Tuesday, September 27, 2011

International Artist Residencies and Symposia: A Panel Discussion


Saturday October 15th, 2011, 2-4pm
The Derryfield School’s Lyceum
2108 River Road
Manchester NH 03304 USA


Individual artists with international experiences will share images of their work and discuss the experience of living in a unique environment and creating work in situ in a foreign country. Directors of International programs will introduce their programs and philosophic goals.

Moderator:

Mary Sherman is the Director of TransCultural Exchange, an organization dedicated to promoting international art and the understanding of world cultures. Besides her work as an advocate of international creative dialogue, Mary Sherman is an artist and critic. She has participated in residencies in Romania, China, Korea, Chicago and was recently a guest artist at PROGR in Bern, Switzerland. Ms Sherman was an Artist in Residence of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, Cambridge MA.

Panelists:

Laura Baring-Gould, sculptor/installation artist. With extensive travel and work experience in various international settings (Mexico, Ireland, Southeast Asia), Baring-Gould received a 2008 Fulbright grant for artistic investigations in bronze and bamboo in Thailand. From 2006 - 2010 Baring-Gould lived and worked in Thailand creating public art commissions. Her presentation will focus on observations of how art and art-making are differently practiced and culturally valued, and the opportunities present in meaningful global interaction.

Sculptor Rosalyn Driscoll just completed a summer artist's residency at Space, a program supported by Dartington Hall Trust, in Devon, UK. Her sculptures explore the sense of touch and the experience of the body. Driscoll’s engagement with touch and perception has led to her participating worldwide at conferences for neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, engineers, philosophers, designers, art historians, artists, and people working with disabilities. Her work has been exhibited in the US, Europe and Japan. Ms. Driscoll has received awards from the New England Foundation for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico.

Robert Markey is a painter, sculptor and multimedia artist. He has been traveling to Brazil and Cambodia for a number of years to work with disadvantaged kids creating mosaic murals. He is committed to purposeful community arts investment.

Batu Siharulidze, Associate Professor at BU and Director of the Graduate Sculpture program. He has a long resume of international residencies in China, India, Turkey, Great Britain, USA, the Netherlands and Georgia.

Kiki Thompson has exhibited in New Zealand, Switzerland, New York, California and London. Ms. Thompson is Co-founder of the Verbier 3-D Sculpture Park Residency and was a participating artist in its first edition in 2011. She lives and works in Verbier, Switzerland.

John Weidman is the Director of the Andres Institute of Art (the site of an annual International Stone Symposia) as well as Director of the Nashua NH Sculpture Symposium. Besides his responsibilities as a Symposia Director, John is an internationally known sculptor who has participated in two or more international residencies/symposia annually for over a decade.

Event Hosts:

Donna Dodson graduated cum laude from Wellesley College in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts. Since 2000, Dodson has been honored with solo shows nationwide for her wood sculptures. Dodson enjoys public speaking, and has been a guest speaker in conferences, panels and forums at museums and universities in North America . She is a member of the Wellesley College Friends of Art and She won a George Sugarman Foundation Grant in 2007. In 2011 she participated in the Verbier 3D Foundation's Artist Residency and Sculpture Park in the Swiss Alps where she created monumental outdoor sculpture.

Andy Moerlein has an extensive resume of public art works. His work has been shown in museums, sculpture gardens, and galleries from Alaska to New York. In 2011 he participated in the Verbier 3D foundation's Artist Residency and Sculpture Park in the Swiss Alps.

Mr. Moerlein has been an arts advocate, educator, and professional juror for over 30 years. He has been a teacher and gallery director at the Derryfield School in Manchester NH for 15 years. Moerlein holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MFA from Cornell University. He lives in Bow, NH.

A summary by Donna Dodson from the International Art Residencies and Symposia panel discussion

Mary Sherman set the stage with the history of US residencies. They were designed to promote national agendas in contrast to what they have become, a forum for raising awareness of being a citizen in the world. She gained the perspective of being one among many and an awareness of how other nationalities have conversations with and about Americans. It changed her knowledge of art history to be a part of it in a global sense versus a national sense.

Batu made the point that sharing tools and learning new things from his peers was the part of the symposia that he looked forward to the most. As a teacher, he is energized from the experience of participating in symposia with peers from all over the world and building life long friendships. He also noted the importance of flattening the hierarchy of teacher/student through travel, exchange and sharing. These values are fundamental to his art making practice.

Donna Dodson went to Switzerland with the idea that she wanted to make a pregnant stork figure. The piece was developed in conversation with Kiki Thompson, a resident of Verbier, to celebrate the recent baby boom in town. She planned to use her vocabulary on a larger scale, but in a site specific way to the Alps. The piece changed in conversation with Paul Goodwin, curator to Tate Britain, who challenged her to take a bold risk with the placement of the piece, and not face it to the tourists, but perch it on the precipice of the valley, about to take wing.

Robert Markey described his public art and mural work in Brazil and Cambodia. As an external agent to a community, he is able to re-shape the relationships of street youth to police, and to demonstrate their value to the community. He teaches mural making and drawing skills, and in the process gets a community excited about art. By working internationally, he is able to reach a broader audience through his artwork than through temporary or gallery exhibits, and his art can have an impact beyond his local community in Mass. He brings back a global awareness to his studio practice, for example human trafficking, which is the subject of his recent work.

Roz Driscoll responded to the shape of the rivers, trees, and Greek architecture to create site specific work in residence in England at the Crypt Gallery. She described the process of leaving behind her studio, tools and materials, and making a creative leap, or taking an artistic risk she needed to in order to grow in her work. She brought nothing but she had everything with her, i.e. her experiences, knowledge and collaborative relationships to make new artwork.

John Weidman said as a director of an international symposium he wants artists to come empty, to experience the place, and to create from the heart. He doesn’t want artists to come with a proposal or pre-conceived notion of a piece. In his own work, he often re-visits narratives or themes, but crafts his work in site specific materials, referencing the past, present, future.

Kiki Thompson emphasized three points, Art Culture and Education. 3D foundation brought in a curator at the beginning and the end of the residency to shape the dialogue and conversation. They offered classes to the children in the community to de-mystify the art making process. They brought the artists to Art Basel which pushed her to make a creative leap with her piece, Samsara, or life cycle. She chose to make it black b/c she was responding to the black pieces at the fair the most. Life cycle celebrates birth and death, as a parallel to the seasons of nature.

For Andy Moerlein going to Switzerland and being in the Alps was like coming home to the mountains of Alaska. The people who loved the mountains loved his work the most. For Andy, there was a sharing of himself through his art and an understanding by the residents of Verbier that took place and transcended language. Art bridged the communication gap where meaning and an exchange of value, took place, he gave them art, and they gave him their appreciation.

Laura Baring-Gould described her experiences in Thailand. It changed her perspective of globalization where the stereotype was cheap goods are made in a poor country and consumed by a rich country. As an artist, a maker, and a story teller, Laura is using art to teach Americans about their history, and the Thai people are helping her with their casting techniques, ancient traditions, spiritual practices. They became real to one another, beyond the stereotypes of rich Americans who point at what they want done to working peers in the studio and poor Thai people lacking modern technology to people who are rich in the knowledge of their history, and who have the connectedness of art and culture as the fabric of their lives.

We heard people say that the dialogue would empower the young people in the audience to try out their own ideas in the world. We hope our experiences would encourage the students to take advantage of opportunities to travel abroad and learn from their experiences by reflection and peer dialogue. All of the presenters shared an idea that they wanted to put into place with the help of other people and resources in the community. That’s how we make things happen.


Thank you very much to our EVENT Hosts and SPONSORS:
The Derryfield School & Swissnex Consulate of Switzerland

In conjunction with this Panel Discussion will be an exhibit: HIGH ALTITUDE SCULPTURE - A RESIDENCY in the Lyceum Gallery. Artists will present photographs, drawings, prints, paintings, writings and maquettes from the 1st Annual Verbier 3D Foundation Residency in the Swiss Alps.

For more information visit http://aristsresidenciesandsymposia.blogspot.com/

Update: Swissnex, the Boston Consulate of Switzerland, posted a write up of the panel discussion by Donna Dodson on their blog with photos from the event by Andreas Rufer and a video recap by Andy Moerlein.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Jamaica Plain Open Studios

September 24th & 25th
Sat & Sun, 11a-6p
93 Forest Hills St #3
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

I will be exhibiting my work during Jamaica Plain's 18th annual Open Studios Event. My partner, Andy Moerlein will be joining me for this event in my studio with his work. Stop by for a preview of the work that we will be exhibiting at Boston Sculptors Gallery in January-February 2012 for our concurrent solo shows. We will also have some small works, prints and drawings for sale. We are site number 43 on the map. To download a copy, click here.
On another note, we were recently featured in the Sep/Oct Artscope magazine thanks to Elizabeth Michelman who wrote the following article, 'Andy Moerlein & Donna Dodson : In a Collaborative Spirit." Here's a teaser. To read the article in its entirety, please pick up a copy the current issue, or email me and I will send you a copy.

Images: Black Swan, kou, 32" tall, 2008 by Donna Dodson
High Hopes, fiberglass covered wood, ceramic by Andy Moerlein

Friday, September 16, 2011

Moose Myth goes to the Capital

Moose Myth was recently purchased by Steve Duprey and moved from Portland, Maine to Concord, New Hampshire where it will grace the entrance to the new Smile Building on 49 South Main St. (It earned its nickname from the nameplate the developer, in a touch of whimsy, installed in the facade: "SMILE!") The Concord Monitor has covered the event in two recent articles...

Moose on South Main
By Ben Leubsdorf/Monitor staff
August 8, 2011
Steve Duprey has purchased a 22-foot-tall sculpture of a moose head and plans to install it in front of his new office building at 49 S. Main St.
Moose Myth, which is made of sticks and saplings, is a creation of Donna Dodson of Boston and Andy Moerlein of Bow. It's been displayed in Portsmouth and is now on display at the University of New England in Portland, Maine.
Moerlein said Duprey, the Concord developer, bought the sculpture through Pam Tarbell of Mill Brook Gallery and plans to move it in late August to the so-called "Smile Building."
"It's going to be quite distinctive. . . . Mr. Duprey has quite a vision for how the arts are going to wake up Concord," he said.
Moerlein declined to say how much Duprey paid for the sculpture but said it was "not a huge amount of money. It was definitely a gift to the city from all of us."
In an email, Duprey said he's a fan of the artist and thought the sculpture "would be a good addition" to the area, across from the Capitol Center for the Arts. He needs permission from the city to put it on the sidewalk but said if necessary he can move it closer to the building, which will get its first occupants later this month.
Moose Myth was created more than a year ago and "easily" has another year of life, Moerlein said, but eventually will decay and have to be removed.
"It's a temporary installation. It's a temporary piece," he said. "(Duprey's) making an investment to make a big bang and show it off."
An arts experiment worth applauding
By Monitor staff
August 14, 2011
Downtown Concord is a delightful place, but it's always lacked that touch of madness that makes a city electric. Soon, local developer Steve Duprey will ask the Concord City Council for permission to add that missing ingredient. If permission is granted, and it should be, the spark will arrive in the form ofMoose Myth, a 22-foot-tall moose-headed man-like creature made of saplings.
The sculpture, a collaboration of artists Andy Moerlein of Bow and Donna Dodson of Jamaica Plain, Mass., is ephemeral. It will be erected in front of Duprey's Smile Building on South Main Street. If all goes according to plan, the sculpture will be replaced in a year by a rotating series of works by members of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, which will have its headquarters in the new building.
We welcome Moose Myth with open arms. The work, which has been displayed in Portsmouth's Market Square, among other places, will bring people downtown. Love it or hate it, people will have something to talk about other than bad economy and the presidential candidates gripping and grinning their way around the state.

Photo credit: Andy Moerlein

Monday, September 12, 2011

Artful Equine Exhibit

The Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden is pleased to present
Artful Equine Exhibit
September 9th-October 23rd

Paintings, Sculpture, Pastels, Unique Prints, and Mixed Media

Artists: Donna Dodson, Barbara Filleul, Liz Fletcher, Mary Iselin, Wendy Klemperer,
Heidi Lorenz, Carol Lake, Kathy Marx, Victoria Mauldin, Melissa Miller, Annette Mitchell,
Morris Norvin, Fleur Palau, Carol Santora, and Bob Shannahan

Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden
236 Hopkinton Road, Concord, NH 03301
http://www.themillbrookgallery.com/

Friday, October 14th 5-8: ART CONCORD

Fall for Art! Local Galleries Invite Families and
Foliage Seekers to ART CONCORD on Friday, October 14th

CONCORD, NH – The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce invites members of the community and visitors to its next ART CONCORD free gallery tour to get a taste of why the capital area is becoming the cultural arts hub of the state. Local art galleries and other art venues around the city will join forces to offer the ART CONCORD collaborative gallery tour on Friday, October 14, 2011 from 5 to 8 pm. A flyer and map will be available at each gallery, as well as refreshments. This event is free and open to the public and participating venues include:

Kimball Jenkins School of Art, 266 North Main Street
League of NH Craftsmen Gallery, 49 South Main Street
McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, 2 Institute Drive
Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden, 236 Hopkinton Road
NHTI-Concord’s Community College Library Gallery, 31 College Drive
Red River Theatres, 11 South Main Street
Rowland Studio, 23 North Main Street
Sulloway & Hollis/Robert M. Larsen Gallery, 29 School Street
University of New Hampshire School of Law Gallery, 2 White Street
The Works Café, 42 North Main Street

Image: Arabian alloys, 7" each, sand cast aluminum, aluminum bronze, bronze, copper, brass, iron by Donna Dodson. Photo credit: Cliff Pfeiffer

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Rockland Center for the Arts

Sept 11th Four Exhibitions Open!
Artist reception 1-4pm

The Annual Faculty Exhibition and Open House 2011
Meet the faculty, tour our studios, and see demonstrations.
Emerson Gallery thru Oct 2

Michael Kondel : Silkscreen
Large format mixed media silkscreens by emerging artist Michael Kondel. Small collage sculptures created by the artist are the inspiration for these hand painted silkscreen prints.
Lynn Stein, curator
Gallery ONE thru Oct 2

YOON CHO: Haircut /How to Spell My Name
Video Artist Yoon Cho’s work focuses on twelve culturally diverse individuals and their unique relationships to their identities in the US.
Lynn Stein, curator
Media Project Spaces thru Oct 2

Catherine Konner Sculpture Park
Welcome the three newest additions to the Catherine Konner Sculpture Park @ RoCA Artist Donna Dodson’s Hathor and Panda; Elanie Lorenz’s Fiore Blanco. Artist Talk in the Sculpture Park with Donna Dodson at 2pm. Sculpture Park is open year round.

Rockland Center for the Arts
27 South Greenbush Road
West Nyack, New York
http://www.rocklandartcenter.org/

Update: Check out p.8 of the Fall Arts Preview at www.lowhud.com for a review of my work. Here's a teaser, 'Whether it's the larger-than-life "Giant Panda" in residence at Rockland Center for the Arts, or the first glimpse at a painting of the Nile, unseen for more than 100 years; famous works from 1980s icons like Jeff Koons, or the brilliance of an up-and-coming star like Dana Schutz, we asked curators and the artists themselves to pick one piece from each of their exhibits to tell a tale.'

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Museum of Art, University of New Hampshire

Selected Works from the Boston Sculptors Gallery
September 10 – October 19, 2011
Opening Reception: Friday, September 9, 5 – 7 p.m.

Sculpture, by its nature, is three-dimensional. This exhibition, installed both inside the Museum of Art and outside in the adjacent courtyard, features 38 works of art by 18 artists who are members of the landmark cooperative, The Boston Sculptors Gallery. The co-op was founded in 1992, and has become Boston's premier venue for sculpture. Whether on the walls or in the round, inside or out, come and discover the realms of contemporary sculpture. And why Nick Capasso, Associate Curator of the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, states, “The Boston Sculptors Gallery, one of the few cooperative sculpture galleries in the country, is among the most stimulating venues for 3-D contemporary art in the Northeast.”

Artists featured in the exhibition include: B. Amore, Castleton, VT; Caroline Bagenal, Newburyport, MA; Kim Bernard, North Berwick, ME; Benjamin Cariens, Somerville, MA; Gillian Christy, Providence, RI; Murray Dewart, Brookline, MA; Donna Dodson, Jamaica Plain, MA; Sally S. Fine, Boston, MA; Mags Harries, Cambridge, MA; Sarah Hutt, Boston, MA; Peter Lipsitt, Brookline, MA; Andy Moerlein, Bow, NH; Julia Shepley, Brookline, MA; Margaret Swan, Melrose, MA; Marilu Swett, Jamaica Plain, MA; Hannah Verlin, Somerville, MA; Ellen Wetmore, Fitchburg, MA; and Dan Wills, Marshfield, MA.

Co-curated by Carol Seitchik and Weston LaFountain and in association with the Boston Sculptors Gallery.

Lilac Rhino, 26" tall, wood, pigment and paint by Donna Dodson
Photo Credit: Cliff Pfeiffer

Update: Video of a studio visit with Donna Dodson in Jamaica Plain by UNH art student Samuel Rheaume in conjunction with the recent Boston Sculptors Gallery exhibition at the University of New Hampshire Museum of Art.