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mixed media muerte
Professionally speaking, I entered the world of the arts at a fairly young age. Most of my peers were older and well-established in their careers when I came swaggering into the room. Like the creative equivalent of a young alpha male, I made quite a nuisance of myself. I spent a lot of my time growling, biting throats and metaphorically peeing in corners to mark my territory.
Amazingly, I was not killed for this behavior. This proves without question that the law of the jungle is vastly different than the law of the gallery. Had I tried this sort of punk hubris in the wilds of Africa, wiser lions would likely not have heralded my misguided rebellion as innovative thinking.
At best, the pause in devouring me might have lasted long enough to allow them to reflect on the tender, juicy quality of fresh meat.
Despite the widely held belief that throwing me to the lions was in fact the correct call, I maintain that the mistake of allowing me to reach maturity has had some merit. Adulthood eventually forced me to relinquish some of the frivolity, egomania and beard-overstylings of my misspent youth.
With these formidable handicaps no longer holding me back, I was in a position to actually listen to some of those wise old lions around me. Not surprisingly, I found most of them to be "jungle survivors" as well. Just like me, they learned the secret to not ending up tomorrow's lion droppings. They let go of the fallacy of being a rock star and learned to play well, to admittedly varying degrees, with others.
Of course, in my case, I have an additional handicap. My hardened cynicism prevents me from taking more than a few meager sips from the kool-aid pitcher of community. Without a gun to my head and vocal coach at my side, odds are against me wearing the t-shirt, attending the meeting or singing Kumbaya. I side more with Henley than Cicero. Holding hands feels great, but I'm the captain of this here dinghy and I don't feel the need to have a focus group about where and how I choose to sail my soul.*
*Which sounds all sorts of wonderful and different-drum lofty, but not playing nice with the committee just gets you labeled a prima donna more often than not.
Despite my ongoing battle to avoid assimilation, I have managed to shed my loner status enough to enjoy the benefits of collaboration. While trendy buzzwords like "synergy" still make me twitch, even working with a patron on a commissioned piece will produce ideas which are bigger and better than anything I could have dreamt up on my own. Add the skills and passions of other artisans to the mix, and the possibilities are endless...provided all parties have taken the "lion's lessons" to heart.
At the Bath House's upcoming Dia de los Muertos art exhibition, I'll have the opportunity to share the fruits of a recent artistic collaboration. Photographer David Perkins, carpenter Michael Scogin and I all brought our skills together to create Le Petit Mort, a mixed media sculpture installation which will be on display in the main gallery.
Hopefully the lions will like it.
23rd Annual Dia de los Muertos Exhibition
10/17/2009 - 11/14/2009
Bath House Cultural Center
The Bath House Cultural Center presents the 23rd annual Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) art exhibition.
This exhibition includes 46 local, regional, national and international artists working in a variety of styles to celebrate, explore and honor people, things, and ideas that have passed on.
Opening reception with the artists: Sunday, October 18, 2009 from 5 to 7 p.m. Free and open to the public.
Artists:
Charlotte Chambliss, Vanessa Ocampo, Chandra T. Armstead, Mary J. Baker, Dan Richard Barber, Betty Bucher, Billy Bucher, Judy Buckner, Kristine Byars, Paul Carranza, Jim Clement, Chris Cole, Angi Cure, Kathleen Donovan, Dan Dudley, Lori Dudley, Jacque Forsher, Miranda DaVolt, Frances Dezzany, Patricia Dillingham, Rosalinda Gómez, Franziska Gonzalez, Bryan Gooding, Sylvia Houghland, Alex Hulsey, Cindy Kelley, Ellie Ivanova, Sandra Lethem Yeo, Victoria Lewelling, Linda López, Darrell Madis, Antoaneta Melnikova-Hillman, Barbara Norris, Cap Pannell, Erin Nicole Parisi, Marilyn Parrish, David Perkins, Robert W. Ritchey, Brenda Robson, Meagan Robson, Kate Schatz, Michael Scogin, Russ Sharek, Terry K. Smith, Arthur Stephens, Christina L. Walker, Patricia Wass, and Kathy Windrow. Enrique Fernández Cervantes and Jose Vargas curated this exhibition.
Day of the Dead:
During the traditional Day of the Dead holiday (Nov 1 and 2), people assemble elaborate altars in their homes to commemorate those who have died, filled with objects that provided pleasure to the departed person. Because of this warm social environment, the colorful setting, and the abundance of food, drink and good company, this holiday commemorating the dead has pleasant rather than scary or sad overtones. Although this tradition has its origins in Mexico, people of many cultures, races and backgrounds embrace the celebration. Life and death are universal concepts that everyone can explore.
Update:
A few people have correctly guessed that the skull image is a sneak peek of Le Petit Mort.
A full image gallery of will be posted after the exhibition's opening reception.
Update:
As promised, photographer David Perkins ran by the Bath House Cultural center and snagged some photos of our collaborative art installation, le petit mort.
The exhibition runs unti November 14th. It's a really amazing show, so if you have a chance pop by and see it for yourself.
