Small Spaces: Layers, or, Be More Human[e]

This week I replaced one of the controversial works from small spaces.  It was time as the previous paste up was peeling and molded.

After speaking with building owners and city officials about subject matter, what came out was an abstraction built on layers of patterns. I like the idea of fractured and and reassembled ideas and this space was ideal since it was a slatted window space. I included cropped language and a stencil of eyes that both look at and pass the viewer. The cropped language reads 'be more humane' and 'original.'

This piece is about accepting humans as layered, fractured and reassembled beings, and humanity as something that is derived from all of these parts. The call is for all people to be treated with respect and dignity no matter their place in the world. We can never know what someone is going through, but we can be empathetic to their situation. I'd like to think of my work in this vein as social abstraction. Anyone can read what they want into it but for me it's simply about being more human[e].

in case you missed the news ...

there was a little post on the SmallSpaces Facebook page yesterday, that simply said:

Small Spaces: One Dimensional Odalisque

The nice weather on Monday allowed Zach to get one more painting in for the Small Spaces project. He continued his art history series with this one inspired by Ingres:

He titled this new painting One Dimensional Odalisque. If you'd like to see it, it's on the backside of One Earth Gallery and Gifts on Main Street.

Small Spaces: 5 Questions with Jenna Robinson

We are so happy to have Jenna Robinson participate in our "5 Questions" series. Jenna was a late addition to the Small Spaces project, but her piece, on the fence behind DT Kirby's, is one of the most well-loved. Have you seen it yet?

(photos by Jenna Robinson, via Instagram)

Here are Jenna's answers!

1. What is your background in art?

I have always loved drawing, painting, and crafting. I was one of the only kids in elementary school who actually liked going to art class. I took several photography and art classes in high school and college, even getting an Art & Design minor while at Purdue. Even though I was a techie in school, I would still consider myself more of an artist than anything.

2. What is your (brief) definition of street art?

I think I’d be with the majority in saying street art is a collaborative effort of putting works in underappreciated or unacknowledged areas of town. It’s so fun to give life to a dead space.

3. Who are your influences and inspiration?

For this particular project: Warhol/pop art and my roommate’s cat.

4. How do you think Small Spaces contributes to the art scene in Lafayette?

I think it did a brilliant job of giving freedom to artists. Small Spaces gave people the

opportunity to say something through art to a new audience.

5. Where (online or otherwise) can we view more of your work?

I don’t really have an online art portfolio, but I post some art on my Instagram (@hello_jrob) and my photography portfolio is online at jennarobinson.com

Just thought we'd share ...

Yay!

Zach received a really nice note from a lady named Lisa who attended the Small Spaces: Talk & Tour event last Sunday. She wrote to say that she enjoyed meeting some of the artists who were involved with the project, and that she was excited for all the art that filled downtown over the summer. Lisa wrote an amazing blog post about her experience which we want to share here. It is not often that you get to see/read/hear from people who love and support the project so wholeheartedly. Lisa does, and her enthusiasm is infectious!

Here's an excerpt:

A couple of days ago, I was invited on Facebook to an event for “Small Spaces” that said it would be a street lecture and tour. For those of you that do not know what “Small Spaces” is, it is a local art project here in Lafayette (funded with grant money) where local artists create artwork in the Downtown Lafayette area on buildings where the owners give approval. Its purpose is to bring some BEAUTY and INTEREST to some otherwise boring spaces. Since I am not a journalist, I can say EXACTLY what I think! Neat, huh?

Those of you that know me, understand that I LOVE this idea and also the arts. I also believe in supporting the community and making it a better place. I also agree with spending money (aka: tax dollars) to support such ideas. WHY do I agree with this when I am normally fiscally conservative? Mainly, because I would spend my OWN money anyway to support it (and do), so I am HAPPY to see my tax dollars going to something I actually want! THANK YOU!

Okay, so let me get some pseudonyms out of the way before I continue my story. Zach Medler (ZMed) is the curator of the Small Spaces project. Aaron Bumgarner (ABum, I made that up myself) is an artist that has done A LOT of artwork downtown and we have an unusual Reese’s cup connection that ends up being quite interesting. At least to me!

So here is how the event went: ZMed said a few words and then Mayor Tony got up and said how he appreciated and supported the project. Mayor Tony was in between events and it reminded me that Mayors are really busy. This was a SUNDAY folks, and he was out doing events. We should keep that in mind.. . . So then ZMed did a brief explanation of the project and expressed that he REALLY just wanted to answer questions! This is where it got completely interesting. . .

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You can read the entire post by visiting Lisa's blog here.

Small Spaces: Talk & Tour on WLFI

Here's WLFI's coverage of yesterday's Talk & Tour event. You can read the original article here. And if you are still following the Journal and Courier's coverage of Small Spaces (why?!!!), you can read their version here. 

Thank You!

Zach and I would like to say the BIGGEST "thank you" to everyone who braved the rain to attend the Small Spaces: Lafayette Talk & Tour this afternoon. We not only got to hear the Mayor, Economic Development Director, Dennis Carson, and Zach speak about the project and the impact of it on our community, but there was also a lively Q&A session that went on afterwards.

For those who joined us on the downtown tour, we hope you had some fun in spite of the weather. If you took pictures and want to share them, you can do so on the Small Spaces Facebook page. Alternatively, you can also use the hashtag #smallspaceslafayette on whichever social media platform you prefer. We look forward to seeing your additions!

photos by Pete Brown, via Midwest Street Art

Small Spaces: Talk and Tour

Zach and a couple other speakers will be giving a short talk about this trailblazing project, followed with a tour downtown to see the artworks painted over the summer. Please consider joining us for this event. You'll get to learn more about the project, hear more about the work, and meet some of the artists involved! 

Small Spaces: 5 Questions with Alejandra Carrillo-Munoz

We are so happy to have Lafayette native, artist Alejandra Carrillo-Munoz a part of the Small Spaces project. Alejandra's piece is one of Zach's favorite, and you can see it on the back of the Haywood Printing building.

Here's Alejandra's answers to our "5 Questions,"

1. What is your background in art?

I began as a fine artist meaning drawing, painting, new media etc. However, my formal profession is as a fashion designer.  I began as a bridal designer but am a women’s ready-to-wear designer at heart.  

2. Where do you get your inspiration and style?

Culture is my biggest influence.  In many ways, my own Latin American identity has cultivated my pursuit for utilizing the arts as a way to convey concepts, struggles, and celebrations and share it through a visual language.  Additionally, I look to the study of other cultures across the globe as a significant source of inspiration.

3. What does being involved with Small Spaces mean to you?

It is significant in that I get to share my perception with my community and I get to do this in the voice I love most, art. It is an amazing opportunity and I am very grateful when I know that someone has identified with my piece!   

4. What are 5 words to describe the role an artist plays in society?

Activist, Communicator, Stimulator, Provocateur, Entertainer  

5. Where (online or otherwise) can we view more of your work?

Blog: http://mundodcolores.tumblr.com/

Fashion Portfolio: http://www.wix.com/acarrillomunoz/portfolio

Coming Soon, Personal Web site: http://alejandracarrillomunoz.weebly.com

Thank you for reading! If you like, here are the links for "5 Questions" with artists Mitch Austin, Cathryn English, Temre Stanchfield, Aaron Bumgarner,Lisa Wicka, Pete Brown, Christopher Robinette, Craig Tribble, Bethany Hohman, Carrie Wing, Joanne Titolo, and Aaron Molden!

Small Spaces: the news skews views

the other day, the rain brought in the cold.  it's here and it's not going anywhere.  so with that in mind and because i like the cold, i got out and put up two new pieces this afternoon.

the first is titled death of a revolutionary.  i'm appropriating jacques-louis david's death of marat.  the original painting carries a lot of metaphors and was a great propaganda painting of the french revolution.  my take uses marat, himself, as a metaphor for the small spaces project.  the J&C has snuck in to stab the project in the chest.  the letter reads: 'these pundits don't define me.'  and a spray can lies in marat's dead hand.  i feel like this was a revolutionary project for this city and the J&C has only done things to kill it and pander to an attitude that holds back new ideas.  but like the saying goes: 'you can kill a revolutionary, but you cannot kill the revolution.'  this art is here to stay.  the town can be buffed back to beige, but we'll keep coming back, because we live here too.

my other piece is a simple tag: the news skews views.  it sounds like truth to me.  something that J&C cannot distinguish from facts.

needless to say, i'm not super excited about the news coverage of small spaces: lafayette.  so these are both responses to their coverage.  their sensationalized and one-sided reporting of this project and this type of art was unfair.  they created fake controversy using loaded language from the get go.  our introduction to the community was 'graffiti warfare.'  what part of that title is not loaded spin language?  to bill this as graffiti is bullshit.  there is nothing illegal about what we are doing.  this is a publicly funded street art project.  every wall is sanctioned and signed off on by building owners and approved by the city, the economic development office, and the historic preservation commission (where necessary).  artists were invited or contacted me directly with interest (in which case, i met with all, went through portfolios, discussed concepts and took the time to communicate with each interested party individually).  the idea that this is some punk rebellion project is just ridiculous.  there are artists from all walks of life involved, from high school students to grandparents.  and i believe that the work celebrates the diversity of ideas represented within our community.

I wanted to make art a part of the lived experience of lafayette.  to make aesthetics an integral part of a thoughtful community.  but the newspaper pundits at the J&C have only continued to write sided arguments, which only seek to define art in terms of love or hate, rather than thought and discussion.   but have heart lafayette.  extend a hand.  have a thought.  enjoy it.  hate it.  express it.  feel something.  just stop getting your information from the J&C.  come downtown, look at the work, and make up your own mind.

Small Spaces: Aaron Bumgarner on WLFI

Local news station WLFI spoke to Aaron Bumgarner about his uplifting signs that are scattered all over downtown as a part of the Small Spaces project. We're sharing this because it is nice and refreshing to see the project painted in a positive light. Thanks Aaron! Thanks WLFI!

Small Spaces: Whistler's Mother Sewing Sol LeWitt's Quilt

today, after reading more shit punditry about our project from the local edition of the national enquirer, mindy and i decided we needed to forget that garbage and get some painting done.  it seemed that today was the only good weather day this week, and probably the last decent day in a while.  so we decided to get out and collab on the east side of Sylvia's Brick Oven.  

mindy had this vision of doing some color pattern work (using a technique she tried out while i was working on the Bauer mural over the summer) and lately i've been enamored with messing with classic paintings.  so our collab became Whistler's Mother Sewing Sol LeWitt's Quilt.  i think this is my favorite painting experience of this project.

mindy and i work together on most things, but this is the first time we have really combined our ideas into something like this.  it was so fun for me to get to take pictures of her painting, instead of the other way around.

we had a great day, chatting with people who stopped by, and getting some bold color up between the raw brick walls at sylvia's.

Small Spaces: 5 Questions with Mitchell Austin

I have had the great privilege of seeing Mitch paint for Small Spaces on several occasions. He gets better each time he puts up a piece. His techniques get more refined each time he wields a paint can. 

@ Lafayette Printing

@ TBird Engineering, on 10th and Columbia

@ N. 6th Street

@ Fuel Coffee Shop

Mitch does bold and brightly colored cartoon characters that are guaranteed to make you smile when you see them. If you know Mitch, you know he can be funny like his characters. Hanging around him, I've learned random new facts about black holes, Thor, Spider Man, and how Zach and I ought to consider buying a dining table soon (haha, inside joke!).

If you don't know Mitch, here's one way to learn a little more about him:

Small Spaces: Grant Lutz

This new "Towns" piece by Grant Lutz graces the back of Fuel Coffee Shop on 10th Street. Make sure you check out the artwork the next time you are downtown!

Small Spaces: Jenna Robinson

 A new piece by Jenna Robinson on the fence behind DT Kirby's.

To quote Margy Deverall, "Kitties and street art. Winning combination." :)

Small Spaces: 5 Questions with Cathryn English

Artist Cathryn English contributed a couple of really fun pieces for Small Spaces. 

She collaborated with Aaron Bumgarner on the piece Direct Orders, which you can view in the video above.

She also painted an Art Nouveau-inspired piece on the Haywood Printing Company building, and rabbits on N. 6th Street.

We asked Cathryn if she'd like to participate in "5 Questions," and here are the answers she shared with us!


1. What is your background in art?

I have been making art since I was a young child. I became serious about it in high school, and attended Kansas City Art institute.

2. What is your definition of street art?

I view street art as art that is in outdoor places not originally intended to display art. It also interacts with the surrounding spaces.

3. What are your influences and inspirations?

I'm heavily influenced by artists like Barbara Kruger and Katherina Fritsch. I am also inspired daily by close friends who are local artists. So many of my ideas come from long talks with my artist friends about local issues, community perceptions, and global trends in art. What inspires me most is artistic fellowship.

4. How do you think Small Spaces contributes to the art scene in Lafayette?

I am excited that so many local artists have had some exposure this summer. However, I have never seen so many people in our community talking about art, local art, community projects, and downtown improvement before. I think that's a valuable thing.

5. Where can we view more of your work?

I don't have a website at the moment, but I do a lot of painting privately and am always willing to share my projects by request.

Small Spaces: 5 Questions with Temre Stanchfield

Temre Stanchfield's first piece for Small Spaces was this shadow of a tree painting on the side of the Haywood Printing building. When we shared it on Facebook, it was wildly popular and very well-received. Everyone who has seen it makes an effort to tell us how much they like this piece. Perhaps it's because this painting is quiet and blends so well into the environment. It doesn't yell for your attention the way more colorful pieces do. Either way, it's become a local favorite. If you'll like to see more of Temre's work, pop into Artists' Own or follow her online here. She also has a webpage which you'll find below.

For the project, Temre also painted this piece on the side of Bernadette's Barbershop,

as well as this piece, which was a collaboration with her two kids, on the alley by T-Bird Engineering.

We handed her a list of 5 Questions, and here are her answers!

What is your background in art?

I have been creating things all of my life.  I finally realized that I could choose this as a job when I was in my early 20’s.  I did complete my BA in fine arts and later my MFA at University of Arizona in Tucson.

Where do you get your inspiration and style?

I am inspired by the earth and the seasons and nature’s monumental presence in our lives every day.  I grew up in a very small village in Alaska and there was something about that monumental view of nature that is a part of me wherever I go.

What does being involved with Small Spaces mean to you?

It’s been a privilege to be a part of Small Spaces.  I’m glad that Small Spaces is introducing public art to the community in this new, fresh, sometimes controversial way.  I typically paint on canvas– so to explore this medium on public walls and spaces has been really refreshing.  Making art on the buildings in the street is exhilarating in how the artwork connects to community in such an immediate and direct way.  I was able to do a collaborative piece with my kids as well and that was such a treat.  I love what children create and it is wonderful when I can integrate that into my own work.

What are 5 words to describe the role an artist plays in society?

Thinker, innovator, visionary, muse, craftsperson.

Where (online or otherwise) can we view more of your work?

www.temrestanchfield.com


p.s. If you enjoy our "Small Spaces: 5 Questions" series, don't miss our interviews with Aaron Bumgarner, Lisa Wicka, Pete Brown, Christopher Robinette, Craig Tribble, Bethany Hohman, Carrie Wing, Joanne Titolo, and Aaron Molden!

Small Spaces: 5 Questions with Aaron Molden

Small Spaces artist and Lafayette native Aaron Molden was thrust into the national spotlight in late August, after his "riot cop" piece was removed by the city. For better or worse, this is probably the image most people now associate with Molden's work. I know he has ideas for other pieces, and I can't wait till he puts them up!

For Small Spaces, Molden also pasted up drawings of animals on the Lafayette Printing Company,

and a portrait of a smiling Kurt Vonnegurt.

I had Molden participate in "5 Questions," and here are his answers.

In addition to making art, Molden is also a prolific writer. Visit his blog to read some of his writings.