Work Share

On Friday the 10th, the MFA students at VSW participated in an event called "Work Share" where as first year graduate students we were given the opportunity to have our work seen by the greater VSW community. We were set up in the student gallery like a science fair. The seven of us each had a table with our books and statements and some of us hung our prints on the wall. Our final videos were on a computer at the entrance to the gallery so people could watch them at their leisure. It was a very valuable afternoon. I got a ton of feedback on my work and am pretty excited about some of the conversations that took place. 

Jessica looking at my SHTUFF! Photo by Sarah Weedon.

Book Binding & Josh Ritter

Now that the semester is over I can finally catch up on some blog posts. I wanted to include some info about this one weekend a while back. (I love the vagueness of that sentence). A weekend full of friends, music and learning. I attended a "four needle coptic with cloth covered boards" book binding workshop with VSW alum and current student at University of Iowa's Center for the Book, Heather Wetzel. The workshop was INCREDIBLE. I learned the coptic binding technique and created a wonderful, functional, notebook. The majority of my classmates attended the workshop as well and we all had a book to show for it in the end. Brian made a bright red dream journal. Ha ha ha. 

Heather instructing Alicia and Megan.

The spine of my book. 

The next day I went to Ithaca to see Josh Ritter with Katie Brennan and John Brennan! It was truly magical. What a show! I'm so thankful that I was there amongst good people. 

I've got a great life. 

books!

Here are some more images of books that I've been working on this semester. They are bound in non traditional ways, using the materials to more fully reinforce the content. The first is a book exploring the use of sound. I created an mp3 recording to go along with it, however, I can't upload the file (so you won't be experiencing it to the fullest). This book is enclosed in an envelope and consists of seven pages - the imagery on the pages includes scanned and manipulated correspondences I have received from Compassion International throughout the span of time I've been sponsoring a little girl from Thailand. Throughout the years I've been sending money to Ban, I feel as though I've become severely jaded to the act. I'm also conflicted by the fact that I never write back to her. And I don't really plan on it. I have no words for her. It's a pretty strange compartment of my life...

Mail art anyone??

For this second book I definitely feel like I got back to my roots. About one year ago in a monotype printmaking class I utilized this form, but on a much larger scale as an installation piece. The similarities between this book and my older project include a household/row of houses constructed into an accordion book, as well as using thread to make marks and hold the piece together. In the more recent exercise I decided to incorporate images of the 1950s housewife lifestyle. 

That's it for now, folks! Here's another beautiful song and video for you to enjoy! My new favorite...Mumford and Sons! 

sequence?

Our second book assignment was an extremely confusing concept. Sequencing. You wouldn't think so, but it totally is. Some examples of books that utilize sequencing include The Americans by Robert Frank and Riding First Class On The Titanic by Nathan Lyons. I was kind of at a loss, so I decided to combine photos that had similar formal qualities as well as similarities in subject to convey the importance of taking a break from working. I think I tend to be somewhat opinionated when it comes to "adults" working too hard and too much to the point where their lives are stripped of happiness. The final book turned out to be unsuccessful, but certain images stood out as interesting individually. 

    

Right around this time we also got a chance to hear a lecture and attend a gallery opening at the University of Rochester's Hartnett Gallery showcasing the photography of Neil Cox. His work is very technical when it comes to science and mathematics. He builds his own structures that have multiple cameras attached to them, they create complex, abstract images. Since I don't have much of a photo background, most of his processes go WAY over my head. 

We're learning a lot. Photo, books, video, film, photo history, collections handling, etc. It's all goooood.  

it's been one month. Woah.

It has been a little over one month since I began a graduate program in Visual Studies at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY. For a long time I never considered grad school as an option for myself and here I am, thrust head first into an intense new environment - being challenged to produce artworks that I have never considered and learning so so SO many new things. I'm going to begin to keep a more updated journal of my grad school happenings. In just this first month, I feel like I have experienced many monumental moments. At least noteworthy ones. If I don't write about them now, I am likely to forget or let the importance dissolve.


I also want to keep a more updated account of what projects I am currently working on. But first, I must back track. 


Our first assignment was dealing with the series as it plays a part in artists' books. I chose to take images from old toys at my grama's house and connect them creating a toy-like object. The reason that I am drawn to these toys has to do with the fact that the hands of four generations of children have played with them. 

  

     














I will post more "backtracking images" from this month SOON!