remove not only things from their studios but the things of their colleagues who were out of town as well as things from the classrooms and archives. They also helped with the visual media collection in Art History. Many of us have taken turns sandbagging and working at the main library too. The past few days have been exhausting. It is an honor to work with these people. I made the decision to not to attempt to save presses, the potential of bodily injury seemed too eminent and too great of a risk at the time. I anticipate two feet of water throughout the print studios and suffice to say that lithography might be completely submerged.
I am now asking for your help. Many of my graduate students had extensive studio plans for the summer and I would like to offer them the opportunity to achieve these goals. If you are able to offer them space in your print shop and if your college can provide a dorm room that would be ideal. If not a place to work and a sofa to sleep on would suffice. Also, please let me know what your shop is capable of in regard to letterpress, photogravure, litho, intaglio, screen, etc. I know this is a lot to ask and I understand if it is not possible. Thank you for your thoughts and well wishes.
Anita Jung
Associate Professor, University of Iowa
anita-jung@uiowa.edu
