UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS + EVENTS
+ On February 16th my first solo exhibition in the Asheville area (since my show/lecture at REVOLVE last year) opens at Weizenblatt Gallery on the Mars Hill University Campus, and I'd love to see you there, 6-8pm.
Family Vacations I Have Never Taken is comprised of panoramic photographs, taken by my Aunt Joan and Uncle Charlie, which I have altered with embroidery using threads inherited from my Aunt Jean. You can read more about the show in this AWESOME article by Thomas Calder and see some more images and my press release HERE.
--
+ I resumed an obsessive daily letter-writing practice this year. If you've already joined my letter-writing list, good on you! You should be receiving a letter, postcard, or package soon (if you haven't already). If you've yet to join and would like to, it's as simple as going HERE and filling out the "SAY HELLO!" form.
--
+ I've been selected to participate in C4 Atlanta's HATCH Training Intensive - "The Hatch Training Intensive is specifically targeted towards readying artists to work in community-centric art projects in ways that are both sustainable and meaningful to all involved stakeholders. Twelve artists will be chosen for this program through a competitive application process.. Artists will learn: methods of organizing community around social impact through arts and culture emphasizing available assets over deficits, tools and activities to engage dialogue, break down barriers, and create a shared language among key stakeholders, the history and processes of city planning, and the ways in which arts and culture can be incorporated into urban development," and much MUCH more. I'm really excited and honored to have been invited.
--
+ On 2.20 I'm ACTING in Drive-By Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus. Don't worry, my tongue gets cut out pretty early on, so I won't have a lot of dialog.
--
+ On 2.27 I'm speaking at Talk20, kind of like a combination of speed-dating and Ted Talks, about my work, community practice, and why art and creative practice should be more accessible.
--
+ I recently began a new installation at Trade & Lore. Stay tuned for updates or just go in, check it out, and have a scrumptious beverage or snack while you're there.
--
+ I've been invited to participate in "Makers Marks: Art, Craft and the Fiber of Change," an exhibition at the Nichols House Museum in Boston. Curator Emma Welty, with jurors, Dina Deitsch: Interim Executive Director of the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University, and Judith Leemann: Assistant Professor, Fine Arts: 3-D, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, selected contemporary works to be exhibited alongside the historical permanent collection in the Nichols House Museum. The Museum will publish a catalogue of works from the exhibition with heavily-researched scholarly writing by Welty, an essay about the relevance and application of special collections and archives in contemporary art by me, and will be photographed by me as well. The exhibition will be on view between April and August 2017. The catalogue will be available at the opening and online.
--
+ On May 5th, I'll open a solo exhibition at PUSH Gallery in Asheville. More info will be revealed as it gets closer.
--
+ In June and July, my closing show in Spartanburg will be on view at the Crutchfield Gallery in the Main Branch of the SCPL. We will also have an artist's talk and reception, date TBA. The exhibition will feature work comprised of deaccessioned materials from the library, including microfilm and microfiche, card catalog cards, and books.
--
+ If you're reading this, you likely know that I'm in Spartanburg, SC until July 2017 in residence as a partnership with HUB-BUB and the Spartanburg County Public Libraries. If you've been wondering what all this means, you can read about my residency HERE, and listen to me yammer on a podcast HERE, read about HUB-BUB and their affordable (or free!), accessible, and inclusive programming (which includes public art, free outdoor yoga, lectures, you name it!) HERE, and click HERE to learn about SCPL and their mission to "envision creating a culture of lifelong learning by connecting people, ideas and information resulting in a community pursuing positive change."
--
EXCITING NEWS FROM FRIENDS AND COLLABORATORS
+ REVOLVE and the MAP are launching a yet-unnamed online platform - "an open space where artists, workers, visionaries, cooks, mess-makers and scholars are welcome to exchange ideas, methods, perspectives, practices, words and images. We will inspect and reframe boundaries, definitions and binaries that have been inherited from preceding technologies, philosophies, and social arrangements."
for more info about the mission and philosophy check out their soft-launch info page (full site will launch once a name has been decided - go ahead, suggest a name!)
+ REVOLVE also has a great event on 2.17 that I'd HIGHLY recommend attending. George Hemphill has a fantastic public speaking presence, not to mention the wisdom and experience of someone who has spent 30+ years in the fine art/gallery world in D.C. and Colby Caldwell, the fella behind REVOLVE, is a widely recognized practitioner of photography, an educator, curator, and all-around great guy with fantastic taste in music. This discussion between Art Dealer and Artist on whether galleries matter in the digital age promises to be engaging, informative, participatory, and probably pretty funny.
+ Frame + Form | Screen Dance Festival - February 24-25, 2017
presented by The Media Arts Project in collaboration with Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. This two-day festival features dance created specifically for film and video and includes a hands-on video/movement workshop, panel discussion, and screening of historical films including the work by Black Mountain College teacher Merce Cunningham.
+ Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center has an exceptional show on view right now curated by Julie J. Thomson entitled Begin To See: The Photographers of Black Mountain College which explores photography at BMC through the lens of some well- and lesser-known photographers. Many of these images haven't been widely shown, and the show feels like a long-lost family album from BMC. It's up until May so you have ample opportunity to spend some time with these photographs.
+ Kim Roney is running for Asheville City Council - her press release may be found online, which discusses many important aspects of her campaign, but this part specifically resonated with me: "Kim understands what makes Asheville so special. Her years of experience in the service industry, [and] working as a musician and piano teacher, has allowed her to see that it is our unique and dynamic culture, as well as our mountains and rivers, that draws tourists. However, she also knows the challenges of balancing life as a musician and artist while paying bills with a tourist industry paycheck."
listen here for more info
"This is Kim’s first campaign for elected office. If any members of the public wish to reach out to Kim to discuss Asheville’s past, present, & future and how we can “Be ‘Bout it Being Better” (and what the heck that even means), she can be reached via email: kimroneyforasheville@gmail.com"
+ The Talismanic Potato / @thetalismanicpotato - "a magical blend of the real and the surreal, The Talismanic Potato is a quarterly publication that focuses on serious foodie stuff with a tone that is funny, artsy, and sometimes irreverent. We do the glossy stuff: food histories, traditions, regional dishes, chefs, behind-the-scenesters, restaurant reviews AND we use our acerbic wit (and others’!) to tell some pretty damn funny/moving stories about food and the context that surrounds it." This LOVELY publication is edited by two bad-asses from the Asheville food scene, and donates "all profits from the sale of the magazine to a food charity in Asheville" (which is trackable on their FB page, linked above). I'll be contributing to the next issue, out in a few weeks.
+ Over the last few months, I've curated and installed three awesome shows at High Five Rankin featuring artists who balance careers in the service industry with their creative practice. It's important to me to highlight those who show the same commitment to their "vocation" as they do their "craft," and I've really enjoyed discussing the parallels between the two with the featured artists. I'll have a post about the past artists with pictures up soon, and if you've yet to see the Rosy Kirby/Indian Summer Press show, a great time would be 2.23 from 6-8, when we'll be having a closing reception for her before we switch gears and present the Polaroid Photography of Mike Christopher. If you'd like to have work shown or know someone who'd fit the premise, please get in touch!
+ the Cabbage School, a pilot residency/experimental education model/series of workshops will hold its first session in July, and I'm collaborating with Andy McFate and Natalie Pollard to present a 2-week workshop "the Living Library." If you're interested in getting involved, please let me know - there will be monthly potlucks, a book club, and several work-parties leading up to the summer session, so there are many ways to get involved and support this exciting endeavor.
+ Eli Blasko is soon breaking ground on the Northside Artlets Project, a public sculpture and mixed-use project designed by Blasko and Project Managed by Janet Kagan. Working with Purpose Built Communities, the Chapman Cultural Center, and the Northside Initiative this project will activate underutilized spaces on the North side of Downtown Spartanburg. I'm working with Blasko to photograph portraits for some exciting image-based architectural features and Jethro Waters is documenting the project!
aaaaaand that should just about do it.
what's going on with you?
xo lydia