Region4: Transformation Through Imagination!!!

It has finally come! The show opened last weekend and is off to a great start. I was blown away by all of the great work there- interactive video, painting, drawing, performance/video/installation, architectural models, photographs.... all shedding positive light on the Cabott/Koppers Superfund Site in Gainesville Florida! And the turnout was good too- easily a couple hundred people throughout the evening. Thanks to all the collaborators, the Superfund Art Project is such a great example of how art can engage a community, and deal with difficult issues, expanding science and bringing people together!

Carl Reed at UF

Last year I worked as the Administrator of the Public Art Program at the University of Florida.  I coordinated a few public art projects, but was also responsible for tackling some much-needed maintenance of existing works. One of these works was an outdoor installation by artist Carl Reed. It was site-specific and consisted of a wooden gate/arch, several granite and limestone boulders, and one larger granite boulder composition. Many years ago the work was moved and re-sited without consulting the artist, and as of last year the wooden gate had begun to rot significantly. I started this project with Carl, but was not around to see it finished....until last weekend. It was really spectacular to see the renovation! The gate was re-made in concrete and bronze, and the other elements were re-configured and re-sited on the original site. The piece really creates an anchor and a sense of history for this site, as well as a great place for sitting amongst the trees and buildings. Great job Carl!!!

Robotic Art Exhibit, Iowa City

Pocketbook Mussels

Last week I had a great discussion with an environmental engineer, Craig Just at the University of Iowa, about the connections between art and science. One of the coolest things he showed me was his lab where he is currently researching freshwater mussels and their abilities to remove nitrates from the Iowa River. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera, so I'll have to re-create some imagery here. The Pocketbook Mussel is a fascinating example of the mind-blowing complexity of the natural world. It has a symbiotic relationship with fish, which are lured in by the mussel (there is no fish in this image, that is part of the mussel) and act as hosts temporarily for the clam larvae. Scrubmuncher has a pretty good handle on the process, so I'll point you here. Thanks for the inspiring visit Craig!

The Superfund Art Project has really gained momentum over the past few months after receiving funding from the Florida Department of Cultural Affairs and recently awarded a second grant from the EPA. Next march SAP will unveil Region4: Transformation Through Imagination, a ground-breaking exhibition about the science and emotions of the Koppers Superfund Site in Gainesville Florida. Here is an image from my proposal for the show: Citizen Bio-Detector! It is a wearable sensor and data gathering device. It is only a concept now and envisions capabilities for logging pH, temperature, GPS, petro-Vapors, and Total Dissolved Solids data. Learn more at protectgainesville.org

University of Alabama

This week I was honored to be invited by Sky Shineman and Lucy Curzon of The University of Alabama, to speak with their class as a visiting artist. They are co-teaching a class called Art and its Publics, which is a graduate level seminar on public art. Thanks Sky and Lucy!

Inflatable Sculptures!

The WARP program at UF always does an inflatable sculpture project, and I've always meant to incorporate it into one of my sculpture classes. This semester at Santa Fe College I have a small group of Sculpture 2 students and these are the inflatable sculptures they created. Lorenzo Collante created the Jellyfish; Chelsea Bomar created the Tulip; David Tonnelier and Frank Grey created the Ship and Octopus. Nice work, they all are spectacular!!!