Redefining the Art Experience
The exhibition - “Joan Mitchell: Paintings, 1979–1985" at David Zwirner New York
The art world has surely taken a turn. A kind of astounding, 360-degree turn. With the changing times, art as NFTs (non-fungible tokens), and more digitalized components to the art experience, I believe it’s fair to reassess where I am with my own current art inspirations for the coming year, and beyond. We all make our own goals each season or year. I think it’s great to begin by setting goals around things that are attainable and are around your existing passions. There’s grace and there’s folly in allowing yourself to also go at your own pace in order to achieve those goals.
These past few months I had the pleasure to visit some cool spaces and places and meet lovely people. I was so happy to embrace all those experiences, as I knew they will play a part in the way I think and create. I hope these art aspects positively challenge you to be even more curious about the current contemporary art world and its spaces within your own community, throughout the United States, and even overseas.
Art Spaces
When I hit my 30s, one of my art highlights was attending a Joan Mitchell exhibition in person at the Cheim & Read gallery in New York. Observing her work in person and the way she had worked with space and dimension in her pieces was impressive, as well as the way she mixed colors. That’s something that stuck with me. Another highlight was more recently when I had the privilege to see another entire exhibition of Mitchell’s work at the David Zwirner gallery in New York. I got to see the opposite spectrum of her work, and I had the pleasure of seeing the juxtaposition of her large-scale work and her small pieces, which could seemingly fit in the palm of your hand! But so detailed and wonderful in their own way. As you’ll see, pictures from this exhibition are featured throughout this post. Recently this encounter got me thinking about the way I display my own work and how its dimension plays a crucial part in the art experience.
For my current traveling exhibition, “This Is My Journey Around the Sun,” showing in different spaces has taught me more about the importance of achieving a balance between the art itself and how it relates to the room in which it’s presented. It is something I want to be more intentional with in my future practice.
Question for you:
What museums do you want to check off your bucket list this year?
New Visuals
Going within in search of new inspiration is always one of my favorite pastimes during my free time. Out here in North Dakota, the element of desolate space forces me to be still and observe the natural landscape, yet explore new cities and see new things. I’ve been asked before by a curator if living here has something to do with the way I see art, and I think she’s right. It’s valid to an extent. My canvas sizes and gestural paint movement is reflective of the space and visuals here in the Midwest. The visuals reflect big land and sky, which is a luxury to witness, and I love it that way.
But I believe it is essential for me to combine those natural visuals of the scenery here with my experiences external to my surroundings, like going on a trip to New York City, visiting many different galleries and museums, or even taking a day trip to another city in North Dakota to discover new places in my home state. I recently had the pleasure of kicking off my current traveling exhibition at the Taube Museum of Art in Minot.
Exploring new places and their surroundings, works of contemporary artists, as well as the masters, are all part of the process of creation. It could be the way the streetlight hits the ground in a crowded street or the color of a pastel building in a historic town. All these moments are records of people, places, and things that I remember as I am creating new pieces. I believe a mood board or inspiration board is also essential, and I’m currently updating mine to reflect what is to come.
Question for you:
What places, people, and things are inspiring you lately?
Rebellious Shapes
I’m currently experimenting with some new ways of displaying my work. I think it’s good to try new things and see how they affect the way you look at the artwork. I’m currently working on round canvas and some other fun shapes as a new adventure for 2023 to see what comes of it and what works best for my practice. I think the curves will soften the way the colors and pieces are displayed. It’s nice for the pieces to have a shapely element to them and stand out on a wall within a space.
Question for you:
What is something different you’ve seen in art and design that caught your eye?
It is my intention in my 30s to hit a new museum and gallery in a different state each year. So I continue to expand myself as an artist and discover interesting spaces and visual operations, educating my eye on how they play in the effect of art. I hope the art experience continues to excite you and inspire you to bring more art into your own life. It may be through all art forms, like a poem, a new design pattern, or a living room space you love. It is up to each of us to create that experience based on how we want to live. Life is art itself, and with all we take in, we are nurturing it little by little.
xo,
