THE CROW’S NEST
MIKE ANDREWS EXECUTIVE & CREATIVE DIRECTOR A NOTE ON OX-BOW What does it mean to work in an artistic community and how does that engagement affect one’s artwork? At Ox-Bow, we live this question. Ox-Bow is an artist-run space in the broadest sense of the term. Fellowship students help to run our kitchen, grounds, and office operations. Resident and visiting artists give lectures and exchange studio visits. All participants make decisions that shape campus programming: exhibitions, film screenings and impromptu events cross-pollinate, providing a celebratory albeit critical, respite from more solitary studio moments. Within this live/work space, deadlines and competition are removed. Artists have room to play, fail, make slow decisions, and talk through ideas. They have the time to think about feedback and thoughtfully integrate it into their work. Many students and residents reflect that this particular culture produces an experience of presence; presence in the studio, in critiques, and in daily work. As the former Academic Director and current Executive and Creative Director, I have had the opportunity to witness significant expansions of our participants artwork. This expansion manifests materially and as a kind of dynamism. Materially in the sense that all students and residents are hungry for skill acquisition and tenacious in their use of our facilities. Dynamic in the sense that living and working in community jostles the context of individual studio projects; alters the daily rhythms of making, and permits new influences on one’s work. This influence is not immediately measurable. It is often when students return to their schools and artists return to their studios that they fully integrate a new technique or see the culmination of a direction that began at Ox-Bow. This new publication documents our unique program and campus experience, giving some outlines to the energy of an Ox-Bow Summer.
Photo: Billy Buck
CONTENTS issue no. 1 • winter 2017
PAGE 2
ALUMNI FEATURE:
PAGE 4
FALL BACK:
Raul de Lara Fellowship SUMMER 2017
SUMMER 2017
PAGE 10
FACULTY RESIDENCY
PAGE 12
Artists-In-Residence
Helina Metaferia & Sarah Tortora SUMMER 2017
RESIDENCY PROJECT HIGHLIGHT
PAGE 14
Breanne Trammell SUMMER 2017
PAGE 15
INTRODUCING:
Danny Giles
SUMMER ACADEMIC DIRECTOR
PAGE 16 Cover Image: Natalie Spicker Waffle Fries (warp and woof it down) 2017 Raw silk dyed with weld, Polyfoam 3’ 2” x 7’ x 5’ 2”
COMMUNITY:
Notes from the Toast bar
UPCOMING EVENTS & EXHIBITS
2 ALUMINI FEATURE:
RAUL de LARA
2015 Fellowship Student I live in Richmond, VA and just started the first year of my MFA in Sculpture at Virginia Commonwealth University. During my undergraduate degree at The University of Texas at Austin, I was awarded a scholarship to attend a two-week course called “Hot Mess – Wearable Sculpture” taught by Mike Andrews and Andy Jordan. I immediately fell in love with the place, and knew that I needed to go back somehow. Right before graduating from UT Austin, I applied and was awarded a Fellowship for that summer of 2015 at Ox-Bow. I shipped all my belongings to Ox-Bow because I knew that I was not going back to Texas after it. The rest is history.
3
Q&A
What makes the Ox-Bow experience special? How does it differ from your other educational/ creative experiences?
“ My studio practice
recently had a major shift due to the end of DACA. As a Dreamer, I now face possible deportation etc etc.,so I currently am in the process of refocusing my intentions as an Artist.,” De Lara told Ox-Bow, “I am not dropping carving though.”
What's the best advice you’ve been given about artmaking?
What was special to me about Ox-Bow was the complete immersion I felt to a lifestyle that I couldn’t find anywhere else yet. Having all of my human needs covered left me at a place where I could really dive deep daily into my practice at a point where it seemed very important to set a clear path ahead of me. The people that keep the place running mixed with the weekly fresh batches of hungry-forlove/work residents makes it a very unique environment. There is a scent in the air shared by everyone of “tropical-vacation/purgatory/ Zen-garden/brisk-summer-night”.
Art is the path of the creator to his work.
What keeps you motivated in the studio?
Good news, bad news, heavy books, material exploration, earl grey.
Are there artists, objects, or ideas that are currently influencing your work?
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Yanagi Soetsu, Sara Ahmed, Robert Gober, David Getsy and plants.
4 FALL BACK:
FELLOWSHIP SUMMER 2017
The Leroy Neiman Foundation Fellowship is a fullyfunded program in which students from schools across the country come to expand their artmaking practice and participate in an artist-run community.
QUICK FACTS: • 12 STUDENTS, UGRD & GRAD • 13 WEEKS • RAW STUDIO SPACES • ENRICHING STUDIO VISITS • TAKE A COURSE/LEARN A NEW SKILL • LIVE IN A CABIN • WALK THE WOODS • CANOE & HIKE • CONNECT WITH OTHER ARTISTS • EXHIBIT ARTWORK
“ Ox-Bow was, in many ways, the opposite of what I expected. I was pleasantly surprised. I've said this to some of the other fellows and staff, but I really did go into it with the intention of focusing my time on working on a specific project I'd wanted to develop at the time, and do very little of the social activities and events. This is how I've always treated residencies – go in, make work, get out. Ox-Bow was different. I think the tragic romance of so many programs like Ox-Bow is that the connections we form are short, and as a result, we don't allow ourselves to get close. I felt such an intimacy here [at Ox-Bow]. We all opened up so quickly...it was an incredibly emotional experience. I threw out all my plans and allowed myself to experience it. I made work I would've been afraid to. I felt love for so many people. I loved so many people's work. It was nothing I knew I needed. ” — Luis Mejico, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
5
Fellows pictured (L–R): Ato Ribiero, Cranbrook Academy of Art Saige Hopkins, Cooper Union Betsy Vollmar, Grand Valley State University Emily O’Leary, University of Texas at Austin Kamron Hazel, Maryland Institute of Art Natalie Spicker, Kansas City Art Institute August Kochanowski, Herron School of Art and Design Rabha Ashry, School of the Art Institute of Chicago Jeffery Egner, Rhode Island School of Design Luis Mejico, School of the Art Institute of Chicago Jessica Gatlin, University of Tennesee-Knoxville Michael Cuadrado, Pratt Institute
6 FALL BACK:
FELLOWSHIP SUMMER 2017
(R): August
“ For me, this was the first time in an environment of being surrounded by really creative individuals, professional artists, and being immersed in that lifestyle. Being around the fellows, there was a constant flow of talking about ideas, future projects, and work that is being done in the studio. It was very immersive, like being in a foreign country but the language was art. “
Kochanowski Body Studies Steel, foam, wax, clay, and plaster with metal armatureo Life-size, Two-andhalf-times-life Below: Work by Betsey Vollmar installed on Ox-Bow’s campus.
— August Kochanowski, Herron School of Art and Design
Rabha Ashry, School of the Art Institute of Chicago fragmented: 1. denial “sama” excerpt artist bookprinted photograph and handwritten poem on newsprint paper
August Kochanowski Portcullis Forged and fabricated steel 9 x 4 x 5 feet
“ I have so many [memories]; but one in particular was sometime in mid–June — I remember laying on the dock at night with some of the other fellows and watching the sky as it repeatedly lit up from lightning in the distance. There was no thunder or rain, just the sounds of the night critters as the lightning reflected off the lagoon. I remember thinking it was such a beautiful moment that I was so lucky to be there for.” — Betsey Vollmar, Grand Valley State University pictured below in her studio
7 Kamron Hazel, Maryland Institute of Art I Hear A New World (Installation), 2016 Balloons, Security Camera, Cable, String, Work Repair Form, Take A Number Dispenser, Wood, Clay, Bondo, AC Unit, Plastic Sheeting , Fabric
(Below): Ato Ribiero Home Away From Home 2017 Media: Repurposed wood, wood glue Size: 72" x 96" x 1.25" (W x H w D) (R): Ato Ribiero, Cranbrook Academy of Art, pictured in his studio
“ To unwind, which sometimes meant being by myself, I would walk to crow’s nest, sit on the dock, sit on the swing of the Old Inn front porch, bike around, hang out in the Mary Kay… [there are] so many ways to unwind.” -Natalie Spicker, Kansas City Art Institute
8 FALL BACK:
FELLOWSHIP SUMMER 2017
(L): Jessica Gaitlin talking through ideas with staff member Lauren McGill. (R): Jessica Gaitlin Spectral Visibility # 2, 2015 Installation of Silkscreen, Commercially
“ I expected to meet a lot of people and get an opportunity to continue to experiment in my studio. What I got was that plus so much more! I did not expect to develop such meaningful and close relationships.”
Printed Fabric, Wood
— Jessica Gaitlin, University of Tennesse Knoxville
Emily O'Leary, University of Texas at Austin Wunderfischen, 2016 Fabric, embroidery floss, mohair, viscose, 30"x22"
“ The culture of the campus really encouraged people to experiment with new ways to enjoy each others company and be creative together. For example, JG [Jessica Gaitlin] set up a trading post one day, and everyone got to bring things to her and request to barter with some one else. I heard one person was able to trade for a juicy secret. After OxBow, I will say yes to more things, and maybe even start facilitating community gatherings myself. ” — Saige Hopkins, Cooper Union pictured to the left
9 Luis Mejico How About Now? Is This Okay? & I Don’t Know Why! ... I Just Am. 2017 Fibers, Leather Archives and Museum,
“ I was expecting to make a ton of work, possibly change my practice entirely. I thought I would come here and realize that what I was doing wasn’t what I was meant to be doing for some reason. Being [at Ox-Bow] has actually done the opposite, it has reassured the fact that the work I am doing is what I need to continue to do. I will say that what it has done is challenge me and my work, which is always helpful. ” — Michael Curdado, Pratt Institute pictured in his studio (below) Jeffrey Egner, Rhode Island School of Design Screen Shot 2017-11-03 at 11.46.55 PM_P@limpset VII, 2017 Material: Digital Collage
10 SUMMER 2017
ARTISTS –IN– RESIDENCE MFA
Cassandra Davis Adam Liam Rose Erica Wessman Bahareh Khoshooee Corinna Ray
(Below): Tameka Norris Meka Jean: Ivy League Ratchet, 2016 SVA Gallery NYC, Show: The Beat Goes On
ARTS FACULTY
Breanne Trammell Tameka Norris Helina Metaferia Baptist Penetticobra Sarah Tortora Amanda Van Valkenburg Tara Cooper + Terry O’Neill (R):Bahareh Khoshooee you're freaking out ok (Installation Shot) 2017
Mixed Media, Multi-Channel Video
(Below): Adam Liam Rose
Projection, Audio
Man Above the Fog, 2016 Performance / Installation, duration: 10 min repeating performance lasting for 3hrs.
(R): Tara Cooper & Terry O'Neill God Love Brigus Part II (detail), 2017 sculpture, screenprinted text, thermometer, ceramics, photopolymer etchings, woodcut block, book cloth
11 (R): Cassandra Davis Baptism, 2016 2-channel video installation, 40:00 loop. Installation view; two 40-inch flat screens, soil, (Below): Amanda Van Valkenburg
wooden benches. Installation
Unnatural Disasters (still), 2017 3D video
dimensions variable.
(L): Corinna Ray
(Above): Erica Wessman (in collaboration
Imitation Duet
with Elizabeth Tubergen)
Props, prompts,
Wet Nap 2015
participants.
Mixed Media: air mattress, sheets
5 minute duration
Performance documentation (Below): Baptist Penetticobra "The Stadium" from Motel, Game, Road & Night, 2013 photography magazine, colorprints, 11"x17", 4 different prints of 18 pages.
(L): Andrew Lister and Matthew Stuart (Traven T. Croves) Collaborative Bricks from the Kiln #1, 2015 offset printed, edition of 700 138pp. + 2 full colour inserts
12 FACULTY RESIDENCY
HELINA METAFERIA & SARAH TORTORA SUMMER 2017
Helina Metaferia (Middle) Passage for Dreams – Part 3 2017 Three channel video Runtime: 13:58
“ A summer at Ox-Bow has a unique blend of teachers, students, artist in residence, fellows, visiting artists, and staff. Everyone is at a different point with their art practice and careers. Some are new beginners who may or may not pursue art as a career, some have been making in their field for decades and achieved great notoriety. That mix is really wonderful, as everyone is learning from everyone else, and not in a hierarchal sort of way. I found that to be a unique experience – an interesting combination of school and residency that I hadn't seen anywhere else.” — Helina Metaferia Summer Faculty Artist-in-Residence
13
“ I feel like my time at
Ox-Bow eliminated the arbitrary and imaginary boundaries that I had been detrimentally sprouting between“work”, “art”, and “life” – not to say that a balanced perspective is unfavorable, but I felt my time at Ox-Bow inspired a release from pressures toperform, and I was able to take risks – indulge in unknown or open-ended waysof working – in ways I hadn’t felt “permitted”to in the recent past. ”
— Sarah Tortora Summer Faculty Artist-in-Residence
Sarah Tortora Company Man, 2017 approx. 62"h x 34"w x 22"d Epoxy clay, wood, plaster, acrylic & latex paint, urethane resin, geode
14 FACULTY RESIDENCY PROJECT HIGHLIGHT
BREANNE TRAMMELL SUMMER 2017
#PPMZL – POCKET POETRY MOBILE ZINE LIBRARY The Pocket Poetry Mobile Zine Library was built in June 2017 at Ox-Bow School of Art in Saugatuck, MI, where I was a Faculty ArtistIn-Residence. The zines produced at Ox-Bow live in Mac Akin's Look Hear Zine Library.
The #PPMZL invites participants to share the contents of their pockets to create an eight-page zine from a single sheet of paper. The contents are placed on my portable copy machine, five copies are produced, then cut & folded into mini booklets on-the-spot. Participants receive two copies, one goes to the cart library, one to my teaching collection, and one to a local special collections archive (if applicable). Inspired by Dada pattern poetry, these unique publications simultaneously operate as artifact and portrait.
15 INTRODUCING
DANNY GILES OX-BOW ACADEMIC DIRECTOR
“ One of Ox-Bow's great
assets is the diversity of its community. It is amazing what gets made, discussed, challenged and refined when folks with different backgrounds, skillsets, and life experiences get together in the studio or at the dinner table. The fact that we welcome and create space for such a wide spectrum of artists, students and instructors is so vital to Ox-Bow and its existence as a home for artists. My vision for Ox-Bow emphasizes making even more space for dynamic creative and intellectual exchange to build bridges for cultural exchange as well as artistic production.”
BIO Danny Giles is an interdisciplinary artist based in Chicago. Giles received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011 and MFA from Northwestern University in 2013. He attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2013. Giles has exhibited and performed his work extensively throughout Chicago and internationally, often in collaboration with other artists. Recent accomplishments include an original performance event staged at the MCA Chicago and a curated program of video works for Gallery 400. Giles is a Lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago teaching across several departments.
Danny Giles Demonstration 2017 performed at the Luminary in St. Louis, MO. Performers stage a procession of black monochrome placards in and around the
mini
Q&A What are you looking forward to sharing with the community next summer?
exhibition space.
There are so many dynamic courses and amazing visiting artists planned for the summer, I can’t wait to just see what conversations and projects come out of this grouping of artists, teachers and students. I can’t wait to participate in the events and spaces that students create through their own work and collaborations.
16
NOTES FROM THE TOAST BAR COMMUNITY: UPCOMING EVENTS & EXHIBITS
EXHIBITS: MOLLY ZUCKERMAN-HARTUNG (summer 2017 faculty)
Learning Artist Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York, NY November 5 – December 23 2017 BAHAREH KHOSHOOEE (summer 2017 artist-in-residence)
Untitled Art Fair Miami (Art Basel Miami) December 6-10 2018 Re:Art Show in Brooklyn February 2018 Solo show Tempus Projects, Tampa FL
A VERY OX-BOW TOAST RECIPE:
Spring 2018
Courtesy of Elizabeth Chodos:
JOVENCIO DE LA PAZ (summer 2017 faculty)
Broken Symmetry Marylhurst Art Gym October 1 – December 13, 2017 MoreLand Simone DeSousa Gallery October 21 – December 31, 2017 SHEILA PEPE (summer 2017 visiting artist)
Hot Mess Formalism Phoenix Art Museum: Anderman, Marcus and Marley Galleries October 14, 2017 – January 28, 2018 ATO RIBEIRO (summer 2017 fellow)
Home Coming Anastasia Tinari Projects November 3 – December 10, 2017
IN THE NEXT ISSUE: -FALL 2017 RESIDENCY HIGHLIGHTS -SUMMER 2018 FACULTY PREVIEW -SUMMER 2018 VISITING ARTISTS
Butter 2. Louisiana Hot Sauce 3. Nutritional Yeast (this is key) 4. Enjoy! 1.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
President - David Geerts
Executive & Creative Director Michael Andrews
Vice President - Peter C. Krupp Secretary - Janet R. Cunningham Treasurer - Sam Wanner President Emeritus - Elizabeth Rupprecht President Emeritus - Todd E. Warnock Liason to Emeritus Board - David Balas Tiffany Holmes Maryjo Lemanski Steven C. Meier Walter Petersen Kim Pinder Dale Rainville E.W. Ross Louise Silberman Elissa Tenny Keith P. Walker
Director of Finance and Administration Laura Eberstein Campus Director Shanna Shearer Program Director Rebecca Parker Summer Academic Advisor Daniel Giles Benefit Director Cindy Peterson Program Associate Annie Fisher Marketing & Communications Coordinator Gabrielle Guerra Facilities Manager John Rossi Head Chef Michael Henderberg
EMERITUS BOARD
SEASONAL STAFF
Roger Arbury
Administrative Assistant
Patricia Dewey
Dulcee Boehm
Arthur Frederick
Operations Manager Aaron Cook
Lawrence Gammons William Johnson Margaret McDermott
STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE Chair - Maryjo Lemanski Vice-Chair - Walter Petersen Julie Abel James Brandess John Cannarsa Jacqueline Carey Annette Cress Todd Knight Holly Leo Nico Leo Kathleen Markland Greg Plowe Michael Rippey Kay Smalley Tim Straker Michael Tischleder
Housekeeping Manager Lauren McGill Print Studio Manager Ryan Shrum Metals Studio Manager Devin Balara Ceramics Studio Manager Andrew Doty Glass Studio Manager Tim Belliveau After Hours Personnel Arynn Hans Chef/Gardening: Mitchell Oliver Chefs: Mac Akin Erin Chapla Mary Clemens Nate Large
Administrative Office 36 S. Wabash Ave. FLR 12 Chicago, IL 60603 Ox-Bow Campus PO Box 216 3435 Rupprecht Way Saugatuck, MI 49453
STAY CONNECTED: @oxbowschoolofart #oxbowmi facebook.com/oxbowschoolofart www.ox-bow.org ox-bow@saic.edu