A graphic designer and docent's venture into mixed media assemblage arts.
The Akron Area Arts Alliance, an organization that promotes the arts and culture in Akron and the surrounding areas received entries for its biennial Out of the Box Auction this weekend. This year the Auction will be preceded by an exhibition running October 29 through November 7 at Summit Art Space, the joint community gallery project of Summit County and the Akron Area Arts Alliance. There is a chance to bid on the boxes during the gallery exhibition. Bidding concludes on the night of the Arts Alive Awards. All boxes that were donated by artists are a chance to contribute to the local arts communities since the money raised by auctioning the boxes goes to AAAA and Summit Art Space. All of this, and a chance to be included in the membership of the organization, sounded like a great opportunity to not just observe the arts in the area, but to be active in the creation of local art. So, I took my layout skills in a new direction and ventured into mixed media assemblage arts, and found it rewarding in many ways.
My concept for the box immediately went to a shadow box type of collage or assemblage art. Inspired by La Wilson and her assemblages of "treasures" I came up with a concept that was a reflection of the lives of my husband and myself in N.E. Ohio, particularly as it relates to the decades and areas that we resided in, our current life in the area, and our plans to stay in the area. In creating this concept of our lives in Northeast Ohio, I hoped that any person bidding on the piece would also find a connection to their own lives in the area, through shared associations. I've represented the past, present and future in the area, calling attention to the present in the relief of the shadow box, and wrapping the past and future around in the background. However, there is no clear separation of past, present and future; just as in life each period blends into the other.
Some of the materials chosen also came fairly easily. The background of the piece is metal; representing the industrial businesses our area is known for, similar to Don Harvey's sculpture at the Akron Art Museum. I've also incorporated newspaper as a major part of the piece for two reasons. One because it was such a major part of my life from the years working at the paper and meeting my husband there, but also because I see the papers as such an important influence to our communities; I especially saw it as a prominent community resource and pride when I moved to the Akron area. The rest of the materials are a variety of found objects ranging from tires representing the rubber industries in Akron, a plastic blue beaded tower representing the polymer industry and Chihuly sculpture at the University of Akron, to a biodegradable seed starting pot representing the future of materials and organic farming.
An amazing thing happened as I began production on the piece. I found a great release in planning the positioning and gluing objects together; it became therapeutic. I also started to see the possibilities for other pieces in the future. What started as a one-time donation suddenly was turning into a way to combine all of my artistic interests. I especially had an idea for how to present the cemetery photos I've been wanting to take, but was unsure how to use my skills to present them in an appealing way to an audience (see my previous blog on cemetery art.) My next piece is already being planned.
I encourage you to come to the Out of the Box exhibit and view the piece for yourself to see the variety of materials and subjects covered. Some associations may come easily, some you may have your own meaning for, and some you may not know why they are there, but still they seem to fit. As I've learned as a docent I do believe as the artist I am telling you a story, however the real story is what the piece says to you. Please enjoy the exhibit and contribute to the arts through the auction or participation in our areas rich cultural opportunities.
Comments
Post a Comment