Individual Artist Project

At Watermark, I will share my art to a new community and amplify their curiosity and awareness of how they connect to their natural surroundings. My art is interactive - viewers can open drawers, walk amongst hanging tags and scatter handmade seeds about the space. Community members will directly be involved in the building of the installation piece ?I Collect.? On small tags, participants will write answers to the questions ?What do you collect?? and ?Why do you collect it?? The tags will then be hung on hooks displayed on an exhibit wall, creating a pattern that grows in size as people add to it. Over the coming year, I will introduce myself and my project to local organizations with the aim of developing relationships to carry into the summer exhibition. I will propose hands-on classes or activities that help participants relate to the themes of the exhibit and give voice to their stories about collecting and connecting to the outdoors. As an example, students can learn to make paper seeds, using their own artwork, then add them to the piece ?Disperse? that will be on display in the gallery. (After the show they would be invited to have their seeds returned to them). Digital classes and/or process videos can be offered online for folks unable to participate in person. There will be multiple opportunities for individuals to contribute online to the "I Collect" installation as well.; For several years, exhibiting at Watermark has been a goal. Now that it is confirmed, I want to showcase my art as best as possible in the gallery. Seeing how an individual work lives in the 3D space, as well as how the works interact with one another, is a key part of the installation process. I will take and share at least one time lapse video that captures the hanging process as a way to give insight into the depth and time it takes to install works. In addition to getting new audience feedback, this exhibit opens the door to more community involvement with the process. Displaying interactive art, offering hands-on activities and having dialogue with folks in person and online will help my work evolve. Through this engagement, I can continue to gather and be inspired by other people's stories and not just my own. Through active sharing of my process, the exhibit and community interaction on my website and social media, I hope to increase my social media followers by 25%. Since 2017 I have produced grant-funded solo shows at the Kruk Gallery, MacRostie Art Center, Duluth Art Institute and Great Lakes Aquarium, and have been included in multiple juried exhibits in the region. I have a steady practice at my studio where I experiment with techniques and materials while continuing to create new work. I have experience working with deadlines, managing time to successfully prepare exhibits and adapting works to best fit a venue during installation. During my yearlong ARAC funded Great Lakes Almanac project, I connected monthly with folks of all ages at Great Lakes Aquarium, and was a guest artist with Aquarium campers in summers of 2022 and 2023. I lead a Youth Photography Club for teens, teach classes at Duluth Art Institute and have spearheaded community crafts at Tour Duluth. Through these experiences I have gained invaluable skills and confidence and have discovered the joy of collaborating with the community during different stages of the art process.; As I produce the exhibit and then install it, I will document and reflect on my process through journaling, sketching and photographs and share a portion of the experience with my online audience. With 3 planned visits (install, activities, deinstall), I will have ample time to take sample photographs of the art on display. I will feature the exhibition and individual works on my website and use the photo documents to submit to future solo and juried exhibits. In addition to the exhibit guestbook, classes and an artist talk will lead to discourse with and feedback from new audiences. Evaluation forms at any educational events can also be archived. I will promote the show through traditional and online news outlets in Bemidji. On social media, I can offer ongoing community participation with interactive pieces, such as "I Collect" or videos that show my process, and also drive folks to my website. On each online platform, I will use analytics to track and record increased traffic.