The last months of 2011 were a blur: A bunch of back-to-back projects; the unexpected passing of my dear father-in-law; and finally, at year’s very end, the announcement that I am the recipient of a 2011 Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant.
What a year. I am still catching my breath. I felt like words had left me at 2011′s tumultuous end. But, to the relief of everyone, I’m sure, words have finally returned. I am ready to share with you, dear readers, the good happenings of late 2011 and early 2012.
First off, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who made 2011 a great year for me. There are so many of you. You are family. You are friends. You are colleagues. You are arts professionals. You are students. You are adults. You are children. You are members of the general public who I have never even met in person. I felt so loved in 2011. Excuse the cheese factor. I speak the truth. You are all amazing. You know who you are.
Right now, I am looking ahead to 2012 with excitement and anticipation. January is already bringing new opportunities…and new challenges. I’ll backtrack a few weeks (still technically 2011) to recap an incredible research trip to Washington, DC, made possible by a Faculty Research Grant from Minnesota State University-Mankato.
I spent December’s final week recovering from a brutal cold…and visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to research weapons and military uniforms. Seeing so many objects in person was so cool. Especially relevant was The Price of Freedom: Americans at War exhibition. I took hundreds of photographs.
I was also able to expand my focus to include the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, where I photographed reconnaissance aircraft…and some outer space vessels. I also discovered the amazing work of Jeffrey Milstein.
I am currently organizing the weapon and military uniform photographs and preparing them for use as stencils. Stay tuned!
We also had some time to explore DC’s amazing art museums, including the Corcoran, the Hirshorn, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the National Gallery of Art, among others. I was completely wowed by the masterpieces at our nation’s capital. And we didn’t even have time to see any of the smaller galleries! A highlight was definitely 30 Americans at the Corcoran. Wow!!! I also stumbled upon some works by artists I was not previously familiar with. For example, futurist Giacomo Balla. Check out the relationship to my dimensional works on paper (read on).
Now, onto 2012: On January 20th, Recalcitrant Mimesis opens at David B. Smith Gallery in Denver. The exhibition marks a first for me in that I will be exhibiting 20 new dimensional works on paper AND a new large-scale, site-specific installation. The exhibition is in conjunction with Denver’s much-lauded Clyfford Still Museum, and my work there is a response to Still’s work, as I’ve discussed in a previous post.
I am so excited about the exhibition. It is a departure for me in a few ways, most notably in that I’m referencing the work of Clyfford Still. I had no idea that Clyfford and I would be spending so much time together. Here I am in Washington, DC at the Hirshorn alongside one of his works…and at another undisclosed museum alongside another of his works. So much art in such a short trip!
I look forward to seeing more of Still’s work in person at the Clyfford Still Museum. It’s also exciting to return to Colorado. I’ve been there several times. I made my Colorado debut back in 1995 as an undergraduate student working at Rocky Mountain Fruitshake in Estes Park. Then, in 2006, I exhibited work at Fort Collins MOCA. In 2010 I exhibited work with the amazing Christopher Baker and R. Justin Stewart at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs’ GOCA. And now Denver. Colorado, you’ve been good to me. Well, maybe except for the part where I made fruit shakes. Live and learn.
The Denver exhibition is also a departure for me because I am showing not 1…not 2…but 20 works on paper. And they are dimensional. And I am going to wait until the opening of the exhibition to officially unveil the finished works as a group on my site. In the meantime, I’ll let you see the two that I have already “leaked” on Facebook, as well as the in-progress photo.
In the past week I’ve learned a few things about framing and renting 10’ trucks, and have refamiliarized myself with the route through Nebraska on I-80 to Denver. Road trip! As it turns out, making and transporting ginormous felt installations is easy in comparison!
After Recalcitrant Mimesis, I’ll be flying directly to Milwaukee to participate in Abstract Fiction, a group exhibition at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Union Gallery that also features the work of Deedee Cheriel, Lisa Congdon, and Eduardo J. Villaneuva. So honored to be part of this group of artists!
Hope your year is off to a magnificent start everyone. Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for updates from I-80…Denver… Milwaukee…and beyond.