The Art Haus SLC would like to thank Gavin Sheehan for interviewing us for his CityWeekly article.  It was great working with him and we're so happy to be featured.  

If you'd like to read the interview, check it out here: http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/blog-70-9685-the-art-haus-slc.html

Q: What's the deal with Art on Wheels?  

A: Art on Wheels started out as an idea to get The Art Haus SLC's name and brand into the community.  Co-founder Anne Wright originally titled it "Mobile Art" and wanted to use the work as on offshoot of an established organization within the community.  This idea morphed with the first project by Morganne and turned into a pop-up gallery.  We've sort of run with the idea of using the space as a pop-up event and a way to affordably bring art to a unique space in the city. 

Q: How did Impressions develop and what is the show actually about?

A: Impressions really came about when another show we were planning on fell through.  So it was kind of born out of this need to show some work and Jendar and I both agreed to just go for it.  Really this performance is what I would term "performance as research."  We are putting something up but it is sort of out of this idea that this technique could work or this action might come out of that idea.  It's really an experiment. 

But the idea of impressions as a theme for the night really came from this one day when I was on the subway.  I used to ride the subway almost four to five hours a day in New York so I spent a lot of time moving in and out of people and I started to notice how we all moved away from or into each other.  I became interested in this idea of how our perception of each other made us move one way or our touch would effect how a stranger was positioned on the subway.  The more I paid attention the more you could see people almost doing this dance or the more I would notice how different stranger's touches would make me feel. 

So I decided to create a situation where people use a molding exercise, commonly used in modern dance and physical acting, to sort of recreate this experience.  All of the portions of the event are born out of this exercise and this idea, just to simply give people the opportunity to engage, observe, and record the art as it happens themselves. 

Q: Interactive performance, what is that all about? 

A: I'm interested at the moment in how anxious people who don't identify as artists are to engage in creating art, with things like Instagram, etc.  I wanted to give people the chance to take that interaction with a creative process a little further so we have opened the exhibit to be as interactive as people are comfortable with.  There's the chance to be a performer, to guide and sculpt, and also to document digitally and upload images live as well as on Instagram.  The interactive part can sound intimidating but I don't think it is much further from what people are really interested in doing at the moment.  

The exciting thing about having an interactive performance is how you can't anticipate what might happen.  The spectator really fuels the evening and drives the performance and all it's parts.  There's no way to really no where the event might go and how the performance will unfold.  I will anticipate, direct, and facilitate as much as possible but the idea is really to give it over to the community and let them come together, use their impressions of the night and each other, to form a piece of art and a performance.  

 

I’m on Day 15 at Vermont Studio Center. The weather is unseasonably warm here, thanks, and no thanks, to Hurricane Sandy. Tucked away in a tiny valley, and what’s more, in a tiny town, Vermont Studio Center spans the reaches of Johnson, VT (population 2,000). I am writing this from my studio desk in a converted chapel, aptly named, Church Studios. Just inches away from the Gihon River and close enough to the hills to hear rifle shots (it’s open season), this place is rural. It’s supposed to be; that is the reason we (all forty of us) are here. 

Rural environments drive my work. I am interested in how humans relate to their environments and how they settle or make do, in said places. Expeditions, settlements, homesteads and crafts, are topics I generally take a closer look at or incorporate in my work.

During a tour of the grounds, one of the VSC directors suggested if any of us like to hike or go running (I do), that we should be advised to wear blaze orange, in any form; hat, hanky or vest. With several days until my supplies would arrive from Salt Lake (and still haven’t, no thanks, again to Sandy and the USPS), I immediately got to work using fabrics that played into my survival, or the idea of survival, in general: blaze orange and camouflage. A fitting transition, because my past work deals with craft and clothing tying humans to the landscape or being a marker of identity. Sticking out---being an individual, if you will---certainly helps you survive in many instances and in others, not so much. This space between being seen and invisible is one I’ve been investigating.

Here are some studio images:

My photographic work, as well, is largely a bank of landscape images where I have interjected my hand into the image, both literally and figuratively. I take photographs of historically important sites, but framed through my hand and usually of small, intimate views. This makes time a bit more subjective or less important for the viewer. It also obscures the method, a bit, as well. More importantly, the intimacy of its creation and how the viewer experiences the image, is the whole purpose. Another photographic series, I’ve been working on, again, are of historical sites where there is mostly empty land. No real indicator of an important event, once occurring. But, the emptiness implies that something was once there, that is no longer. Maybe there are a few bricks, an abandoned building, but without much investigation, it is just seems like vacant land. With these photos, I go back in with embroidery, to re-activate the empty space. I like embroidery because of its implied sentimentality and relationship to history, handicrafts and gender roles. It is contrary to digital photography and traversing the landscape for images, in many ways. Combining the traditionally masculine and feminine, has been an anchor for most of my work; making those opposites build something, together.

Studio images of photographic work:

I have about 10 days left of the residency, where I plan to shoot different sites in Johnson, VT and continue stitching up some fabric works. I’ve been doing quite a bit of reading and sketches, as well. Mostly, it’s been invaluable to have a pretty big studio space (4x as big as mine, back home) where I can write on the walls, stay up all night slashing out ideas and know that I’m not alone in the process; I’m book-ended with like-minded kids. One, rapturously and religiously covering large canvasses with splatters of oil paint, the other neatly sewing up well-endowed puppets, while streaming Howard Stern, well into the midnight hours. It’s a good crowd. I figure I’m the survivalist nut, camouflaged away in an imaginary bunker hidden inside my studio, sewing up warning signs and planning my next prey to “shoot”. 

Website: www.morgannewakefield.com

I’m also on Kickstarter, raising funds for my project at Vermont Studio Center. 10 more days left and already about halfway there! Stop by, check it out, pass it along to someone else. Thanks!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/277399150/morganne-wakefield-vermont-studio-center-residency

“We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.” 
 -Friedrich Nietzsche

“You look ridiculous if you dance.
You look ridiculous if you don't dance.
So you might as well dance.”
- Gertrude Stein

“Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are great because of their passion.” 
- Martha Graham

“I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to to dance better than myself.” 
- Mikhail Baryshnikov

“Every day brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick off your shoes, and dance.” 
- Oprah Winfrey

“Dance like there’s nobody watching. Or filming. Never mind that creepy guy in the corner with the camcorder. Just keep dancing.” 
- Jarod Kintz

All of us at one point in our lives have danced. Whether at a church party, a dance class, a school play or in front of our bedroom mirror. No matter how much you love or hate dancing, there is no denying the influence and power of dance. We at The Art Haus SLC absolutely love dancing, which is why we decided, what better way to raise funds for art education programs in Salt Lake City schools than by dancing? And not only just dancing, but dancing for 12 hours straight! This coming Saturday, October 20th (only three more days!), will be The Art Haus SLC 12 Hour Dance-A-Thon Fundraiser from 12 noon-12 midnight at The Arts Hub on 663 West 100 South in Salt Lake City. The entrance fee is $5 and $2/ hour to sponsor. The more sponsors you get, the more money you will raise for TAHSLC, and the closer you will get to winning some awesome prizes... on top of the satisfaction of knowing that you helped raise lots of money for a great cause. There will be great music and performers. So come join us for the whole event or part of it. If you are hesitant to come because you think you do not dance, still come and sponsor those who will be participating. Hope to se you all there. I seriously cannot wait. 

Sincerely, 

Jendar Marie Morales 
Co-founder of The Art Haus SLC 

To register for the  Dance-A-Thon go here. 

Four couples falling asleep at the end of a dance-a-thon in the 1930s. 

Can you dance better than PSY?  Why don't you come show us at our Retro Dance-A-Thon on October 20th from 12 PM - 12 AM at The Arts Hub (663 West 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104).  

All proceeds go for arts education programming through TAHSLC. $5 Entry fee plus $2 for each sponsor. Find more information and register here.

We have all been there. You have the innovative idea for a new project. You have the collaborators.  You have the skills. You also have no money, no rehearsal/studio space, and no gallery or theatre to show your work in.  What does this mean for you and your project?  Before you throw in the towel let's take a look at some funding sources for art projects, groups, and individual artists.

SUPPORT

Support can come in the form of grants, residencies, fiscal sponsorship, and in-kind donations just to name a few resources.  Artists can even find personal health insurance through arts groups as well as personal expense emergency funds and arts exchange for doctor visits. 

HUNTING FOR PROJECT FUNDING 
Let's talk about some of the basics to get started in your hunt for project funding.  First know what you have to offer.  I suggest writing out anartist’s statement or a mission statement that is specific and has actionable points.   You want to have some clear goals you can work towards and they will also act as a point of reference as you continue your work.  

Do your research.  Have an idea of other artists who are working in your field and have similar missions and statements.  You'll want to do this to stay current and connected to peers/colleagues but also so you can speak clearly on how your project will fit into this section of the art world.  

Outline a plan.  Have clear ideas on the many possible ways your work can change the community it is in.  Why this project?  Why now?  Make an effort to see your work from the point of view of other artists, of funders, and of the audience who will see it and try to see your work from their perspective.  What are the weak areas of your proposal from the point of view of funders? What might confuse your audience or alienate your peers?  Work out the answers to the questions you generate from this exercise before you move forward with pitching your project to the public.  I recommend writing all of this down and keeping it on your computer in a format that you can easily pull to either use as a check-in point while you are writing grants or to perhaps use as a foundation for questions that might come up on applications. 

BUDGET

Another thing you'll need to be clear on before you get started on fund raising is the budget you will need to work with.  In my experience there are a few different ways that people approach this aspect of funding.  There are those who will look at the project and find every way they can cut back on costs and build a budget around that.  Then there are others who let their dream project get even bigger and more expensive as they work on the budget.  You've already been so thorough as to write out an artists statement, a statement of purpose AND a mission statement so why not create a dream budget AND a cut-rate budget?  

Once you have done this aim high and set your fund raising goals for the dream budget.  Either you raise all the funds you need for your dream budget or you fall a little short but you already have a back-up budget to work with and your project will still live on.  This might be unique advice since even the popular crowd funder, Kickstarter, will only give projects their funding if they meet their goal because working with an insufficient budget on a project, "sucks," (that is an exact quote from the Kickstarter network, I'd never be so crass!) You can make up your own mind but I do recommend the dream budget and the less-desirable-but-doable budget.  If you're set on crowd sourcing then Indie GoGo will give you the funds even if your project doesn't make the set goal. 

So go on and take a look at your goals as an artist.  Write a statement of purpose if you don't already have one.  Define your proposed project and take a look at it from a variety of angles and view points.  Find the pitfalls in your pitch and come up with some solutions.  Set your dream budget and then take a look at it with a critical eye and make some cuts.  Once you do this you'll be ready to set out and start fundraising, which means you'll want to check in again with The Art Haus SLC for the next steps in your funding efforts.   

-Sara Moncivais
Co-Founder

I have often walked through contemporary art galleries or sat through an avant guard version of, say, The Master and the Margarita and found myself saying "I don't get it."  And I have an undergraduate degree in Art History and a graduate degree in Arts in Education.  With all that education, I think I'm supposed to "get it."
 
What I have learned through my advanced studies and over time is that all art is a form of expression and a vehicle for sharing a thought, an idea or a message.  What makes art unique is the communication that happens during the experience of viewing art; it's an unspoken communication between artist and viewer.  Once the artwork is complete, the artist hands his/her interpretation over to us (the viewer) to connect to it however we may and draw our own conclusions. 
 
During this communication between what the artist presents and what the viewer sees, the work inspires a reaction: small, big, intense or soft.  It is the voice and we are the ears and eyes that receive that message.  However art is a bit of a puzzle and in order to piece it together, it requires us to take time noticing all the details from the piece, to spend a moment digesting what we've seen, and to ask ourselves questions about the work.  So it requires a little bit of work on our part to "get" that message, and it will be slightly different for every viewer.
 
To give an example of this process, recently there was a huge controversy in Boston over a mural painted by Os Gemeos (twin brothers Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo from Brazil) who recently finished a colorful mural on the side of a ventilation building in Dewey Square, a location in downtown Boston. I had the pleasure of performing on the opposite side of the building one weekend and watched a bit as the mural took shape.  Several days later, I read about a huge reaction from members of my community about the work.  I'll post that picture now, so that you can see the mural and begin to formulate some ideas about the work:

During the local Fox 25 coverage of the newest mural in downtown Boston, one particular observer voiced an opinion that it looked "like a terrorist."  Fox went on to post the image to their Facebook site asking what its viewers thought it looked like. Additionally the posting included an image with a large mechanical crane in front of the mural, leading people to make assumptions that it was a gun. With a few more Facebook postings about a the mural looking like a terrorist, it caused a conflagration on their page from commenter agreeing, disagreeing, commenting and arguing with each other.
 
I stated already, art inspires a reaction.  And that every person bring their own background into forming an opinion about what they see.  Since September 11th, America is understandably weary of terrorist groups that may potential bring more harm to our shores.  And we have every right to be.  And artists have every right to create works that highlight injustices that they believe should be changed.  Art gets us talking and that it is what makes it such a powerful medium.  But we have the responsibility to truly look at what is being shared, to spend a moment trying to puzzle over what the artist is trying to say and what it triggers in us.  

In order to understand how to read art,  I'll use this "controversial" image and ask to name one thing you see (feel free to post comments on the blog of what you see).  No assumptions, just take a moment and what do you see? 

To me, and to many others, this mural has nothing to do with terrorism.  The bright colors and patterns are more indicative of a boy in his pajamas who happens to be covering his head with a red shirt (you can see the sleeve of that shirt hanging down his chest), perhaps pretending to be a Luchador fighter or any other masked crusader often featured in many American blockbuster films.  Much of the art we see require us to think; it is not really a passive experience.  My hope is that by each of us learning to really look, to take a moment and collectively see, we can begin to puzzle together a new image for this work, to create a new understanding and a new voice for this work of art.

Anne Wright
Co-Founder

I love museums. I love art galleries. I love everything that has art in, on or around it. While living in New York City, I visited one museum or art gallery each week. When people asked me what I did for a living, I would tell them that I worked at a museum. I was surprised to hear that a lot of this people had never been to any of the city’s museums. All I would think was, “What the hell do you do for fun in the city then?”  

As I mentioned in my previous post Let’s Talk About Art, museums and art spaces can be very intimidating. There is often a perception that arts institutions and the art they feature are inaccessible by those not already part of that world.  However, particularly in the last few decades, many arts institutions and other arts organizations have been working to break down those barriers and allow art to be accessible to everyone.

The Art Haus SLC is an arts education organization that aims to create a welcoming space for everyone within our community to engage in a dialogue about contemporary arts. While our larger goal is to someday have an actual physical space where we can promote this dialogue among artists from around the globe and our local community, we are currently working to create temporary spaces around the city to meet our goals.  This is what has led TAHSLC to rethink the types of spaces where are can exhibit art and invite supportive dialogue about the arts.  Art in the Living Room is a program that turns peoples' homes into art spaces for one night by presenting the work of upcoming local artists.

In our first Art in the Living Room show on Friday, July 6th, local artists Michelle Christensen, Emily Bagley and Sarah May shared some of their work with the SLC community. The event was held at the home of artist Michelle Christensen and although it was our first event of this kind, the show was very well attended. It was so great to see the artists engage in conversation with members of the community, while others sat on the couch talking about the art or just visiting with each other.

With the success of our first show, we launched our second Art in the Living Room on Friday, August 10th with works by Phil Cannon, Adam Munoa and Salvador Medrano. That show had a very similar feel to the first show, except that this time we had twice as many people attend.  In fact, the attendees were a very diverse group of people from all ages and backgrounds. This is precisely what Art in the Living Room is all about, bringing art to ALL people one home at a time. We are very excited about our success with two shows and want to encourage everyone to come to our third installment, which we are planning now.  If you live in downtown SLC and would like for The Art Haus SLC to bring some awesome contemporary art into your living room, please email us at [email protected].

Jendar Marie Morales
Co-founder, The Art Haus SLC

As a child, I loved the "Where's Waldo?" books. Searching through all the lines and colors to find the striped red-and-white shirt with that awful beanie and the thick glasses was one of my favorite things to do. With the following two pieces, I've listed some of the textures used to create them. My intention is to create art that engages the observer. Art that requires further inspection. Art that you can search through. 

Instead of Waldo, you will find manhole covers, vents, bird droppings, oil splatter, wood grain, brick, concrete, and a number of other ugly and mundane textures that combine to make something that is both unique and beautiful. Enjoy!

by Phil Cannon
Salt Lake City artist 
philsyc.com 


Phil will be showing some of his work together with artists Adam Munoa (adammunoaart.com) and Salvador Medrano (http://cargocollective.com/thefacialhairco) at TAHSLC's upcoming Art in the Living Room show this Friday, August 10th from 7-10pm at 319 East 700 South in Salt Lake City. There will also be art work for sale including laminated prints for $10 and t-shirts. See you there! 

Apparently I love starting things off in reference to current TV shows or old movies.  I'm not actually certain what American Graffiti was about actually.  I just remember there is a blond women in it and a car, which means you could show me any movie made in a modern day setting and I would think it could possibly be American Graffiti.

Well here are some cars that I would know without a doubt have nothing to do with American Graffiti but are in fact the epitome of American Graffiti:

Let me take Art in the Neighborhood on an around the world journey.  Once again I am going to tell you tales of the magical land known as Amarillo, TX.  This picture shows Cadillac Ranch.  Google it and you'll read about an eccentric man who buried a number of Cadillac vehicles in his ranch and then invited people, anyone passing by who felt like it, to come and graffiti them however they pleased.  Some people might say this wasn't an act of creation.  The invitation didn't result in an ever changing work of art.  I wouldn't say they were wrong, I would only say they opened the door for an interesting, invigorating, and sometimes frustrating conversation.

Art is defined as: the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. The above photo is actually the work of an old friend of mine in Amarillo.  What you see there was the work of a group who came together to change these cars into something of more than ordinary significance.  Some people might merely leave the mark of their name on the cars, welcoming the opportunity to vandalize legally, while others will see the invitation and dream out a scenario that will change the way they look at the cars, maybe not forever, but at least it will have happened for any period of time at all. 

Living in New York you see Graffiti all the time.  There are entire buildings dedicated to housing artists and showcasing famous graffiti works on their walls.  I'm not intrigued by the artistry or by the Banksys that pop up around the town from time-to-time so much as  I'm more interested in the smaller works you might see when walking down a sidewalk or passing by a school. 

Something unsigned, unmarked, and totally fleeting-- maybe this is a sighting of art done purely for the sake of art?  In a previous post we asked about the relationship in art between the artist, the work, and the viewer.  No answers were given because who knows what the answer is for certain, but there is something (for me) nostalgic in seeing these little pieces of work pop up in your city.  You're seeing something with an unknowable short life-span and every time you pass you know it might be there or it might be changed.  The picture of Cadillac Ranch was taken in June but I am certain it is covered in something else, making it significant for a short time to someone else. 

Now here is where Art in the Neighborhood becomes interesting to me: it is all about the expression of individuals in the community (my obvious love in the arts).  It is about what the possibility you might see when you look at a row of cars, or an empty space on a sidewalk, or on a street corner.  I'm not saying go out and vandalize public property but I am saying if you can see how to put a bit of yourself into your neighborhood then go for it.  Take some sidewalk chalk and let a little bit of your mind loose on the pavement.  Take a picture you love and set it inside of a shop window.  Plant some cars in your front yard and invite the world to have at 'em. 

Engage with Art in the Neighborhood however you want, but try to engage with it for just a day and you might see all kinds of things you never did before or maybe those old things you've seen for years will look just a little bit different.  Or maybe not, you tell me. 

On a parting note, I leave you with this:

By Sara Moncivais
Co-Founder