VOL 04 ISSUE
16 
August 23, 2005
BACK ISSUES | ° | ¤ | CURRENT ISSUE
VOL 04 ISSUE
16 BACK ISSUES | ° | ¤ | CURRENT ISSUE |
| SALON DU WAREHOUSE BUILDING:MTVIEW TESTS CONCEPT | ||||
 MULTI-DISCIPLINARY
ART CENTER is a stretch in the imagination of a Loose Association of Local Artists
and their spokesperson Bruce Farnsworth, seen at the right in front of Marty Ross' Eternity
and a canvas target for catapulted paint balls. Commissioned on behalf of
the Rasmuson Foundation to interview artists and collect information regarding the
possibilities of establishing an arts complex in Mountain View, Farnsworth diligently
pursued his charge. A delapidated warehouse on Mountain View Drive became a focus
for a land acquisition effort, and circumstances made it available in August to stage a
party. Sheila Wyne had been hosting annual studio blow-outs in Spenard with Farnsworth,
and they decided to move the event. Marcello Muñoz agreed to curate an
invitational exhibition of new art in part of the cavernous space, and the entire notion
of art, barbecue, beer, catapult, drumming, poetry, and music built a momentum of its own
in short order, culminating Friday August 12th in an eight hour throw-down . As
Angela Ramirez' linocut proclaimed on a poster, "The Artists have Landed". |
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HANDLEBARS:WYNE BECKONS Wyne is Alaska's premier assemblage artist and her Phyla Series: Peloton Rubragreeted guests at the large bay door leading to the cavernous interior as shown at left. She said the piece was animated with the spirit of the centipede and the inch worm. Her second piece in a series she calls Spheres of Influence was the hemp rope sculpture Entwine seen in the index image for this issue. Voluminous wall space hosted paintings by Erin Pollock, Ted Kincaid, Kerby McGhee, and Cheryl Lyon, from left to right behind Wynes worm. McGhee's Indeed an Artist featured a 30's era cartoon mouse touching up some of McGhee's signature donuts in the sky. He and engineer Jeff Good coordinated the trebuchet painting efforts, with the first paint balloon tossed out by no less than Hizzoner Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (it missed). Ed Mighel had created some tiles each 'Good For A Fling' that served as tokens for folks to buy a turn at trying their hand at paint ballooning. A preponderance of misses kept the finished canvas spare. | |||
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REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS:VELVET ROPES Mike Cross and his firm Crossroads that built a truss load of spotlights, and the volunteers who prepared the main gallery area were instrumental in staging both the group exhibit and the party. A special cabinet was prepared to host Donald R Ricker's Redemptoris Custos, seen at left, and volunteers enthusiastically whitewashed raw wafer board to make it pretty. Ricker insisted on repainting his area a slightly off-white color. "White walls kill the highlights in my painting", he explained. As a tongue-in-cheek reward for his fastidiousness, Farnsworth arranged for the loan of stanchions and velvet rope from the Performing Arts Center. The PAC director was among a large group of agreeable donors and patrons for the event, including the Anchorage Community Land Trust, the Carey family, the Municipality, Moose's Tooth Brewery, and Teddy's Tasty Meats. Consistent with the typical Alaskan menu, the feed started out with beef spare ribs and little else (not even potato salad!). Few noticed. | |||
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UNTITLED:POLLOCK FIGURES The large space and number of invited artists (nearly 40) gave party-goers plenty of room to take their time enjoying a varied show. In the picture at left, Erin Pollock's Untitled figure paintings drew appreciative attention with their cushy tushy's and doe-size eyes. Pollock keeps the surface interesting by collaging canvas bits on to a backing board, and the pieces have the partially destroyed look that some prefer. Scott MacDonald's Soldier, seen to the left of Pollock's paintings, was another work in this refrain, utilizing zombie wood to make a vaguely humanoid (vertical) shape. An ornamental Bird Bath by Portland welder Rick Anicker can be seen in sillouhette in the foreground, although the assembled scrap metal could never hold water. Anicker's pieces were insinuated successfully after appearing in the Botanical Garden's garden art show. Sales were relatively brisk for local artists as well.. | |||
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NINE LANDSCAPES:MUÑOZ GROWTH Gallerist Marcello Muñoz was rewarded for his curatorial efforts with the purchase of both of his Nine Landscapes pieces shown at left. Muñoz has firmly secured the wooden grid to a plywood box to overcome previous conservatorial deficiencies. Using a restricted, saturated color gamut and generous amounts of black, he is able to combine the ubiquitous man-made grid with riotously organic forms in counterpoint. It is the result of Muñoz' sensibilities that many artists are gaining fresh exposure, and several who have exhibited at his Battery Contemporary gallery had a presence in this Salon du Mobile Trailer Supply. . | |||
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MT VIEW HISTORICAL:YERRINGTON
Tucked at the rear of the exhibit, a pair of chairs allowed leisurely
investigation of the photo collection of Clark Yerrington, a detail of which is shown at
left. Yerrington has a personal interest in the community of Mountain View, and the Real
Estate Trading Cards he brought, featuring chic Anchorage cottages from the day, are
an early version of the MLS marketing system. More of Yerrington's research is available online. Modern day hoi polloi attended this party in droves, proving the concept that there is an industry of administrators who can prolong their employed status by discussing the benefits of art as a method of social engineering. One pundit locally described artists as 'leading the charge'. This is fairly popular since a 2000 Mayor's summit touted the idea that so-called Arts & Culture Districts could transform abandoned urban areas. Paducah, Kentucky, is one city that provided tax breaks for artist property owners, for example. The anomaly for Anchorage is that there already are genuine geographic centers for the arts formed by the marketplace (downtown and Spenard) and the efforts to entice artists to commit to an ersatz 'district' in an industrial parking lot will eventually require providing incentive to artists beyond having an empty barn to use for a weekend. |
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FIRE STATION 15:TABBERT RELIEFS A recent 1 percent for art installation at Fire Station 15 by Fairbanks printmaker Sara Tabbert takes the approach of treating the three target spaces as giant print blocks, one rectangular and two triangular as can be seen in the photo at left. This Fairbanks artist has had success with more modestly scaled efforts, and her narrative approach to this commission has a certain appeal. By the public entrance, and intact forest with fireweed growing. Under the eaves at the left, tongues of flames flicker threateningly. | |||
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FIREMAID:AFTER
THE BURN The right side panel, a detail of which is seen at left,
introduces a human figure surveying the aftermath before arcing out in abstract circles.
The imagery relates to the architecture in the format of a frieze on a pediment.
Tabbert's drawing style and the nature of the gouge tooling of her carved relief
gives the impression of having been transferred to the building directly from the sketch
pad. The outré nature of the concept is carried into the detail, perhaps unintentionally. The figure, seen from the back, is identified as a firefighter by a helmet, fire axe, and back pack. A pony-tail of long hair could indicate gender or ethnicity; what are people supposed to make out of the cute little butt cheeks? |
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- ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES- 8/23/05 deadline MOA MULDOON MIDDLE SCHOOL panel seeks slides and concept sketches for three commissions, total budget $250,000. $50,000 is for Furniture or streetscaping? Contact Jocelyn Young 907-343-6473 RFP. 8/31/05 deadline California ARTISTS HELPING ARTISTS, (AHA) Summit and National Juried Show . prospectus 9/1/2005 deadline ALASKA STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS Artist Career Opportunity Grants up to $1000. Quarterly application for projects in last quarter of 2005 must be submitted online. Good luck, it is very challenging: 9/1/2005 deadline CONNIE BOOCHEEVER AWARDS $2500 for crafts, writing, categories other than sculpture and painting. Program is being administered by Alaska State Council for the Arts. Application online. 9/1/2005 deadline RASMUSON FOUNDATION Artist Project Grants ($5000) are available for artists at any career stage and in any discipline and Artist Fellowships ($12000) are available to mid-career and mature artists in the following artistic disciplines: choreography, folk and traditional arts, crafts, literaryarts/scriptworks, and performance art. Nominations for the Distinguished Artist Award of $25000 are being accepted, including self-nominations. contact Victoria Lord 907-297-2827 details online. 9/1/05 deadline GOVERNOR'S AWARDS IN THE ARTS nominations accepted in seven categories. Readers are encouraged to participate so that visual artists are considered for the individual artist award especially. ArtSceneAK wouldn't object to being nominated in the category of Arts Advocacy, hint, hint... Nomination form requires written statement of why you believe individual or organization should be recognized. 9/6/05 NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY at the Smithsonian OUTWIN BOOCHEEVER portrait competition $37,000 in prizes including $25,000 first place. Paintings and sculpture only, no photographs. $25 digital entry fee, $35 traditional submissions. Prospectus online. 9/13/05 deadline MOA EAST HIGH SCHOOL renovations budget $100,000 panel seeks artist qualificatied to produce super duper multimedia technology whiz bang, or you can have"access to experienced professionals". Check the recipe for this cake online. 9/30/05 deadline ORLANDO FLORIDA DOWNTOWN ARTS DISTRICT seeks qualifications from artists wishing to be considered for a series of figurative bronzes being commissioned. RFQ. Budget $60-100,000 each piece. Contact Cassy Turiczek 11/15/05-1/30/06 applications accepted DENALI NATIONAL PARK ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE program offers use of cabin in park, wants a work of art and a lecture, and pays no stipend.details online. Juneau Arts and Humanities Council accepts proposals for exhibitions from artists.
NEXT: SCHOLASTICISM FEEDBACK Aggravated again?! Ecstatic?! Let us know you love us or hate us. Tell us about your upcoming event or artist opportunity. Let us know about your website. Help correct attribution errors that you suspect. SHORTCUTS: When we use your 150 word reviews of any show you've seen recently, sweet and sour, you'll earn a free limo ride some First Friday. Form makes it easy to try your hand at pumping or dumping. cf also ART IN ALASKA |
SALMON KITE:BOX STORE
SCULPTURE
In the summer of 2004, Polygon Park Architecture challenged landscape architects to design
a shade structure that captured the essence of the American West Honorable Mention went to
the “Santa Fe”, capturing the look of Native American pueblos, designed by Jesse
Scott of Sites Southwest in Albuquerque,
NM. Scott's connection with AK DOT&PF made him the preferred provider of a set of
sculptures along A Street in Anchorage, an example of which is shown at right. The jarring
connection of a kite, a saxophone, and a children's story book with a design suggesting
the life cycle of salmon is intended to be self-explanatory. In this case, steel seats
provide a spot for a moment of contemplation for people waiting at a bus pull-out.
With the millions that DOT is authorized to spend in Anchorage and around the state, it is encouraging to see them including the Art in Public Places statute as a matter of course in this instance. It would be more encouraging to see an effort made to advertise these opportunities to resident Alaskan artists. Meet the right people for your connections in the BACK ISSUE Index.
Thank You and Welcome back to several renewing subscribers, in Anchorage and Palmer. ArtSceneAK publisher Donald R Ricker appreciates the reinforcement. Simple artist math indicates subscription income is now over $15/issue for the first time. Thank also your lucky stars. No, Thank You to a reader from Mountain View who wrote: "Gosh, it helps to pay attention to these pages once in awhile. I hadn't realized that you had done a review of the stuff at Snow City. Thank you much!! --- Mary A big wave of nostalgia to a friend in New Hampshire who writes: "I am impressed!!! Didn't know of the ezine. Looks like a lot of work but a necessary service to artists. What else have you been up to? The band is still together after all these years." --- Sue A nod from the giant swollen head to a subscriber who writes: "Hi Don, Thanks for the nice coverage on the owl show! I was thrilled to see my work in your e-news. Hey, I got my member password to work right away! I'm glad I can finally read the current issue again.Congratulations for the International Acclaim, I hope to make it to the party" --- Carol Andy Sonneborn sends word that the results of the plein air excursions to Seward and Homer will be grouped for a show at her PaintSpot in Alaska gallery in September. Sympathy and condolences to the family and friends of the late John Kumin, local architect of record for the Museum expansion project. An energetic man gone too soon, John left his mark around Anchorage and beyond in the beautiful buildings he designed, including Denali Elementary, the Airport Railroad Depot among other recent achievements. The Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau recognized Anchorage Museum of History and Art Director Pat Wolf for her successful efforts to attract the annual winter meeting of the Westerm Museums Association to Anchorage in 2008 or so. Wanda Chin of Fairbanks is their immediate past president, and Sven Haakenson is the current Alaska representative. AMHA's Building Committee has selected Alcan General Inc. as contractor for their expansion. Artist Math: $75 million / 70 thousand square feet = $1071 / sq ft. For comparison, the nearly identical Figg Museum in Davenport Iowa, also designed by London architect David Chipperfield: $42.5 million / 100 thousand square feet = $425 / sq ft. From the Parks Highway, a reader writes: "I
just wanted to let you know about a very special arts show called, "Women in the
WIlderness". 13 women with over 40 pieces of art exhibited in Augustat the Denali
Foundation. It was organized by Julia Crocetto of Talkeetna. Each artist brought in pieces
that represent their own connection to wild places, from paintings reflecting climbing
experiences on Denali to Alaska's vast landscapes, handmade books, artists journals,
crafts undertaken in remote cabins at the edge of the Alaskan wilds. Duke Russell is pleased to have a new website, featuring some of his work from his trip to NYC. Gunther Bach has also been invited to the Florence Biennale and will participate this December, representing Alaska and the USA.. Congratulations! The invitation of the Comitato Scientifico is a recognition of his talent and commitment to his art.
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text & photos © 2005 Donald R Ricker; artist's works pictured ©2005 to artists credited.
ArtSceneAK is published by Donald R Ricker and sponsored by
BETTER LETTERS, PO Box 103554, Anchorage AK 99510-3554
, a partial listing of links to Museums,
Galleries, and individual Artists around the state.
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