Anne and Mark's Art Party 2016

Anne and Mark's Art Party is coming up and I'll be participating for the fifth time.

The Art Party is self-described as An Occasional and Irrational San Jose Arts Fest. It is the brain child of Anne Sconberg and Mark Henderson and it just keeps getting bigger and more amazing and irrational!

There is art, installations, performances, music, and a fashion show, but it is really more than that, and it comes and goes in a week's time.

The first time I participated was in 2009 and the Art Party took place in Anne and Mark's house that was converted to accommodate all of the artwork and performances.

I exhibited some of boxed book pieces, that were scattered about the house, as well as my Maxine pieces:

Maxine Dresses Up for the Silkworms (studio shot by r.r.jones)

The next year the Art Party expanded and was held in a number of warehouses. This allowed the organizers to build walls and rooms to suit different artists' work and installations as well as hold music and other performances in other buildings and outside.

It was here that The Odd Volumes of Ruby B. made her debut. I had been working on Ruby's books and a few wall pieces but it was at the Art Party that I was able to realize Ruby as an installation:

The Odd Volumes of Ruby B., Art Party 2010, photo by r.r. jones

 In 2011, the Art Party again took place in the same warehouses as 2010, but, of course, it was bigger and better.

That year I showed pieces from two different installations. I was working on my Preparing for Evanescence installation that was coming up the next year and I previewed some of those pieces, and I also showed a version of Worthy similar to this:

Worthy, image from Felix Kulpa Gallery installation, photo by r.r. jones

 After a few years off from the Art Party, Anne and Mark brought it back on a completely re-imagined scale. In 2014, the Art Party took place at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds! It was huge! So much space for so much more art, music, and performances.

That year, again, I was able to realize an installation for the first time - something that I had been working on but hadn't really gotten out there. It was a wacky one and the Art Party was the perfect place to debut: Phinnea's World:

Phinnea's World, Art Party 2014, photo by r.r. jones

On Saturday, September 24th the Art Party will once again grace the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. Busy bees are already there transforming the space to become another occasional and irrational art fest.

This year I am going to recreate my KEEP: Modern Library installation:

Main Stacks from KEEP: Modern Library (photo by r.r. jones)

Bookskin Spectrum from KEEP: Modern Library, photo r.r. jones

 

Shelf List, and "skinned books" from KEEP: Modern Library (photo r.r. jones)

Since I haven't seen my space yet I'm not sure how I will install KEEP: Modern Library at the Art Party this year. But, that is the fun of it. It is fast and furious and unpredictable and it comes and goes in a flash.

Hope to see you there!

Anne and Mark's Art Party

Santa Clara County Fairgrounds

September 24th - October 1st

Opening Gala: Saturday, September, 24th

Closing Fashion Show: Saturday, October 1st 

Visit their site for more information and to order tickets.

Anne and Mark's Art Party

This past Saturday I taught a Buttonhole Stitch Binding workshop in my studio - but I only took one photograph of my class samples - that's it.  I love sharing pictures of workshops in Wishi Washi Studio but one photo does not a blog post make. I think I didn't take more pictures because my mind was still at Anne and Mark's Art Party. The Art Party is hard to describe so I'll let you read about it here.

The Art Party gets bigger each time it happens and this year it was held at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds (it started out many years ago at Anne and Mark's home)and included over 300 artists and performers with 30,000 square feet of exhibit space. This was my fourth year exhibiting at the Art Party and I decided to show my most recent installation: Phinnea's World.

On Friday, September 19th I arrived at the Fairgrounds to install. Walls were constructed in this building to create a labyrinth of exhibit spaces - some wide open and others intimate. I was assigned an intimate room-like space with three walls - perfect for Phinnea!

I started moving Phinnea in...

and by the end of the day her nest was properly feathered...

Phinnea's World photographed by r.r. jones

Phinnea's World consists of creatures that my fictitious character, Phinnea, has created to replace the people that she has left behind. Some of them she misses and others she wishes she had never met. She creates these creatures, and makes their drawn and embroidered portraits, in a room that she only enters when she pines for her previous life.

These are a few of her creatures (they are a little bit cute and cuddly but also sharp and pokey):

 

"Can Do No Wrong"

"Likes to Be Invited but Often Declines"

"Guardian Angel *self-appointed"

The next evening, was the Art Party opening Gala. There was art, performances, art cars, a spoken word lounge and food trucks, and more art - it was everywhere.

 The building remained open for visitors during the four days following the opening gala and on Thursday night there was a closing party which included a FashionArt show.

At the end of the night, at 10:00 p.m., the exhibit is over and artists start to pluck their art off the wall, dismantle their installations and +++poof+++ it is all gone...just like that. It is a tremendous amount of work for six days of exhibit time but so worth it. Fulfilling even. There is something about an event coming and going so quickly that includes a huge collective effort and that doesn't have a chance to get stale. 

Some snippets of Phinnea's World:

and, this was the room at 11:00 at night following the closing party:

Poof! All gone - nothing left but my power drill and platform shoes.

A very special thanks to Anne Sconberg and Mark Henderson for pulling off the biggest, craziest, lightening fast art exhibit ever.

I look forward to the next one.

Book in Painting: Stanford University - Cantor Center

I think I am in denial about this September thing. August was so nice with lots of studio time and a number of little adventures and day trips and we actually had nice, warm sunny weather here in Santa Cruz where we often have cold and foggy days in August.

One of my day trips was to Stanford University. I usually visit Stanford University's Cantor Center for the Visual Arts

a few times a year but I guess I haven't visited their European Paintings rooms lately because ... look what I found: books in paintings!

 

Lizards and skulls, too!

If you're new to my Book in Painting series see these previous post about visits to the Getty, the Huntington, the Legion of Honor and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The series continues!

Although I am in denial about September it brings some great events and workshops.

I'll be participating in the Art Party in San Jose. Check out the link if you aren't familiar with it and consider attending if you are in the Bay Area - it is a spectacular event. My installation Phinnea's World will be included.

Workshops start up this coming weekend in Wishi Washi Studio with guest instructor Rhiannon Alpers teaching the Caterpillar Stitch Binding. I am very much looking forward to playing along in this workshop and will report back next week! 

Happy September!