The Arthropologist
The Idea Fund gives sophisticated garage art and boy bands with pens a chance
From left to right: Sketch Klubb members Eric Pearce, Michael Stovall, CodyLedvina, Nick Meriwether, Sebastian Forray, Russell Etchen, Michael Harwell andLane Hagood
New structure for "blueprint2" in progress of being assembledPhoto by Mick Johnson
Pre-existing architectural structure in progress of being disassembled for useas temporary "exhibition" spacePhoto by Mick Johnson
A spread from one of Sketch Klubb's zines, with work by Rene Cruz on the leftand a collaborative piece on the rightPhoto by Michael Harwell
A still-life from Sketch Klub's New York show featuring a Bart mask, a SaddamHussein pinata and a Bart and Lisa pinata setPhoto by Russell Etchen
Nina Elder and Basket Bob
From The IDEAL Fund, detail of "blueprint2," a collaboration between(v)=variable and (jn)=jim nolanPhoto by Mick Johnson
PLAND land
Basket Bob's house, current PLAND accommodations
A reconfigured garage, an barren piece of land, a tag sale are all the terrain of art when it comes to The Idea Fund.
Art runs on ideas. Without them we get flower paintings and dances with scarves. Thank goodness for The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts who partner with DiverseWorks, Aurora Picture Show, and Project Row Houses to offer direct support to artists through The Idea Fund.
And we are not talking about same old, been there, done that, ideas. The Idea Fund looks for projects that employ unconventional, interventional, participatory and guerrilla practices. My ears perked up at "guerrilla."
Ten Texas artists/collectives made The Idea Fund roster, including Potter-Belmar Labs, Sketch Klubb, Bill Davenport, Mick Johnson, DumpTruck, Brett Koshkin, Victor Payan/Sandra "Pocha" Pena, PLAND, Monica Henderson and Wura-Natasha Ogunji.
I was able to visit with three of the grantees. When I first heard about each project I had to ask, "You want to do what? But once I wrapped my head around their left of the studio box way of thinking about art, I started to get it. Meet some of the idea ones.
Garage Guy
Mick Johnson is a painter with sculptural leanings. His project (v) = variable calls for existing architectural structures to be re-configured as temporary exhibition spaces. On Saturday, he presents his first manifestation of the idea using his own garage in his own driveway (1019 Alexander Street in the Heights), which has been transformed into both an exhibition space and art object with the help of Jim Nolan.
Johnson is affiliated with Minus Space in Brooklyn, NY and has shown his work at PS1 Contemporary Art Center, DiverseWorks and Lawndale Art Center. Nolan shows at Deep Space in New York.
"I've always had a personal attachment to architectural spaces, especially the places where I have lived," Johnson says. "Even when I make paintings, the space where they are shown has significance."
Nolan proved a perfect match for his first go around of the concept. "I'm attracted to the way Jim works; he is very formal in his approach, yet he's constantly recycling his work into new pieces," he says. "Some of his works have only existed for a few days."
The murky line between two and three-dimensional work has always lured Johnson. Nolan and Johnson plan a sound installation inside the structure, but expect a seamless boundary between the art inside and the structure containing it. Seems way cooler than a garage. I can't help wondering what he could do with my entire house.
Beware thy coyotes
PLAND stands for Practicing Liberating Art though Necessary Dislocation. It's the brainchild of Nancy Zastudil, Erin Elder and Nina Elder. When the trio became owners of a small parcel of land near the Sangre de Cristo Gorge in New Mexico, their off-the-grid brain gears started to churn.
"It was a real shift for me," says Zastudil, who quit her job as assistant director of the Cynthia Wood Mitchell Center for the Arts to focus on PLAND. "I found a sense of place and security there. No matter what, I could always go back to the land."
The fact that the land is devoid of any of the usual amenities like water and electricity doesn't stop these arts pioneers from thinking of the possibilities. The women are now out on the mesa.
"Being on the land is amazing.The clouds are intense, the stars are bright, time slows down, and everything becomes essential," says Erin Elder. "Every drop of water is important. Every action is premeditated. Plants grow, wind blows, weather changes. Aside from breathing and blinking, it's impossible to take anything for granted."
It's a particularly exciting time for PLAND because they have just selected their first artist-in-residence. Every day is work and process driven. "Yesterday we picked our resident, designed our house, managed our budget, researched fiscal sponsors, applied to a residency in Australia and another in Berlin, and created a summer calendar of visitors and events," reports Elder.
The PLAND collective tackle land-based art, a terrain dominated by men, with a feisty spirit. "We find our inspiration in a legacy of pioneers, entrepreneurs, homesteaders, artists and other counterculturalists who through radical and mundane activities reclaim and reframe the American Dream,|" writes Zastudil in the project statement.
Other than the fact that they fear their cat was eaten by a coyote, all is proceeding as planned for PLAND.
Everyone needs a few friends
When the The Sketch Klubb took the stage to talk about their idea they seemed like a mangy boy band with pens. They plan to publish a new book and commemorate it with a Nerd Garage Sale.
"Think of a Fellini-esque garage sale. We will sell nerdy stuff, unload our extra toys, games, CDs, and computer equipment," Michael Harwell, a Sketch Klubb member, says. "There will also be tables set up for drawing, so you can join us. Oh and our art will be for sale too." Although the event is an actual garage sale, it's also an installation.
Members include Harwell, Seth Alverson, Rene Cruz, Russell Etchen, Sebastian Forray, Lane Hagood, Cody Ledvina, Nick Meriwether, Eric Pearce, Patrick Phipps, J. Michael Stovall and David Wang.
The group started when a girlfriend and a wife or two suggested that a bunch of male visual artists trying getting a few friends. Every other Saturday they gather to sketch, visit and hang out.
"It's a club house of sorts with a no-girls policy," Harwell says. "It's not that girls can't draw or hang out with us, We wanted a place where we can be the dorky uninhibited guys that we are. We don't want to have to worry about anybody's sensibilities when we talk about boobs or butts."
The all-boys club has been a busy bunch, producing a zine a month. The group includes individuals from Hagood, the 2010 Hunting Prize winner, to guys who just like to draw. Harwell mostly likes putting the zine together.
"For some the career path of an artist is important, for others not so much," he says. "I just like to draw, to see what happens when I put a pen to a piece of paper."
Sometimes they work with themes. Right now, it's album covers. Harwell describes their time together as a lively couple of hours.
"There is a lot of joking and juvenile humor," he says. "Drawing transports you outside of yourself, and sometimes that happens at Sketch Klubb."
Klubb show/garage sale will take place on July 31 at The Joannex, 1401 Branard, from 7 a.m. until people quit showing up.
The future of art may be in the hands of artists like these, who seek to find both bold and practical ways to bring art to our attention. Let's hear if for artful ideas.
