Commemorate Series
A collaboration with Forrest Sincoff Gard
ROY G BIV Gallery in Columbus, OH / Flaten Art Museum, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN / Macon Arts Alliance, Macon, GA / Minneapolis College, Minneapolis, MN
Commemorate Macon, 2019
Macon Arts Alliance, Macon, GA
Commemorate Macon is a series of commemorative plates memorializing places, people, and things from Macon, Georgia. The project was conceptualized as a way to celebrate the city through its history while also highlighting the current revitalization efforts and the people who make this city special.
As the resident artists at the Mill Hill Community Arts Center, our focus in this city has been building community and working towards positive changes in Macon. We have witnessed a significant amount of growth in the short amount of time we spent living here and are honored to have been able to call Macon home over the past two years. The plates are for sale with the hope that they will find homes in the city that inspired their creation.
Each porcelain plate was made by hand on the pottery wheel. The imagery was created by using photographs that were mostly taken by us and then transformed into line drawings, which were then screen printed onto the plates. Special thanks to Charvis Harrell, Kathy Nolan, Carey Pickard, Paula Del Rio, Barry Rhoades, Clarence Thomas Jr., and Patricia Thomas, who each submitted a commemoration and photograph through an open call. There were many things worthy of commemoration in Macon that were not included in the exhibition. To remedy this we designed an interactive component that invited viewers to contribute a personal commemoration on blank plates that hung along the back walls.
As the resident artists at the Mill Hill Community Arts Center, our focus in this city has been building community and working towards positive changes in Macon. We have witnessed a significant amount of growth in the short amount of time we spent living here and are honored to have been able to call Macon home over the past two years. The plates are for sale with the hope that they will find homes in the city that inspired their creation.
Each porcelain plate was made by hand on the pottery wheel. The imagery was created by using photographs that were mostly taken by us and then transformed into line drawings, which were then screen printed onto the plates. Special thanks to Charvis Harrell, Kathy Nolan, Carey Pickard, Paula Del Rio, Barry Rhoades, Clarence Thomas Jr., and Patricia Thomas, who each submitted a commemoration and photograph through an open call. There were many things worthy of commemoration in Macon that were not included in the exhibition. To remedy this we designed an interactive component that invited viewers to contribute a personal commemoration on blank plates that hung along the back walls.
Commemorate St. Olaf, 2019
Flaten Art Museum, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN
Collaboration with Forrest Sincoff Gard and St. Olaf
Collaboration with Forrest Sincoff Gard and St. Olaf
Commemorate St. Olaf features a series of commemorative plates celebrating the unique contribution of sixteen individuals from the past and present St. Olaf community. As social practice artists who were working remotely on this project it was important that we engaged with students in the development of the content that became the most essential element of this installation. We worked with Professor Karil Kucera and the students in Art History 276 who each selected a person worthy of commemoration. Each student provided a statement about why they chose the person they did and an image that was used in the decoration process. The porcelain plates are decorated with multiple layers including stencils and screen-printed imagery. A wide range of individuals are represented here: teachers, advisors, Dakota leaders, directors, custodians, friends, and many more. Our sincerest gratitude to Kate Fisher, Karil Kucera, and the students in Art History 276 for making this project possible.
Penicillin, 2019
Minneapolis College, Minneapolis, MN. Socially Engaged Craft Collective: Ferment
With the exhibition concept, Ferment, in mind we started to think literally of foods and drinks that exist because of the fermentation process. Fermented foods have a history that goes back thousands of years but it seems like recently, fermentation has jumped into mainstream culture and become almost a fad. Every other day we hear of a new craft brewery or an artisan, sourdough bread maker. As we write this statement a gallon of kombucha is nestled between us. We started to think and wonder besides the more obvious and popular fermented products, such as alcohol, bread, and sauerkraut, what else is fermented? It turns out the list is extensive: coffee, kimchi, chocolate, miso, yogurt, and thousands of other products. But are only food and drinks fermented? The answer is no, and that’s where are minds started to really spin. Many medicines and other health products exist because of fermentation and the process is even used to help control sewage waste and produce ethanol.
In our research, we were fascinated by penicillin and the vital role it played in human history. At age 15 Forrest unexpectedly found out that he was part of the 10% of the population that was allergic to penicillin. It is one of the world’s first used and most important antibiotic and is derived from a mold. In an effort to increase penicillin production many types of molding and fermented foods were tested. Eventually it was learned that a moldy, fermented cantaloupe was best for producing penicillin and virtually all the penicillin that exist today can be traced to a cantaloupe that was purchased at a market in Peoria, Illinois. Our plate in this exhibition commemorates the quirky history that links fermentation and penicillin.
As an extension of our curiosity and desire to highlight products that exist because of fermentation, we invited the viewers to commemorate somethings that was a result of fermentation.
In our research, we were fascinated by penicillin and the vital role it played in human history. At age 15 Forrest unexpectedly found out that he was part of the 10% of the population that was allergic to penicillin. It is one of the world’s first used and most important antibiotic and is derived from a mold. In an effort to increase penicillin production many types of molding and fermented foods were tested. Eventually it was learned that a moldy, fermented cantaloupe was best for producing penicillin and virtually all the penicillin that exist today can be traced to a cantaloupe that was purchased at a market in Peoria, Illinois. Our plate in this exhibition commemorates the quirky history that links fermentation and penicillin.
As an extension of our curiosity and desire to highlight products that exist because of fermentation, we invited the viewers to commemorate somethings that was a result of fermentation.
Commemorate Columbus, 2018
ROY G BIV Gallery, Columbus, OH
Commemorating Columbus is a series of commemorative plates memorializing the three years we spent living together in Columbus, Ohio. There are twelve plates—four for every year—each one metaphorically representing a season. They represent places and things that were important to us during our time in Columbus. We intend for the plates to remain in Columbus beyond our time here. The commemorative plates are for sale with the hope that they will find homes in the city that inspired their creation. The installation also includes an interactive component where gallery visitors are invited to commemorate a person, place, or thing from Columbus through writing or drawing on paper plates in the gallery, which will then be hung on the wall and shared with the community.
