DONNA DODSON: Avian Avatars

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Avian Avatars

Colossal Birds Fly to Garment District for the Winter

Flock of Massive Sculptures by the Myth Makers is the Next

Public Art Installation on the Garment District Plazas

NEW YORK, January 9, 2015 – The Garment District Alliance will unveil Avian Avatars, a group of five enormous sculptures, each symbolizing a unique, mythical bird that will captivate New Yorkers and visitors on Broadway’s Garment District Plazas this winter.

Designed by the Myth Makers, Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein, the exhibit will occupy the neighborhood’s pedestrian space on Broadway from 36^th to 41^st Streets in the Garment District through April.

“Avian Avatars is a spectacular installation that not only intrigues passersby with its impeccable structure, it also tells fascinating stories that embody the imaginative and creative culture of the Garment District,” said Barbara Blair Randall, president of the Garment District Alliance. “We are delighted to showcase the Myth Makers, and we are confident these imposing sculptures will be the most popular public art installation in New York City this winter.”

Crafted from maple saplings, wire ties and found objects, the sculptures stand from 18 to 26 feet tall, with each bird sharing a unique myth. Avian Avatars is meant to indicate transformation, encouraging the public to heed to the stories about current human impact on the changing natural world.

The Tourist : A Victoria Crowned Pigeon. @ Broadway between 36th and 37th.

Visitors drawn to the vibrant city shape culture with their impulsive consumer behavior.

“Who we are cannot be separated from where we're from.”

-Malcolm Gladwell

The Realist: A Red-Tailed Hawk. @ Broadway between 37th and 38th

Everyone has a killer instinct, a desire to fly and an ambition to achieve their fifteen minutes of fame.

“When it comes to luck, you make your own.” -Bruce Springstein

The Taste Maker : A Falcon. @ Broadway between 38th and 39th.

An uncompromising harbinger of taste, the critic is not a populist.

“The truth is not for all ... but only for those who seek it.” -Ayn Rand

The Great Spirit : An Owl. @ Broadway between 39th and 40th.

A humble leader embraces the strengths and weaknesses of humanity,

and inspires from a spiritual perspective.

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can [each] do small things with great love.”

-Mother Teresa

The Scold : A Crow, @ Broadway between 40th and 41st

A raucous chatterbox has an opinion on everything.

“I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life...”

-Henry David Thoreau

In addition to the art work on the plaza, The Myth Makers are working in conjunction with the Garment District Alliance to bring some very exciting public programs to the plaza this winter. Please join them for the following events:

Saturday January 10th @ noon. Join the Myth Makers for a crisp winter adventure! Be some of the first to see these commissioned sculptures along Broadway in the historic Garment District. Walk with the artists and talk about their ambitions for these major pieces, the materials they employ and how the partnership between two independently successful artists contributes to a teamed concept.

Saturday Feb 14th @ 3p- Valentine's Day Sculpture, Chocolate and Roses. Join the Myth Makers for a midwinter excursion onto Broadway. Come as a couple or come alone but there will be roses and chocolate for all who RSVP! Chat with Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein as you study the work. Stroll glove in glove and enjoy the heartwarming attributes of well sited sculptures in a wintery city scape. ALL romantic souls are invited to hear the Myths of the Avian Avatars. Both artists will be present to share your impressions and their chocolate!

Saturday March 7th @ 10am- If you are in town for the Armory Week Art Fairs – or you have never been – you SHOULD! The Myth Makers will be presenting an early morning tour of the Avian Avatars on Broadway. Start the most exciting weekend in NYC arts with a burst of monumental outdoor sculpture. Meet The Myth Makers in person at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at 10am dressed for the weather.

Wednesday March 25th TWO exceptional events:
3p The Myth Makers will provide a behind the scenes conversation about the staging and presentation of their Avian Avatars along Broadway’s Garment District.
6p-8pm The iconic Artists Talk on Art (ATOA) panel at the Jefferson Public Library (6th Ave & 9th St.) in New York City. Join us at a panel discussion on Temporary Public art projects (followed by Q&A)

Friday April 24th- International Sculpture Day 2015!
Artist Talk and Tour

If you have missed Avian Avatars and the Myth Makers in New York City, this is the last day to meet the artists and discuss the challenges and joys of team art making. Join the dynamic collaborative, Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein for the closing events at either 5p or 7p. Walk through with artists followed by tea/coffee and conversation at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

All walks meet at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf 1412 Broadway, New York, NY and leave promptly. DRESS for being outdoors for 45 minutes! In severe weather you can keep up to date with these events, by reaching out to The Myth Makers on email, themythmakersblog@gmail.com or by finding The Myth Makers on facebook.

About the Myth Makers:

The collaboration between Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein is born from a mutual love of the wild, taking inspiration from events in the natural world and the mysterious nature of animals. Both artists have presented public work throughout the world in unusual locations and familiar haunts, and their affection for site specificity and working with an audience is evident in this series of monumental sculptures.

With a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College, Donna has been honored with solo shows nationwide. She regularly contributes articles to newspapers, magazines and blogs that demonstrate the economic impact and global reach of the arts sector. Donna has participated in various exhibitions including the Verbier 3D Foundation’s Artist Residency and Sculpture Park in the Swiss Alps, the Fountain Art Fair NYC in the historic 69^th Regiment Armory Building, a residency in Cusco Peru at the Escuela de Bellas Artes, and she has been invited back to Qorikancha in Cusco Peru to participate in a residency with Andy Moerlein as the Myth Makers this year.

An arts advocate, gallery director and educator for over 30 years, Andy’s work has been displayed in art museums, sculpture gardens and private galleries from Alaska to New York. He has participated in various exhibitions including the Verbier 3D Foundation’s Artist Residency and Sculpture Park in the Swiss Alps, he was the Artist in Residence at the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts, and he worked in residence in Cusco Peru and produced work for exhibitions at the Qorikancha Museum. With a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Dartmouth College and a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Cornell University, Andy has been a teacher and gallery director at the Derryfield School in Manchester, New Hampshire, for 20 years.

Avian Avatars is the latest in the ongoing Garment District Art on the Plazas series of public art installations, which has also included Sidewalk Catwalk, Tour de Fashion, Figurations, Broadway Green, Five Elements and, most recently, The Sentinels.

Garment District Art on the Plazas is made possible through Arterventions, part of the Department of Transportation’s Art Program. The Garment District Alliance and DOT work closely to coordinate the exhibit and install the pieces, which enhance the public plazas and make them even more welcoming to New Yorkers and visitors alike.

The Garment District is home to thousands of people working in the "creative economy,” including fine and performing artists, designers, architects, photographers and more than a hundred theaters, galleries, performance spaces and studios.

Please direct media inquiries to Jennifer Passaretti of The Marino Organization at 212-889-0808 or Jennifer@themarino.org. For more information on the Garment District Space for Public Art, please visit http://www.garmentdistrictnyc.com.

About the Garment District Alliance

The Garment District Alliance (www.garmentdistrictnyc.com), formerly the Fashion Center BID, is a not-for-profit corporation established in 1993 to improve the quality of life and economic vitality of Manhattan’s Garment District. Through programs in the areas of streetscape improvements, sanitation and public safety, marketing and promotions, economic development, and community service, the Garment District Alliance supports the neighborhood’s transformation into a modern, 24/7 destination for dining, nightlife, hotels and unique office space. For more information on the Garment District Alliance’s many art initiatives, please visit http://www.garmentdistrictnyc.com.

Update: Paula Ogier featured the story of this project on her blog, Boston Artist on January 5, 2015. Luciana Iten covered the story on her blog, Jan 6, 2015. Art Daily covered this story on January 8, 2015. Brian Goslow covered this story in the current issue of Artscope Magazine. WWD, DNA Info and Fox News covered this story on January 9, 2015. Artlog covered this story on January 16, 2015. As Muge blog covered this story on January 21, 2015. This Week in New York covered this story on February 10th. The Hippo Press covered this story on February 12, 2015.

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Artist Statement

‘My artwork celebrates the mystical relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom. Because there were no icons of women in the church that I grew up in, my vision is to create them. Through hybrid female-animal forms that I sculpt in wood, I flesh out sensuality, sexuality and soul with a well-proportioned figurative vocabulary. The natural grain of the wood interacts with the form and shape of my sculptures in a descriptive way, suggesting nostrils, and nipples or garments and fabric textures. I often stylize each piece to enhance the girl, woman, princess, queen or goddess within. The mouths, or in some cases beaks, are closed symbolizing the mysteries they embody. These figures are sculpted in sizes ranging from the intimate to the monumental. I use color in both subtle and bold ways to activate each piece. My inspiration comes from ancient iconography and mythological imagery.’

About

Donna Dodson has been carving images out of wood for nearly 20 years. Her sculptures explore feminine beauty and evoke humor and playfulness but also grace, power and emotional strength. Her unique vision responds to the relation of animals to the human spirit that have existed since ancient times. Her figures are almost always female and range in size from the intimate to the monumental.

Dodson’s pre-med studies and her passion for Egyptian art led her to study wood and stone sculpture. African sculptures and Native American totems also influence her work.

She uses logs of osage orange wood from her grandfather’s farm in Illinois, and ash, cherry, locust and maple from New England.

Dodson has worked in a series using an elephant headed goddess to explore female figureheads in positions of power. Recently, Dodson created large scale outdoor pieces, engaging in a public dialogue about her work. The site became a more prevalent theme. Today, Dodson has returned to creating statement pieces such as a cardinal goddess for the women of the Catholic Church who aspire to be ordained and Madam President- a monument to the first female president of the USA.

Bio

Donna Dodson is an American sculptor who has exhibited her artwork around the world. Dodson has completed successful residencies in Verbier Switzerland, Cusco Peru, Keelung Taiwan and Ringkoebing Denmark. Donna is currently a Scholar at the Brandeis University Women’s Studies Research Center and a Fellow at the St Botolph Club in Boston. Dodson’s recent show, “Sheroes” at the Boston Sculptors Gallery was met with critical acclaim. Donna was a 2022 Fulbright US Scholar at Q21/MuseumsQuartier in Vienna Austria working as an artist in residence with her host institution Tricky Women/Tricky Realities, the world’s only animation festival for women. Dodson has won grants from the Puffin Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, the New Hampshire Guild of Woodworkers and the George Sugarman Foundation. Her work is in the permanent collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame in St Louis Missouri, the Provincetown Art Museum, the Art Complex Museum and the Fuller Craft Museum in Massachusetts, The Noyes Art Museum in New Jersey and the Davistown Museum in Maine. Donna's work has been reviewed in the Boston Globe, Sculpture Magazine, The Daily Beast, Hyperallergic and Artnet. She is currently represented by the Abigail Ogilvy Gallery in Boston and Los Angeles. She is a former member of the Boston Sculptors Gallery. Dodson is a graduate of Wellesley College. Donna is a freelance writer whose articles in newspapers, magazines and blogs demonstrate the economic impact and global reach of the Boston arts sector. Her recent paper, “What do we call courageous women” was presented at the Society for Classical Studies annual meeting in 2022 and was published in Queering the Amazons a special issue of the Journal of Lesbian Studies.

Inspirations

"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in."

-Leonard Cohen

"... I think one's art goes only as far and as deep as [one's] love goes..."

-Andrew Wyeth

"art is valuable because it challenges, inspires, and enables us to see ourselves in much more interesting ways"
-Mickey Cartin

" the thing that I had to do was to ... work super hard in the hope that someday it would pay off. And in using that term I don't mean necessarily money, but just the fact that I would have more depth and dimension both as a human being and as an artist."
-Ed Paschke

“Fashion is what seems beautiful now but looks ugly later; art can be ugly at first but it becomes beautiful later.”
-Steve Jobs

"...remember that collecting art is an act of love. It isn’t about what you pay for a work, or how rich (or not) you become when you one day sell it, but the depth of your enjoyment in the time you live with it."
-Abigail R. Esman

"[Patronage] is a gift, in the form of money, in exchange for [my] gift, in the form of music."

-Amanda Palmer

"Art is the crucial interface between the imagination and reality, the thing that makes life deeper and broader than what it might be without such insight."

-Todd Levin

"If they hadn't told me I was ugly, I would never have searched for my beauty."

-Gabourey Sidibe

"Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be."

-Clementine Paddleford

Great artists “must be shaken by the naked truths that will not be comforted. This divine discontent, this disequilibrium, this state of inner tension is the source of artistic energy.”

-Humphrey Trevelyan

"Life should be lived so vividly and intensely that thoughts of another life or of a longer life are not necessary."

-Marjory Stoneman Douglas

“When people say that poetry is a luxury, I suspect that the people doing the saying have had things pretty easy. A tough life needs a tough language - and that is what poetry is.” Jeannette Winterson

Artistic Process

When I start a piece of work I need to evoke such a strong feeling about each piece that I can dare to listen to the piece, to make mistakes - to just create. It is the emotional investment in the act of creation that crystallizes the work for me.

Sometimes the idea or concept comes first, and I imagine what the piece will be when completed. More often I work from intuition. Once completed I see the intentions behind the piece, or the desire from which it is born. Artists who inspire me include Jessica Stockholder and Katharina Fritsch. Stockholder uses color as a transformational visual device, changing the way we see form. Fritsch creates sculptures of sacred figures that become pop-icons through her use of color. In the same way I work with various kinds and grains of wood accented by color.

My artwork is about self expression, autobiography, and self redemption. Each sculpture is independent and heroic, but each is connected to the body of my total work. Each is made greater and honored by its association with those that have preceded it, but keeps its own sacred identity. Each reflects my realization that I am a self-made woman.

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Thursday, January 8, 2015

Avian Avatars

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