Individual Artist Project

Being in a shared community art space means that what I work on is visible to many people; other artists in the building, students of all ages and teachers. These people provide me with input and advice along the way as well as a chance to pique curiosity and share things I'm learning. In my clay community people are especially curious about harvesting clay and I'm able to offer advice and invite them to test out their own clay bodies in my firings. I'm also excited to bring this series to St. Croix, an area that I will be new to as an artist. I've found a commonality that spans other political divisions among Minnesotans; being proud and protective of our clean water and varied landscapes. With this series in particular being connected visually to the North Shore and using harvested materials, I hope it can be a reminder of our relationship to natural spaces and how our surroundings uniquely shape the things we create. As always, I'll also use the knowledge I gain in making new work as a teacher in community art programs. ; With this grant, my overarching goal is to create and install work for a juried group exhibition at ArtReach St. Croix in Stillwater, MN, with the outcome of building connections to the community in that area. In my experience, group shows like this expand the number and variety of audience members, making them ideal for connecting to and learning about a particular arts community. While I create the work, my goal is to develop my ability to design pieces that hang on the wall and connect to work that is oriented for a pedestal, as well as continue to incorporate wild clay. The outcomes will be exhibiting several (3-6) of these pedestal/ wall installations along with a descriptive guide showing the harvesting/use of the wild clay. Lastly, in creating the work for this show, my goal is to photograph the pieces as they are displayed in the exhibition space and use the photos to apply for other opportunities, with the intended outcome of lining up an exhibit in another gallery space. This would be my second series involving wall-oriented pieces, but my first in designing the pedestal and wall work to be viewed as one. Past experience has taught me about the technical aspects of hanging heavy ceramic work. For this series, I would expand on work I made last Spring for the Edge Center for the Arts which also incorporated the two contrasting clay bodies. During that show I realized I needed a few pieces completed and photographed ahead of the installation deadline for the gallery to create promotional materials- I've built this into my timeline. I also was reminded to allow ample time for glue to dry! These recent experiences helped me lay out a realistic timeline. During this summer's art fairs, I shared information about harvesting clay which will help me edit/add to the wild clay display information for the gallery. As in the past, having a mentor and working in the Duluth Art Institute's community space provides creative advice to talk through and generate ideas.; For my goal of creating work for this exhibition, success will mean timely installation at ArtReach. I'll gauge interest through conversations at the opening as well as through an email/mailing sign-up that I'll follow-up with after the exhibit. I will assess whether the connections I made with the staff, fellow artists or patrons at ArtReach lead to collaborations, teaching opportunities, or invitations to other events. While making the work I'll be assessing my goal of creating pedestal/wall installations. I'll add to/edit my guide on harvesting clay to create display information to be shown with the work. This will help me assess the knowledge I've gained as I continue with the ?wild clay' component of the series. Success here will be installing my portion of the show in a way that effectively uses the space and communicates the wild clay information. Being accepted into another gallery to exhibit this series will also help me assess whether I have achieved my goals.