Individual Artist Project Grant

The accepted view of the North Shore is of wilderness and an Eden of long ago. A pristine place to get-away, recharge and commune with nature. The art and crafts of the area reflect that. They are, predominantly, folk arts and plein air painting. With this show, I want to raise the awareness of the vitality of sculpture. To present a show of disparate approaches to sculpture. This Eden is in peril, from invasive species, warmer wetter weather and a disregard of multinational organizations who have their own agenda. We are probably facing environmental catastrophe, a sense of apocalyptic anxiety looms on the horizon of "Arcadia". I will focus on this evolving dynamic through sculpture in bronze and wood. This is a singular moment in the history of the world. My work will address some of those issues with bronze and wooden voices. I have an informed and unique vision, which though sometimes provocative, many people relate to. My goal is for my work to be visceral and to evoke a sense of otherness, compassion and even a bit of humor. To come to terms with these times and events with as much clarity and honesty as I can muster. I will assess measurable outcomes through monitoring my social media pages the comments left at the Gallery. I have been sculpting for over 35 years and have been in many group shows and mounted three solo exhibitions. Each of the solo exhibitions encompassed a couple years of planning and making. I have also completed several commissions on my own and in concert with other artists. My experience is that I work within budget and complete projects on time. I know budgets and time-management. For nine years, I managed multiple overlapping campaigns and budgets when I worked as Community Development Co-ordinator for the AIDS Committee of Thunder Bay. Attendees will be invited to leave their thoughts and reactions to the show. Record of attendance numbers. This is a very astute art community, I am looking forward to their comments and the conversations I have with viewers when I am present. The show is also scheduled to coincide with the Fisherman's Picnic, the first week end in August, which will bring many more people through the doors of the Gallery. The annual Picnic is the most popular event of the year. So beyond the numerical tallies, I will solicit reactions from the attendees with comment cards to rate the show (1 to 10) and record any thoughts or reactions. This idea just occurred to me. I will think more carefully of the questions which will bring forth the information: like how do people relate to sculpture in this very screen oriented culture, how do they see it, feel it, are they engaged?)