Here is an e-mail I recently sent out to begin acquiring information about organizing an arts festival that will ultimately help raise funds to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes...
Dear Loretta Yarlow, I am a 2nd year MFA Candidate for Lighting Design in the UMass, Department of Theater. I am beginning to develop a seed idea for organizing an arts festival. I want the festival to embrace not only theatrical art, but art from a wide variety of resources. In particular, I am wondering if you would be interested in discussing the possibility of creating an exhibit of a variety of professional artist's work that speaks to our current environmental atmosphere. My initial thoughts and hopes about using the University Gallery space are to install either a painter's exhibit or an installation artist's exhibit. I am beginning my research far in advance. If, after a few conversations, my idea is one that you might consider, then the exhibit would not be installed until April 2011. I am very excited about my plans for this arts festival and would appreciate any feedback and/or support you might be able to afford me. If my inquiry would be better directed toward another person or another of the Fine Arts Center galleries, then please feel free to contact me with your advice.
Sincerely, Jonathan Hicks
Here is her wonderful and exciting response! I appreciate her initial question, which has helped me to begin to harness my thoughts and focus for this arts festival!
Dear Jonathan, I'm not really sure what you mean by the "current environmental atmosphere". The University Gallery has organized exhibitions that activate the architecture of our exhibition spaces involving light projections and video projections with gel filters (example: spring 2007, "The Experience of Color: Ann Veronica Janssens and Diana Thater"). The most recent exhibition "Gravity" this past semester showcased 9 light projections on beds of salt by artist Miroslaw Balka. Did you happen to see it? Also, our permanent installation called "Scrim Piece" by LA artist Robert Irwin (it's installed in our north entrance) typifies light and atmosphere in current art practice. So maybe you can clarify your definition so that I have a better understanding of what you're proposing. Also, please let me know if you had a chance to see any of the artworks I mention above, and whether they fit the categories you're speaking of. Thanks, Loretta
My response back to her from this morning...!
Thank you Loretta for your wonderful response and great opening question! To be honest, I am still exploring what, specifically, I mean by the "current environmental atmosphere". As one can imagine that statement encompasses a far too broad range of topics. I will need to be more specific about that phrase in order to have a cohesive festival capable of having a strong and meaningful impact on our local and global community. When I think of our world's current state-of-being, I immediately think of the environment around us (cities, farmlands, forests, bodies of water, air, solar systems). So, when I think of our current environmental atmosphere, I think of websites like the following: Inhabitat (for its vast exploration and commentary on the invention and use of energy efficient products to conserve natural resources like oil, air, and water) Charity:Water (for its concern and care for our worlds water resources) Environmental Working Group (for its intuitive and detailed research on our worlds oil situation) Solar Power (for its ability to make tangible understanding how to harness the power of the sun) These sites, among others, inspire me to create works of art that create social commentary on our worlds current environmental atmosphere. I think of artists: Andy Goldsworthy Shai Zakai Jim Hamlyn Jason Ditmars Urs Jaeggi And many others...I have not seen any of the exhibitions you mentioned. Last year was my first year, and with a newborn baby during the first week of school, the rest of my year was plagued with catching up. The next two years, however, I plan on moving forward with bold and exciting work! The culmination of which, I hope will be this arts festival of installation artists, music, art exhibitions, and theatrical performances all focused around creating a conversation about our current environmental atmosphere. I would like to push my research for artists who would be interested in participating toward exhibiting art work related more closely with light as I am a lighting design student. The exhibitions you mentioned sound like they fit well with my dreams for this arts festival. Again, thank you so much for helping me to flesh out my seed idea with such a simple question as "what do you mean by...?". I hope I have been able to get closer to answering that question in this e-mail, and I look forward to further interaction with you! Sincerely, Jonathan Hicks
This is the beginning of what I hope will be a wonderful collaboration!
No comments:
Post a Comment