Artists booked, plane tickets purchased, accommodations secured, and invites sent! The Masseys will arrive in just a few weeks.For those of you who are new to my blog, here's a recap of what I'm doing: As a 2010 MakeWork grant recipient, I'm sharing my professional development experiences with other Chattanoogans by bringing nationally-renowned public artists to town for collaborative weekend workshops.
For the Masseys' visit, I am planning three separate events, each of which will focus on a different aspect of the Masseys' experience and target a different audience.
The first big event of the upcoming weekend is a workshop for local artists at Camp House on Saturday, Feb. 26 from 4-7 pm (see invite pictured above).
Ed and Bernie Massey will begin with a presentation of their work. In particular, Ed Massey will discuss his personal experience as an artist, first as an easel painter and later as a public art collaborator. He will discuss his transition from one professional focus to the other, the reasons for that shift, and the way his perspective on art has evolved in the process.
Participants will then break into groups to brainstorm creative visual solutions - represented by maquettes - to various local issues. It will go something like this: Each table will be given a hypothetical location, population, and budget. Working with paper, playdoh, and other provided materials, participants will collaborate to create maquettes of public art responses to each situation.
I hope to have a local band or musician playing some background music, and refreshments will be provided. Should be a lot of fun!
Pictured to the right is another invitation to a very different kind of charrette that will consider ways to involve the public in what our city looks like. It will take place Sunday, Feb. 27 from 6-9 pm at CreateHere. I'm currently looking into catering options for the event.Sunday's charrette will appeal to a broader audience of city/regional planners, creative thinkers, educators, art enthusiasts, local businesspeople, and anyone else invested in Chattanooga's future. The Masseys will focus on the value of public art - especially by nonprofessional artists - in city and community development.
In my personal experience as Executive Director of Mark Making, I have found that Chattanoogans value and appreciate this type of art. In a recent survey about the newly-installed Bluff Furnace project near the Hunter Museum, we found that 91% of surveyed Riverwalkers said they would like to see more site-specific, public art projects done by nonprofessional artists in Chattanooga.
Both the artist workshop and charrette are free of charge thanks to CreateHere MakeWork funding, but space is limited. Anyone can register by e-mailing feedthevision@gmail.com. I'll need volunteers to help set up and break down events as well, so any interested readers should also send an e-mail my way!
Finally, I'm planning a class for middle school students at Center for the Creative Arts (CCA) on Monday, Feb. 28. This event will be a great professional development opportunity for me because it will give me a chance to see how the Masseys interact with students in a classroom setting. The class will also focus on civic education: how can we inspire students to be better citizens through participation in the arts? If any local educators are interested in coming to observe, please contact me for more info.
The Masseys will head home after Monday's class. Should be a packed weekend!
Feel free to e-mail or call me with questions and/or volunteer offers. Remember to RSVP by e-mail if you plan to attend one of the events; I'll register people as I hear from them until space fills up.
Frances McDonald
feedthevision@gmail.com
(423) 605-5257
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