Art Chicago and Art Attack! are on the same weekend!

Dolcetta

Oyster

Art Chicago: Booth 167

Chicago Sculpture International is exhibiting works of 89 members that can nestle into a 6"x6"x6" cube. Pictured above are two of the three pieces I created for this event. You will have to stop by to see the other one, en acier

Exhibition of outdoor sculptures curated by Tony Karman, of KARMAN Projects. Five is located on east side of Orleans Street by the entrance to the Merchandise Mart. Below are some installation shots of Five.

Stop by anytime this weekend! For more information check out Art Chicago's Website.

Five installation

Five is going up!

 Art Attack!

Art Attack! is April 29-30, 2011. I will be showing with Art in the Barn in Middlebrook Farms, Three Oaks, Michigan. I will be there all day Saturday and would love to see you! To learn more visit their website.

Pictured below is on of the works that will be on display. This piece has been around the world! It was last on show in Sydney.

Tilt

This is gonna be a busy spring! Part 1: Art Chicago and Lakefront Sculpture Exhibit

Well hello blog! I've missed you! Let's catch up...

In the last few months I have been busy plotting and planning for the upcoming year. I will continue to do this, but I am beginning to see the fruits. In April, I will be doing a lot of installing and uninstalling.

First, I will move my sculpture Five from it's home in Ann Sather Garden for the 2010 Lakefront Sculpture Exhibit (LSE). It will move downtown to the Avenue of Sculpture exhibit for Art Chicago. I am very excited to part of this exhibit again this year. Placing sculpture in the heart of the loop where so many people can interact with it is very cool.  Also the number of sculptures we are placing there has doubled this year to 25! Chicago Sculpture International (CSI) is going to make some big waves!


I am also exhibiting indoors with CSI at Art Chicago for the 6³ Show. I am in the middle of making my sculptures for this. The only rule is that the sculpture has to fit in a 6" cube. This is the hardest rule to work in for someone that likes to work outside the box!

I spent several hours at it today. I am hoping my sketching and tinkering with the smallest pieces of scrap will dance around in my head whilst I am sleeping tonight.

I think I have a "big" complex. So this is actually a good exercise for my brain to think small. And not just think small, but think small and make something with impact without the comfort of a grand scale. It's hard. Back at it tomorrow....

After I finish my three small sculptures, I move onto my next big sculpture, Burst. I came up with this idea when I applied to Sculpture by the Sea last year. I'm happy to be building it for the Lakefront Sculpture Exhibit. It will be more comfortable for me.

someone else

Here is a link to When Someone Else's Art Lands in Your Neighborhood.

I'll write my comment on this later...

i found some more images of Pillumn from Sculpture by the Sea on the internets

Here are links to my favorites:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smurfun/5174015836/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tombodger/5167889257/

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=sculpture+by+the+sea+2010+dusty+folwarczny

http://www.pbase.com/lambsfeathers/image/130150959


http://www.pbase.com/george_v/image/130433242

Here is a link to the Education Kit that was put together by Sculpture by the Sea's education program. This was fun to participate in and hopefully helps kids learn about art! Scroll down the page and you can download a .pdf to use in your classroom with kid-friendly activities.

a little bit about working down under

After the installation and all the parties and openings were through, I had some time before three week long exhibition was up to explore Australia. But instead of being a free spirit, for some reason I opted to reach out to some local business contacts about working with some Aussie krews. I was hoping for maybe five days, but I was offered seven days work in Sydney and six days in Canberra.

I usually don’t talk about my pay-the-bills job on this my sculpture blog. So what is this work? Well, in addition to sculpting, I support collaborative sessions for fortune 100 companies. I am one on a team of facilitators. I most often work as a graphic facilitator, graphic recorder, visual cartographer or scribe (basically I create a real-time visual map of a discussion). But I also work in other roles.

It was a very eye opening experience. I was challenged to work in another culture with other ways of working and communicating. I learned a lot about how I interact with people (I was constantly questioning how I was perceived since I was the “American” in the room). I found that even though you share a language, you aren't always saying the same thing. For instance, a witches hat in Australia is a safety cone!

What I also found was the refreshing mix of like-minded individuals that keeps me attracted to doing this work – even though I am not really interested in “business” stuff. The folks I worked with were dedicated, fun-loving, over-achieving and sarcastic people. It is nice to be surrounded by such a lovely culture. Working in my studio with metal and a welder doesn’t leave a lot of room for conversation and exchange.  Being a people person, that can become quite isolating. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but this job fills that gap for me and enables me to continue to “emerge” as a sculptor.

Oh and my favorite new saying instead of "I don't care about ..." is "I can't be bothered with ... "

Installing Sculpture by the Sea

The process of conceiving and fabricating sculpture can be complicated. Add the twist of shipping it to Australia and it gets a bit more complicated....and more things are out of your control, which is very difficult for most artists I know.

I applied to Sculpture by the Sea back in the spring, my sketch was accepted and I fabricated the piece in August. I built a wooden crate for it (and three other smaller sculptures) to be shipped in and then hauled the crate to the drop off point and then poof! It was out of my hands! The cost of shipping a piece from Chicago to Sydney was surprisingly reasonable (much less than shipping my sculpture, Give, from Missouri to Michigan and then Michigan to Indiana!!).

So I arrived to Sydney on the morning of the 24th and installed my sculpture in Marks Park .
It was a very ominous sky to wake up to and the waves and winds and periods of downpour were an unnecessary challenge, but made finishing all the more satisfying. The site installation crew was wonderful to work with and very helpful. I was designated a local volunteer to assist with the install.

I had to spread it out over two days because of the rain. It was very easy though! I got to help Bob Emser and Richard Heinrich install their sculptures yesterday.

I have already met so many amazing artists and have been received with very warm Aussie hospitality. Tonight is the preview for Sculpture Inside. I have three pieces in this exhibit. Richard is the keynote speaker! Can't wait!!

Here are some pics for your perusal:

My crate made it!

off to site 54

I had to dig three holes to pout concrete into for a footing for the sculpture

the threaded rods sticking out will be anchored in the concrete

The skies cleared late in the day to snap this shot.

this is a really amazing place to install sculpture!

Bob and Richard setting Richard's piece.

Pillumn waiting for some touch up paint

A bunch of links about Give. This is so exciting for me!

Thanks so much to anyone involved in the production of these articles!

USA Today article picturing Give about ArtPrize and the impact of art on the community.

Detroit Free Press: Guide to ArtPrize featuring Give.

 The Lansing Noise calls out Give

Public Art Blog about Give by Jyoti 

The Rapidian interview explaining Give.

ArtPrize 2010: Up vote ID: 45321 • http://www.artprize.org/artists/public-profile/49773

The whole ArtPrize experience has been grand so far! I have a beautiful sculpture up at Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. This is a superb venue and I am thrilled to be showing there – just steps away from the big names in contemporary sculpture. 

I am fortunate to be showing with several of my CSI sculpture buddies from Chicago and we all installed together on the same day. We all got soaked and had some car troubles, but the sculptures were installed with no harm! Our crane operator and the folks at Meijer were very helpful and excited about the show. Here is a link to some photos of the installation. 


The next day I stayed to do some touch up paint on my sculpture and three of the other guys. It was such a treat to be there and have people walk by and ask questions about my work. I could show everyone about the movement. The kids and adults alike love it! Here is a link to a video of Give in motion.

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I found out that Give got some press! The Detroit Free Press had a front Page Guide to all of ArtPrize and my sculpture was the only one that was pictured! WooHoo! Here is a link to that article.

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Here are some of my thoughts on Give:

I feel the most successful pieces of public art are those that people are drawn to and want to touch or be near. This is why I want the public to play or interact with the sculpture; the more they do the more they will find to enjoy about its form! 

The ring is large and commanding, but it can be interacted with by the viewer,  so it is approachable and friendly. It invites you in and around it. While you are inside of it, if you whisper in the right spot it is carried to the other side of the arc and echos.
It is stunning when it is sitting still, but when someone gives the side a push, the steel wall has enough give in it to bounce or rock in place a bit. You feel so strong for being able to move something so massive. It's a self-esteem booster!

This piece explores the act of giving which can be described as a transfer of energy from one person to another. This sculpture also uses the transfer of energy from someone to start it moving and then it gives the viewer a show. If I'm successful it also gives someone a smile (which is just part of a circle isn't it?).  The the circle is a symbol for so many things, one of which is a motherly form and what more pure act of giving is there that the gift of life?
 

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Some important links:

Frederik Meijer is my exhibition site. It is also a voter registration and exhibition center.  

My ArtPrize public profile is here. This is where you can vote for me after you have registered.


Here are the voting instructions given by ArtPrize:

After you register, you can vote via text message. To cast a vote by text message during the event, registered voters will send a text message to 808080. The body of the message must contain only a five digit text voting ID (no other words or characters are needed).

The number is 808080. My Unique Text Voting ID's: Up vote ID: 45321  Down vote ID: 45320. These numbers are also listed on your artist profile.

In addition to text message voting, voters will be able to vote directly on your profile, or by using the ArtPrize iPhone app (available for download now from the iTunes store).

If you have any questions, please let us know, e-mail artists@artprize.org.

••• 

 As always I am very grateful to my family and friends for their support and having to put up with all my big ideas and crazy schedule. The guys at Victor Pipe & Steel also did a wonderful job in fabricating this sculpture. Rachelle and Jason Speer put their time in trying (relentlessly) to get the huge thing shipped (even after two truckers canceled on me the day before)!

Catching up on Sculpture by the Sea stuff

It takes a while to sketch out for others what is ofter already in my head. This is a picture with more specific dimensions of "Pillumn" I will be getting my materials this week to start fabricating the piece. I can't wait to get my hands dirty!

The last couple of days (off and on), I have spent working through the logistics and paperwork involved for the exhibit I am a part of on Bondi Beach in a couple of short months. Below are some thoughts I sent off to the Education manager of the show. I will be talking to some school kids about my work and and answer questions etc. At their request, I also sent a bunch of process/working images of me making art.

 

materials and techniques, processes involved

In my art I use many different processes. If I am making something for myself without a place in mind for it to go, first I go out hunting for my materials. I used salvaged industrial steel that I repurpose into sculptures. I usually think of the pieces I choose and put together to make sculpture as a puzzle to be solved. I like to make the form interact in ways that make you question how they are standing. I play with the tension between the heavy steel and gravity. I try to make the steel appear light. 

When I am working on piece for a specific purpose, I will start at the drawing board and sketch out ideas. I like to know where something is going before I design a sculpture so that it reflects the environment in the right way. After I sketch it, I will create a maquette and this becomes a more solid model for the bigger piece that I will build. and always remember measure twice cut once!

To make the sculptures, I weld, cut, paint, grind, smooth, prime, spray, clean, move, package, hang, bolt down, drill, plan, sketch, deliver, wire brush etc.

I make my sculptures out of salvaged industrial steel. I want to expand my materials and work more with stone and wood in the future.

ideas and inspirations, practice as an artist

I never am "off work." Many people leave work and 5pm and don't think about it until the next morning. I am constantly seeing and reacting to things that affect me and work their way into my aesthetic. I do not mean this as a bad thing that I am never off of work, because I love what I do, so it isn't really like  work to me. Thanks is the trade off of being an artist – you get to wake up each day inspired and full of passion for your life's work.

I am interested in making art to go in public spaces. I think that many people like art, but feel that museums and galleries are stuffy. I think art can and should enhance your day by seeing it when you walk down the street or at the park. I also think the most successful pieces of public art are those that engage the viewer.  Humans are naturally curious and so please feel free to touch my art! If I make something that makes someone want to feel it, then I think that I have made a good sculpture

What? It's July?

Whew! It has been a long while since I made time for this little blog. Whoops! So here is the first update of what happened in the last few months...a lot of cool stuff!

I am excited to be in this year's Lakefront Sculpture Exhibit. My sculpture is named Five. In keeping with my series of pillars or columns, Five is another tribute to my family. I am fortunate to have four siblings and this sculpture has one ring for each of us. We may look like we are going to topple over, but welded together, we make a balanced unit.

Alderman Tom Tunney was kind enough to sponsor my sculpture in the garden that he donated to the city, Ann Sather Garden (Irving Park and Seminary in the 44th Ward of Chicago). It is a beautiful public space that has lovely plantings and plenty of room for you to go and enjoy the outdoors and my sculpture.

Below is a story in pictures of the process of making Five.

 

Once again my handy gantry helps to make another large scale sculpture. I'd say the hardest part of building this piece was getting the right angles in place to make it sturdy enough to stand but also still appear lighter that the .5" steel wall.

 
Sincere thanks to the guys at Commercial Pallet for their help lifting Five onto the trailer.
The opening at Sedgewick Studios was a huge success! Every artist was present and there was a great turnout. Everyone had a lovely evening and I met some nice new people that went out of their way to talk to me and tell me about how they liked my work (we had to wear name tags with a picture of our sculpture on them to identify us as artists). It is always a nice complement when children talk to me about my art... I can trust them more, ya know?

All in all I am thrilled to be a part of this wonderful exhibit and very thankful to everyone who helped make it possible. Please frequent the businesses that sponsor this event! Below are some photos of this year's brochure.

Installation at the Mart and a bunch of links!

Saturday (4.17) morning started quite simply. Up and at 'em and out the door by 6:45am. I had to be on the Merchandise Mart property at 8am to begin the installation of Scrape which is exhibiting in Countercurrents for Art Chicago. Once again I am thrilled to be exhibiting with the big names in the Chicago Sculpture scene and the world over.

When I ask my older and wiser sculpture buddies for advice on install days, they consistently say to be prepared and to expect the unexpected. I was all set. My sculpture was strapped into the trailer and I just had to hook the trailer up to my Explorer and drive to the Mart. Easy, right? Well, I walked into my studio to find a giant van parked in front of the trailer. Hmmm. Didn't expect that one? I looked up and Adam's (the guy who lives in an upstairs apartment at my studio) door was open – this typically means he is gone. Shit.

I am already thinking about breaking into the van, putting it in neutral, pushing it into the street and hoping for the best. Well, I took a step back, called Adam and he was upstairs. Turns out the owner of the van, Billy, was passed out in the back and he moved it out for me. False alarm.

Now I just had to drive on over the to the Mart. So, when I rounded the corner onto Orleans Street sculpture in tow, I couldn't help but feel that nervous excitement feeling and get a big goofy grin on my face. I think the security guard thought I was happy to see him, but not the case. I was putting up one of my sculptures in the thick of the concrete jungle! Merchandise Mart is perhaps the most traffic-ed spot in Chicago...WOW!

The install of Scrape and all the others went off without a hitch. Plop and drop! Special thanks to Terry Karpowicz and Ted Sitting Crow Garner for generously volunteering their time and expertise to help everyone with the installations. You two are the bomb dig-gity!

I was happy about how everything went and happy about how my work was received. Above is a picture of Al Podgorski's son. He tagged along while his dad took pictures for the Sun Times of the installation. I was told later by Mimi that he told her my sculpture was magic. That felt good to hear! 

***

These people in the pictures are professionals. We finished eight installations before noon. The remaining three were done on Sunday and Monday. Orleans Street has become an corridor of sculpture that opens up onto the Chicago River and the city. It's beautiful. One of my sculpture buddies, Terry, told me to just imagine this multiplied by 15 and from sculptors all over the globe and on Navy Pier. That is what used to happen for Pier Walk. I wish I could have been a part of it.

The Art Chicago folks already said this could and should be repeated every year. I have a feeling that this might be the start of something.

We were lucky to have some good connections and there was a media blitz about the event. We had Channel 7 and 5 there and the Chicago Sun Times and Public Art in Chicago Blogger. There are links below to what I could find below.  Monday I was interviewed for a feature article about this exhibit in the art section of the Sun Times.  I was lucky enough to be one of the three artists chosen to be interviewed. I can't wait see how the article comes together! I have heard from friends that they saw me on Channel 5 and 7 over the weekend, but I can't find a link to the newscast online and my sculpture buddies don't have Tivo. Nevertheless, it's still fun to know someone saw me and my sculpture and all the other sculpture!

This is Mimi Peterson: AKA the brains of the operation! I have been working together with her since January helping to make all of her ideas come to life. She had a wonderful vision and it is so satisfying to see all the pieces coming into place.

Here are some links to the media stuff:

Countercurrents 4.17.2010 installation on Orleans from the Public Art in Chicago blog by Jyoti.

Chicago Sun Times photos from the installation by Al Podgorski.

CSI Event Page for Countercurrents on Facebook

Here is a printed bit about the installation from ABC Channel 7:

"April 17, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Some Chicago area artists were spending their weekend installing 12 monumental sculptures outside the Merchandise Mart building.

They range in height from 6 ft. to 16 ft, and one even incorporates Chicago's favorite activity: road construction.

This is part of an exhibition for Art Chicago 2010, which officially starts April 30. But you can check these sculptures out anytime along Orleans Street." (Copyright ©2010 WLS-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

***

Finally, when I returned home I found these lovely tulips waiting for me on my desk. Thanks so much Ashley and Tricia! Y'all rock!

Press Release for Countercurrents: An Exhibition of Chicago Sculpture International Artists

 Hello there!  I have spoken often about Chicago Sculpture International which is an affiliate of International Sculpture Center (who produces Sculpture magazine) both of which I am a member. We have a booth at Art Chicago to exhibit Countercurrents, a show curated by Mimi Peterson (one of our members) and our "booth" extends down to Orleans where we are installing 11 large scale works on 4/17 (in case anyone wants to drop by and watch, there will be cranes and welding so it will be fun). I am one of the outdoor exhibiting artists and am thrilled to be part of such a wonderful exhibition! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Below is the Press release as prepared by Mimi Peterson:

PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ART CHICAGO - SCULPTURE BY CSI
MARCH 22, 2010

What:        "Countercurrents", an indoor and outdoor exhibition of sculpture
Where:      Art Chicago, an art expo
                  The Chicago Merchandise Mart
When:        Thursday, April 29 - Monday, May 3, 2010
Who:         Chicago Sculpture International artist members

        Mimi Peterson, Curator
        Terry Karpowicz, Advisor
        Dusty Folwarczny, Graphic Design
        Toby Zallman, CSI Logo Design

Why:        Art Chicago serves as the CSI platform to raise public awareness of sculpture with appeal for placement in the built environment and natural landscape.

        "Countercurrents", the thematic CSI exhibit, aims to offer an overview of all aspects of member artists - not just their physical work but also philosophy, material and conceptual innovations.

        The idea behind the project means to design a radically different exhibition in which the processes actually happen for the ARTIST, in which the AUDIENCE can personally experience their efforts.

One of the most interesting aspects of the project is the dynamic relationship between the collective cultural identity of Chicago Sculpture International, a non-for-profit organization and the economic and social context associated with Art Chicago at the Merchandise Mart.

While the CSI exhibit is composed of multi-layered works, each expressing original forms of visual language rich with personal experience, the artist faces the challenge of exhibiting in privately owned public space as a non-for-profit, of asserting their value in the two distinct worlds of private and public sectors. After strategic collaboration with Tony Karman, Vice President, Art Chicago, while demonstrating his respect and vision for the arts, he made outdoor installation sites available to CSI.

The gallery space shelters works and visual images in human scale, providing an intimate biography of CSI artists. The work suggests moments from the:
        1980's with color splash, embellishment, optimism
        1990's with an archeological, post-rust belt narrative
        2000's exploring the futuristic, technological in search of new allegories

By contrast, the presence of the outdoor works express a monumentality linked to it's Orleans St. urban landscape. The outdoor site will essentially present itself as an island surrounded by concrete, an element that does not merely serve an ornamental purpose, but also serves to provide a sustainable form toward establishing the character of the "Countercurrents" theme.

As curator and artist, in transforming the exhibition concept into a reality, I focused on:
        1. A Sense of Equality
         Each artist has the chance to have a  presence with equal dignity and identity.
        2. A Change of Paradigm
        From the iconic exhibit and display to that of the artist's vision made tangible.
        3. CSI Characteristic
        A sensitivity to sustainable and ephemeral materials, reflecting the post-industrial, post-consumer effect.

Mimi  Peterson,
"Countercurrents" curator and artist

CONTACT: MIMI PETERSON
    anagramimi@gmail.com             
    773.286.4464
       





   
                 

CSI Board, CounterCurrents and "Give"

This week I was given the wonderful news that my newest sculpture, scrape, will be included in the CounterCurrents Outdoor Exhibit at the Merchandise Mart for Art Chicago! I am thrilled to be exhibiting with fellow members of CSI. This is the best picture I have of it right now. It is about 7.5' tall to give you an idea of its scale.

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I was also officially voted in as the new secretary for the CSI board of directors. I am very excited to be able to help with the organization add my ideas to serve the membership.

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On a trip to Winfield via Belleville this week with fellow sculptor and curator Tom Scarff I was able to find an amazing new (old) piece of metal. We made the trip to repair Tom's sculpture Echo Comet at Southwest Illinois Community College and to pick up some materials. Below is Tom looking up at the transformer that needs to be replaced. This piece is made with neon and LED lights and paints the side of the building with light when it is on at night. It is really a beautiful, light Echo Comet!

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The picture below is a piece of 14' in diameter pipe that was left behind at Victor Pipe & Steel. Really you ask, someone just left 1000+ lbs of steel around? Well, yes and lucky for me I found it. I am going to clean and polish it up and turn it into a proper sculpture. It has this wonderful bounce in it when you give it a little push. Here is a link to a video I uploaded to YouTube. Another fun thing about this piece of sculpture is that I get to research things like harmonic vibrations and different ways to transport it. I think I will call it Give.

Link to Neoteric Art article "One Question" with Dusty Folwarczny

Here is the link. 

Thanks to Neoteric Art and Jeffery McNary for their work on this!

Jeffery Mcnary's question

Jeffery Mcnary is a writer who found me on facebook and took an interest in my work. He does freelance write for art magazines among other things. Here is a link to his blog, check it out!

He asked me to answer this question: 

"you operate in a genre requiring, not only passion, but strength, fire/heat and tools many visual artists have no relationship with. what brought you to this medium and how do you wrestle with it?"

My answer:

Simply put, I grew up around steel. My pops owns a pipe and steel company back home and the material made it was into my subconscious. I can remember going to the steel yard after school and searching for bunnies hiding among all the rusty pipe. I remember getting a piece of scrap pipe and telling my dad how I thought it would make a really pretty vase for the wild flowers I picked if it had a bottom. I am a very family oriented person and my way of being part of the family business is using the scrap from Dad's business and transforming it into public art.

As a sculptor, I am attracted to the the strength and mass of steel. If you are sculpting with steel you mean business and have to be dedicated to the material and respect its properties. I love the aesthetic of rust – the beautiful oranges and browns all swirling together to form a protective coating. This protective property humanizes the steel for me and gives it a more of a personality. We all wear our protective coating from time to time don't we? But despite its mass, I find ways to make the steel look light and airy. I want to show that it too can be delicate and sometimes lyrical (remember those bunnies a flowers I talked about). This is sort of the opposite from how people react when that discover I am a steel sculptor, "Well, wait...so you weld that yourself?!" I get that a lot. 

The steel does present several challenges for me to work with. First off, I'm not Hercules and have to work "smart" in order to stay safe while I'm schlepping the steel around my studio. My tools enable me to work in a medium that requires a lot of support. My work is directly dependent upon my gantry, my grinder, and my welder I affectionately call Elmer (because it is like my glue for the metal). Steel doesn't allow you to be quite as impulsive as maybe some other mediums do. It makes you think. I really appreciate that. It's a material I will continue to learn about and grow as an artist while I find new ways to manipulate its form.

 I think a lot about energy when I designing a sculpture or just walking down the street. When I am welding, I am focused on the metals joining and becoming stronger together as one structure.  The permanence of my work is something that is attractive to me and also very intimidating. I'm making something at 30 years old that will be around well after I have left this earth and how can I make it something that might help to define me and my culture while still evoking a feelings toward it from someone who I don't know?

A large part of why I make art is to share it with the public and to bring it outside of museums and galleries that can be intimidating. I want my art to be approachable and endearing to the public. What is interesting about this is that I don't really hear back from the public on how they feel about my work. Recently a friend of mine relayed a story about his friends who walk by my sculpture, Position, frequently and how much they enjoy seeing it. This simple piece of feedback from these folks I don't know is so exciting to me. It worked! The sculpture prompted a dialogue that actually made it's way back to me. I love that. And I love being a sculptor!

fundraiser prep and some kind words

Whew! I have been in Hazlet, NJ, Decatur, IL and Herndon, VA in the last 12 days, working 12-16 hours a day for 10 of those days. I'm finally back in Chicago (for 1.5 days) during which I  have a big fundraiser to pull off along with my fellow Third Coast Sculpture Gallery directors. We are expecting a good group of folks and have already sold $500+ worth of raffle tickets for the donated sculptures Here is a link to the event page where it shows who all donated. Hope to see you tonight!!

•••

A few days ago, I was speaking to Reinhold Schmid, a fellow sculptor and the man behind Third Coast Sculpture Gallery,  and me mentioned he wanted me to meet his friends at the Benefit Party on Saturday. I thought that was nice, but then he proceeded to tell me that they live over on Armitage and they walk past my sculpture, Position quite frequently and really enjoy it.

boards, contracts, rejection and cheese

I was out of town last week working on a project and a lot can happen while you are away!

The good news first:

I found out that I was selected to be a new board member for Chicago Sculpture International, an affiliate chapter of International Sculpture Center. I was very excited and pleased to even be considered on the short list and even more so to be picked! I am officially the secretary. I have a lot of ideas and look forward to getting started and serving the membership. My first meeting is in a couple weeks. Yay!

I also came home to my contract for the Lakefront Sculpture Exhibit. It's official, now! I have to get a move on creating 5 for the May installation.

Now onto the bad news:

I was not selected to be in two outdoor exhibitions that I applied to. Oh well. That is part of it being an artist too. I will submit work next year and hopefully be considered. I have plenty to keep my hands full right now and will work on new sculpture that will hopefully improve my chances of being accepted in future shows.

Now to end this blog with something cheesey: here's a link to a video of a panoramic view of my studio space. I took this during the photo shoot of scrape last week.

Fund raising and steel raising

This last week or so I have kept busy in my studio as well as with the administrative part of being an artist. I am on a board of a new sculpture gallery, Third Coast Sculpture Gallery,  that is in the process of incorporating and getting ready to open our doors. I am working with a team of other sculptors that are dedicated to this project and have a lot to offer.

We are hosting a fundraiser next Saturday at Frank's on Clark to help with some start up costs. Here is a link with information about the benefit. Some of my internationally known and talented sculptor buddies have generously donated some works of art that we will be raffling off for $10 a ticket or 6 for $50. If you can't come to the benefit, but would like a raffle ticket, email me: dusty@dustyfolwarczny.com and we can arrange something for you!!

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In other news, I have been building a new sculpture, scrape, that will hopefully go on display in downtown Chicago outside the Merchandise Mart in about a month. It has been a fun and challenging piece to make and I am happy with the end result. I struggled with how to arrange the 46' rings for about three weeks. Last Wednesday the 3rd, I finally had that breakthrough moment around 9:30pm. I tacked all the pieces in place and slept on it.

When I cam back the next morning I was still happy with my forms so I went to work welding here is a little video of some of that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8dghI2YVZc

Here are some photos of the process: 

When I finished all the welds I used the boiled linseed oil to give the rusted surfaces a bit a sheen. It really enhances the beauty of the rust! For the inside of two rings and the outside of the other ring, I primed and then mixed good old Rustoleum. I am pleased with the finish. 

Next I set up a photo shoot with scrape. Here are some of the raw pictures from that afternoon. I will clean these up and then I will be finished! Well, maybe not, because if I can't drill into the concrete when this piece will go, I have to attached  a large steel plate to the bottom of the sculpture. I am still waiting to hear if that is the case.