Residency- Burnsville, Talking Suitcases- Susan Armington- 4 Hrs
This week Susan and I visited each group. For the first and last session, we had them pick their favorite designed paper and fabric to spice up their suitcases. Susan had taken the time to photograph each member and print them out to be placed on the outside of their suitcases. We organized our supplies on our cart and went to each site. The goal was to have each suitcase ready for presentation on the final session. The suitcases just lack a certain pizazz being white on the outside. I was personally pleased to see so many people working hands on with materials and making each suitcase feel like their own.
The second group was up to present. This session has fluctuated quite a bit, so we only had a few objects to showcase. We had a large turn out in the audience, which excited both Susan and I. One struggle with this second group has been encouraging people to come try out the workshop even though bible study occurs at the same time. We were lucky this week to have bible study moved to a different time. There were a lot of new faces in the audience who showed genuine interests in the project and shared thought provoking responses. Susan started with her own suitcase and then invited one of the participants to share her suitcase. She took each object out of her suitcase and told the group stories from her childhood. Susan walked around the room with the members handmade objects so that everyone could see the small details up close. One of the participants who no longer resides at the Ebenezer care center, had a suitcase that Susan shared with the group. I was also able to share my small box at the end. It was interesting to hear one man speak after the presentation. He is known to partake in many of the art workshops at the center, so it was nice to hear his thoughts. He spoke very highly of memory and the importance of sharing ones experience with others. Unfortunately he is dedicated to the bible study group, so we didn't get to work with him before. Hopefully he will join us for the last two sessions. I felt that the event was a huge success and can't wait to see the other groups present.
Residency- AVIVO ArtWorks- Jes Reyes- 5 Hrs
The ArtWorks studio was fairly quiet this week. We started out with Christis Comics workshop. I worked on a graphite drawing of kids making art while they worked on their comics. During open studio hours, the members worked on personal projects. Many of the usual member weren't in the studio, but I'm sure we'll see them again soon. Some of them have signed up for my workshop that's coming up. I was able to speak with members one on one about methods and materials they are interested in experimenting with for the workshop. I got some insight about a particularly important aspect that may come with collage making. Many collage artist tend to appropriate found images that have original copyright owners. The concern comes into play when an artists wants to exhibit or sell their collages. It is my understanding that if the image is altered enough from its original state, the copyright is no longer an issue. It was good to hear from the members about specific things to consider when making collages. Some where also enthusiastic about the upcoming event and showed me collage work that they had made in the past. I'm looking forward to the workshop even though i'm still a little nervous to be teaching on my own for the first time. The support from my instructor, Lynda, and Jes is very reasuring.