In the BAG

Last Saturday I attended the opening reception of Collaborations at the Brooklyn Artists Gym.  The exhibition focused on works created jointly by two or more artists. BAG is a fascinating place. It is is Gowanus, a very urban part of Brooklyn, surrounded by industrial and commercial buildings. There is a growing subculture of artists to be found there too.

BAG is many things. In addition to the gallery space, there are also studios for artists. And of course, many photo ops in the studio space as well...

Work Table Surface

There were nine collaborative projects exhibited in the show. The art was very varied...mixed media, installation art, collage, quilting, photography and book art. It shouldn't have all blended together but it really did.

Two of my collaborations were part of the show: Self Contained, my project with Vivian Bonder and Stephanie McAtee, and Winds of Change, my collaboration with Roxanne Evans Stout.

All of the pieces were displayed on the same shelf and people seemed genuinely excited to be able to touch the art and flip through the pages of the books.

During the exhibition, all the artists in attendance got a chance to say a few words about their projects and how they came to be. Listening to all the stories was the best part of the night for me. My collaborations were the only ones in the exhibition created by artists who had never met. People seemed fascinated by that and asked a lot of questions - such as how we had come to connect, how did the mailings work, and how was it possible to trust people that had never met with your artwork. That last questions really got me thinking about the beauty of our community, as the thought to distrust Roxanne, Viv and Steph had never once crossed my mind.

In all, the exhibition has been a wonderful experience and it was great to be able to share these collaborative artworks with a new audience. Collaborations closes February 6th, so any locals who might want to see the show should hop on the subway quickly. And don't forget to 'step lively and watch the closing doors.'

Go to the Gym

I am all about the collaboration. But for the first time since 2008, I am collaboration-free. Toward the end of last year I completed my last ongoing collaborative project and decided to take time off so that I could focus on my book. My hiatus will be far from permanent however, as I plan to begin several new collaborations later in 2012 - including one that I have been thinking about for many years.

In the mean time, my older collaborations continue to be the gifts that keep on giving. This past September my project with Bridgette Guerzon Mills and Jen Worden was exhibited at the Logan Square Art Center in Chicago. My collaboration with Sarah Whitmire is being featured in the current issue of Somerset Studio. A collaborative project that I completed with Jill Zaheer, and which has never been posted, will also soon be published. More details on that later this year.

And it thrills me to be able to announce that two of my collaborative projects will be featured in Collaborations, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Artists Gym opening on January 28. That show will feature:

Winds of Change, my project with Roxanne Evans Stout...

and Self Contained, my collaboration with Vivian Bonder and Stephanie McAtee.... 

An opening reception for the show will be held on Saturday, January 28 from 6-9pm. The exhibition runs through February 6. Brooklyn Artists Gym is located on 168 7th Avenue, 3rd Floor in Brooklyn NY. Call 718-858-9069 for more information. Hope to see you locals there!

Get Your Mojo On

I had the pleasure last week to be interviewed by Mark Lipinski on Creative Mojo, an Internet radio show. Mark is the Creative Director for All American Crafts publishing and the mastermind behind so many of the craft magazines that you see on the racks at Barnes and Noble and other newsstands. He is also known as the 'bad boy' of quilting and has quite an irreverent and exuberant personality. If you are already familiar with him, you know what I'm talking about!

Mark had seen 'Self Contained', my project with Vivian Bonder and Stephanie McAtee in the January/February issue of Cloth Paper Scissors. He wanted to discuss more about the project and about collaborating in general.

The interview was live on Wednesday 4/20 but you can hear it as a podcast available for download in iTunes or, more simply, at this link. Just scroll down and click on the 4/20/11 show. Creative Mojo is two hours long but you can find my segment between 37:30 and 59:00. 

Thanks Mark for the opportunity. It was a great experience.

The Cube, The Tube, and The Sleeve

As many of you know, I have been working on a number of art collaborations over the past few years. Several of them have come to a close in 2010. One of these projects was with Vivian Bonder and Stephanie McAtee. Called Self Contained, this was an out-of-the-box collaboration that focused on feelings that we tend to hide from others and that we could no longer contain. I am happy to say that not only is our project in the January/February 2011 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors but it is featured on the cover.

We each created our own, individual pieces bound by absolutely no rules. The artwork traveled back and forth from the United States to Australia and we each worked on all the pieces at least twice. There was a lot of creative synergy and we often added to each other's work. In the end, we were rewarded with the Cube, the Tube, and the Sleeve.

My piece is the Sleeve: 6 wrapped, mixed media booklets, feelings contained within. Click each picture to enlarge for detail..

Here is Viv's incredible Tube and some of the insides that I completed...

And here is Steph's amazing Cube. You may have seen my 'Unfinished' side on the right before. Both Viv and I completed 'Self'' on the left.

A big thank you to Jenn Mason and Barbara Delaney at CPS for all your support! I love the new direction you are taking the magazine.

Contain Me

I continue to work on "Self Contained" - my collaboration with Viv and Step. Each of us have created our own art structure that all three of us work in three different times. It is all about what lies within. Things that may be unspoken and things that are often hidden. Raw, grungy, rough, messy, and all our selves. One very special and unique aspect to this project is that we all create on and over each other's artwork. A true collaborative effort!

A few glimpses of my most recent work in Viv's piece. Click to enlarge.

Contained Continued

I am continuing to collaborate with Viv and Steph on our project Self Contained. And I have to say, working with these two creative individuals has me very, very inspired. We promise there will one day be a big reveal but until then, here are some glimpses of the recent work I have completed on my own part of the project. Click each image to enlarge for detail - it makes a difference!






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Contained & Unrestrained

Among the many collaborations I am involved with right now includes my project with Vivian Bonder and Stephanie McAtee. It is called Self Contained and we have just completed one round out of three. The brief: raw, grungy, rough, deep, messy, personal. We have each interpreted this theme quite differently and have created three very distinct structures to work in.

Here are some glimpses of my work so far that I just completed for Viv:






Steph and Viv have each worked in my project once so far and will add more artwork in two additional rounds. I just received my own project back and am over the top happy with what they have created so far. Their work keeps drawing me back in.

Some details of Steph's artwork in my project:





And here are some closeups of what Viv has added: