Artists Virginia Griswold and Hilary Baldwin in conversation (left)
Last night, January 15, 2009, the Museum hosted the Open Studio Celebration in honor of the outgoing and incoming artists who work in our Open Studios Program. This program gives visitors a chance to get a special behind-the scenes view of the artists at work and the artistic process in general. Every day artists are in our studios actively working on various projects in a variety of materials such as ceramics, fiber, wood, mixed media, glass and metals. Visitors are given the opportunity to both watch the artist at work, but engage in conversation with the artist about their processes, materials and concepts. The Open Studios Program is not only unique to the Museum, but a very special occasion to involve and inform the public about the work that goes into creating art. While we will miss Cynthia Alberto, Hilary Baldwin, Virginia Griswold, Michelle Hill-Campbell, April Reigart and Erica Rosenfeld we wish them well on their future projects and we are excited to welcome our incoming artists: Jane D’Arensbourg, Sabrina Gschwandtner, Carolyn Hopkins, Charles McGill, Zack Davis and Jen Poueymirou. Some of the feedback from our artists last night include how good it was to see all the artists together and the feeling of a collaborative process, with everybody working with their hands and breaking walls and boundaries between the various processes and materials. Many of our artists commented on the Museum’s friendly and accommodating atmosphere and how nice it was to have such a wonderful turn-out for what was definitely a very special evening. All of the artists who are leaving the program expressed a sadness to leave, saying that not only did they feel like they had really made a difference with our visitors, but they too got a lot out of the programs including new ideas for their own upcoming projects. In a way, the torch was passed and the incoming artists are very excited to work in our Open Studios having gained a lot last night from the experience of those who are leaving. All in all it was a wonderful night for everyone who came and participated in the event and the new artists and Museum staff hope that new visitors will come, watch and interact with our fabulous Open Studio artists.
Thursday January 8th, AIGA, the professional association for design and a MAD Cultural Collective partner had the opportunity for members to visit the Museum and the Store at MAD. The MAD Cultural Collective partnership is designed to expand the Museum’s role as a resource for non-profit organizations that share goals similar to those of MAD. AIGA/NY and the Museum both work to provide a place to exchange ideas and information, participate in critical analysis and research and advance education and practices in design. Cultural Collective partnerships offer joint programming with the Museum and low or no-cost use of the Museum facilities and resources to other non-profits. The evening was a great success and we thank the over 125 members who came and enjoyed all of the great artwork MAD has to offer.
Last night (January 8, 2009) we were honored to have Alison Shanik, a graphic designer and DIY artist associated with the Church of Craft, teach a workshop in the classroom on the 6th floor. The workshop focused on making a three dimensional collages and then scan them into the computer to make two dimensional images. Participants used old magazines, photos, fabric and a number of other materials such as buttons and string, scanned and printed them and used their two dimensional works to make themselves a calendar. Myself and attendees alike really enjoyed the process of making their own personalized calendars and using an unusual technique to make two dimensional work. The workshop was very successful and I encourage anyone to sign up for these events, they are both surprising (people created collages they may have never done on their own), fun and educational and make a nice relaxing, informative, hands-on evening during a busy work-filled week. The second Remix Workshop will be held Thursday, February 5th from 6:30-8:00 pm and we ask that participants register early and make reservations for the upcoming events as we only have a limited number of spots available in each workshop.
We’re really pleased to have partnerships with various non-profit organizations around the city, including High 5. If you don’t know, High 5 is an organization that provides $5 tickets to performances and events for high school students. They also run the TRaC program (Teens Reviewers and Critics): MAD hosts a group of about 25 high school students who learn to write critically about art. (We’re hoping to get them to start contributing to our cellphone tour and blog, but so far they’ve been a little shy about publishing their work).
Two weeks ago, High 5 produced an interesting program in our theater that brought together Nat Oppenheimer, Principal of Robert Silman Associates PC, Charles Renfro, Principal of Diller Scofidio + Renfro; Kyle Lommen, Principal of Allied Works Architecture, Inc., Julie Iovine, Executive Editor of The Architect’s Newspaper LLC and Vishaan Chakrabarti, Executive Vice President of Design & Plannin at Related Companies. Of course, at the end of the evening, there was a question to Kyle, who, as the head of the New York office of Allied Works has been on our building site pretty much every day for the past few years, about our decision to alter the structure that existed at 2 Columbus Circle to make the new museum. Kyle’s response is here: High 5 Presents: Architecture – Is It Art? (sorry for the poor quality – we’re still configuring the equipment in our new theater).
December 4th at 6:30 PM – High 5 Presents: Architecture – Is It Art?
Architecture – Is It Art? brings together professionals working in the field for an interactive panel discussion. Come hear directly from these industry professionals and learn more about the new partnership between MAD and High 5. For tickets, please contact Monika Kunz, monika@high5tix.com or call 212-750-0555 x202
December 11th at 6:30 PM – Slowing Down: Artists and Designers Mapping the City
For this second installment of MAD’s exploration into “Slow Design”, slowLab artist/designers will show work and discuss strategies for engaging the public with their local surroundings, including ways that their unique approaches might inform the planning of urban places. Tickets for this program at FREE.
Mark your calendars! On December 18th at 7:30 PM, MAD proudly presents Oscillation: (For a minute there, I lost myself) by Xaviera Simmons. This will be the final piece of the series MIX: New Performances at MAD, curated by Steffani Jemison with Jessica Sucher. Xaviera will combine audience interactivity, experimental electronic sound, photography, movement, video and text work. This world premiere event is part of the artist’s continued exploration into landscape, history, performance and play.
Xaviera received her BFA in Photography from Bard College in 2004, after having spent two years retracing the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. She then went on to participate in the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program, while also completing a 2 year actor’s conservatory program with The Maggie Flanigan Studio. Over the years, Xaviera has exhibited at numerous venues, including The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, Art in General, The Center for Photography At Woodstock, The Studio Museum in Harlem, Zacheta National Art Gallery, and more.
Tickets are $15 General, $12 Members and can be reserved in advance by calling 212-229-7790, or can be purchased at the door.
What a day! MAD’s jewelry curator Ursula Ilse-Neuman hosted the day-long investigation into the history of contemporary jewelry design, new materials and techniques in the field, and the hidden gems of the Museum’s unique collection. We started off in the Open Studios with jewelry artsits Nova Bronstein, Jocelyn Kolb, April Reigart, Gemma Draper and Seth Papac. Nova, student of world-renowned jewelry artist Jamie Bennett, demonstrated the enameling process for intriqued on-lookers. Also in the studio was April, Jocelyn, Gemma and Seth demonstrating how to use Computer-aided design for innovative jewelry-making, and answering many questions from interested viewers. (more…)
Last Thursday we were so lucky to have musician/comic artist Sam Amidon join us for the second part of the series Mix: New Performance at MAD, curated by Steffani Jemison with Jessica Sucher. Sam was raised in Vermont by parents who were both folk-artist musicians, and has continued on to discover his own musical and creative talents. Through his sketches, jokes and tunes Sam examines questions like “If folk music’s social origins have disappeared, what about the sound of a lone voice and banjo?” and “If MTV has co-opted DIY culture for its own ends, what about the persistent trace of a pen on paper?”.
We are happy to report that we successfully pulled off our second DIY Salon! DIY Salon 2 with the Church of Craft was a big program to take on. It involved a lot of planning, communication, and running around, and with the help of the very esteemed Rev. Callie Janoff, we gathered ideas about what kind of craft activities we could involve with this year’s Salon. Callie was able to put us in contact with great instructors who were willing to share their talents with us. This year’s activities included making bottle purses, fused plastic bag cuffs, junk mail books, and unraveling sweaters. We had awesome music thanks to DJ Brett, and a fantastic selection of craft beers. Everyone was crafting away, and overall everyone had a great time. Time to start brainstorming for DIY Salon 3!
This past Saturday we had the wonderful opportunity to invite artist Jean Shin into our open studios. Shin is one of the artists featured in our current exhibition Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary. She is best known for her labor-intensive process of transforming extensive accumulations of cast-off objects, such as broken umbrellas, scraps of discarded clothing or old prescription eyeglasses into visually alluring, conceptually rich works. Her sculptures and site-specific installations question the boundary between abstraction and representation. Simultaneously, the works examine the history of objects and their relationship to the body thereby suggesting a larger connection to our collective desires and struggles. (more…)
