Local Art Seen: The Studio of Adam McCauley

Saturday afternoon I took advantage of the opportunity to visit the studio of Adam McCauley in the basement of his Lakeside home. As someone recently noted, he's incredibly prolific. He currently has a show featuring 42 pieces on display in Grand Rapids. I was there to pick up three pieces for next Friday's group show at Goin' Postal 8th Annual Fall Art Show featuring 15 to 18 local artists.

I've always enjoyed McCauley's explorations, so it was invigorating to have this opportunity to see more of his work, and the workspace it's created in. Married and the the father of a young son who plays soccer, he's worked in the restaurant trade for many years and also plays in a fairly edgy punk band. The twin passions of art and music not uncommon in artists or musicians.

As we entered the house he pointed out a Bill Morgan piece that he owns. I immediately had a better understanding of at least one of his influences. I checked  out a couple pieces that hung in the living room and then we descended to the basement, to his workspace. from there we climbed to the third floor attic space that has been finished off, providing storage for more work beneath its steeply pitched wings.

Designs both subtle and bold, textured and sparse, on canvases small and expansive, experiments and explorations that don't always work, while others producing marvelous effects. I suppose there are some who do not know how to appreciate non-representational and abstract designs. I find them intriguing, sometimes compelling, and nearly always interesting.

Here are some of the images I was able to capture this weekend. At least three of McCauley's pieces will be in our show Friday evening at Goin' Postal, 816 Tower Avenue, Superior.

Fodder for future designs.

I'm curious how many other artists are tucked away 

inside that network of Lakeside homes. 

Will we see you Friday?

Tech Tuesday: Kathy McTavish and the #DQCP Winding Down at 3 West

The duluth quantum computing project completed its eighth week Saturday. The stated theme for this last week of the project: Contested Landscapes. The reading list (which you can check out here) begins with a set of links related to cyberspace and the cyborg, diverse futurisms, accessibility, open source/creative commons, Net freedom, privacy, consent, Net activism, data mining and Big Data. Underneath each of these topics are sup-topics and were you to work through the eight weeks of readings that Kathy McTavish has assembled. 

When Kathy McTavish announced this latest creative venture it seemed even more abstract and undefined than the usual conceptual projects she's been involved with. In addition to the dozens of conversations that took place in the space involving more than a hundred people, other artists came to utilize the room, to set up easels atop drop cloths, to let their own imaginations take flight.

On Saturday, while others were discussing Donna Haraway's Cyborg Manifesto and Octavia Butler's genderless cyborg sci-fi, artists like Elizabeth Kuth and Kathryn Lenz were producing imaginative works in their own claimed spaces. 3 West on Superior Street was awhirl with creative energy. 

At the beginning of the eight weeks the space looked fairly barren. Stone walls provide a European elegance uncharacteristic of contemporary sheetrock interiors. Folding tables, a few laptops projecting digital animations, a coffeemaker, miscellaneous snacks, chalk and writing implements, paper of various textures -- a room more functional than decorative at the outset. By this past weekend art of all kinds could be found hanging about here. That feature was not what I expected, and turned out to be a nice surprise for me.

Kathryn Lenz produced this work during the eight weeks.

What I anticipated was an exploration of code and "the landscape of networks, hypermedia navigation, geolocative storytelling, generative algorithms and community authorship." I likewise anticipated getting challenged in my thinking. What I did not expect was a community of people using the space in tangential explorations of their own creative spaces. It proved to be a nice surprise.

When I looked back at the "course description" I found that this "collaborative installation of the participants work" was indeed verbally outlined in the beginning. I just had not seen how all this would come together. The pictures here hint at some of that.

Elizabeth Kuth was here.

My only regret is that I didn't have the opportunity to participate more. Fortunately, for those unable to attend the reading lists that accompanied our discussion topics were extensive. Click on each item in the topic list and you'll discover plenty of links to explore and material to sink your mental teeth into. History of intelligent machines, the people who built the technology that makes up our world, the artists who infused it with imagination and the possibilities of what lies ahead were all encompassed in this brief span of time. Take a trip into the rabbit hole and see what you find. Art, science, philosophy, technology, esoterica and just plain cool, all the disciplines flowing in and out of one another... it's something akin to a bold, new cosmos. Keep art in your heart and it will help you hold on to your humanity as you become subsumed in it.

Last Thought: As an artist, what's your take on how technology is being used today? Let me know in the comments.

Neural nets?

Kathy Mctavish: Thoughtful moment during an intriguing discussion. 

* * * *
It should be noted that this project has been sponsored by the Duluth Art Institute which will be hosting the opening reception this Thursday 5-7 p.m. at the Depot for three new exhibitions that will kick off this week: Fragments/Memory (Adam McCauley), Rust and Flow (David Asher Everettt) and From the Basement (Brett Kusterman). Learn more.

EdNote: The duluth quantum computing project was made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Art Happenings Here, There and Elsewhere

"Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt. And poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen." 
~Leonardo da Vinci

"One eye sees, the other feels." ~Paul Klee

At the Red Mug Coffeehouse

There are some arts-related events of note today and ahead. First off, this month's featured artist at The Red Mug in Superior is Adam McCauley whose opening reception is tonight from 5-7 p.m. That owner Suzanne Johnson always turns these opening receptions into exceptional events is a given. That tonight's opening will be even more exceptional is worth noting as Gene LaFond and Miss Amy Ann will be performing. Don't miss it.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf

This classic play by Edward Albee was famously brought to the silver screen by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Dennis Kempton has assembled a strong cast for a six night run at Teatro Zuccone, beginning tonight. Albee's story of George and Martha, Nick and Honey is no "Ozzie and Harriet." At the center of the story is a troubled marriage, and the games people play. The mix of high drama and wicked humor is unforgettable. Full schedule of performance dates here.

BALANCE at the 111 Minna

Light Orange by Chor Boogie

The Bay Area art scene is as vibrant as any you'll find anywhere. San Francisco has a fabulous art district with great galleries featuring work of all kinds. The city boasts exceptional art museums as well. When you think SF don't just think of the narrow streets, Chinatown and Alcatraz. Think art. There's plenty to see.

Tomorrow night is the opening reception at the 111 Minna Gallery for a show featuring new work by prolific muralists Chor Boogie and Jet Martinez. There will be an avant-gard burlesque performance by Bast, Lila Bezzani and Lady Eternal Love. Curator Micah LeBrun composed “Balance” as a showcase of the artists’ stunning use of color and to demonstrate the depth of their techniques. It's a progressive gallery striving to maintain its reputation as cutting edge,

Time: 5 p.m. till late.  Show runs through January 3, 2015.

Jet Martinez

Local Art Seen: Membership Show at the DAI

It was my great misfortune to be out of town for the opening of the Membership Show at the Duluth Art Institute last week. It's not the wild west, but it's almost as exciting. Here are several images from the show that is now on display in the Depot's Great Hall.

This past Thursday a good crowd was on hand for Adam McCauley's opening at Lizzard's. McCauley's colorful abstracts were displayed in the upstairs in the balcony region of the gallery. A graduate of UWS McCauley indicated that his favorite artists included Paul Behnke, Sharon Butler and Bryce Marsden, among others. Below are a few images from what is on display at Lizzard's for the next several weeks and this link will take you to more at his Studio Page on Facebook.