Sondheim Interviews: Martine Workman

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This is the twenty-seventh in a series of interviews with each of the Sondheim Award Semifinalists. Finalists have been announced, and will be on exhibit at the Walters Art Museum June 21 to August 17; those not selected as finalists with be exhibited at the Decker, Meyerhoff and Pinkard Galleries at MICA  July 17 to August 3, 2014.

Name: Martine Alicia Workman
Age: 34
Website: www.martinealicia.com
Current Location:  SW Waterfront, DC
Hometown: Lake Bluff, IL (born in Cumberland, MD)
School: California College of the Arts

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Current favorite artworks & other things: Christian and Islamic illuminated manuscripts, Japanese woodcuts and Ehon books, ephemera, early American newspapers, Agnes Martin, Albrecht Dürer & Amy Gerstler

What is your day job? How do you manage balancing work with studio time with your life? I do graphic design and illustration, but right now I’m taking care of my newborn son full time. I’ve also worked in a bakery, and worked as a caretaker for the elderly. If I can’t make it to the studio, I’ll draw in my sketchbook and think about new projects. All of my work first takes shape in my sketchbook.

How would you describe your work, and your studio practice? I make works on paper and artist’s books/zines rooted in drawing. My practice is project based and changes depending on what idea I’m pursuing, although every project begins in my sketchbook.

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What part of artmaking to you like or enjoy the most? The least? I love the process of making art, and I’ve always loved to draw. I love making messes and I hate cleaning up. I’m trying to get better at the administrative side of being an artist.

What research do you do for your art practice? I enjoy research and am always trying to learn something new; sometimes it makes it into my work and sometimes it doesn’t. I ask my artist and librarian friends for opinions/help and use the internet. I have collected a bunch of books for my own library I refer to often.

What books have you read lately you would recommend? Movies? Television? Music?TV: I love murder mystery shows and will play them while I’m assembling books or doing production work. Murder, She Wrote and Moonlighting are my favorites but I will watch any mystery show! Music: I’m a huge Prince fan and enjoy soul music. Movies: Pedro Almodovar is my favorite director. Books: I have a newborn son, so I’ve only been reading baby books for a while… Happiest Baby on the Block is pretty great!

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Do you ever get in creative dry spells, and if so, how do you get out of them? During dry spells, I’ll do production work, make lists of practical things to do(application deadlines, research/order new materials, etc) and I’ll read a lot and do research on a new topic of interest. I don’t actively try to get out of them, since my work has ebbs and flows that are equally important to me.

How do you challenge yourself in your work? I push myself to learn something new with every project. This is easy to do in the research phase of a project, but can get frustrating when materials or techniques aren’t working out the way you hope they will.

What is your dream project? An artist book with an unlimited budget and large staff at my disposal is a total dream!

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Call for Artists: Individual Artist Grants

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The Maryland State Arts Council’s Individual Artist Award recognizes the importance of artists and their works of excellence to the cultural vitality of Maryland.

At the heart of our thriving creative sector, artists produce work that supports festivals, concerts, gallery shows, readings and countless additional opportunities for Marylanders to engage, reflect and connect through the arts. Further, artists help fuel our Maryland arts industry’s $1 billion annual economic impact to the state’s economy.

Each year, awards $1,000, $3,000 or $6,000 to Artists from across the state who are selected by a blind, out-of-state jury on the basis of artistic merit alone. The MSAC today announced that its 2015 application is open for applications in the following artistic categories:

  • Crafts
  • Non-Classical Music Composition
  • Non-Classical Music Solo Performance
  • Photography
  • Playwriting

Applications for an IAA are due by Friday, July 27, 2014. Click here to access the IAA application guidelines, signup for an application assistance webinar or view an application assistance video. For more information, contact Kimberly Steinle-Super or 410.539.6656 x101.

via: http://www.msac.org/arts-across-maryland/maryland-artists-may-apply-individual-artist-award

Sondheim Interviews: Kyle Tata

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This is the twenty-sixth in a series of interviews with each of the Sondheim Award Semifinalists. Kyle is one of seven finalists, whose work will be on exhibit at the Walters Art Museum June 21 to August 17; remaining semifinalists with be exhibited at the Decker, Meyerhoff and Pinkard Galleries at MICA  July 17 to August 3, 2014.

Name: Kyle Tata
Age: 24
Website: www.kyletata.us
Current Location: Charles Village
Hometown: Baltimore,MD
School: Maryland Institute College of Art, BFA

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Current favorite artists or artwork: Too many to list… Constant all time favorites:Christopher Williams, Paul Sietsema, Joachim Koester, Jill Magid, Michael Asher, Allen Sekula, Dan Graham, Tom Burr, Lewis Baltz, James Welling. Artists I am currently really into: Carl Gunhouse, Daniel Shea, Christopher Rodriguez, Sam Falls, Alex De Corte. Some of my awesome friends from Baltimore that inspire me every day: James Bouché, John Bohl, Andrew Liang, Ryan Syrell, Ginevra Shay, Elle Perez, Val Karuskevich.

What is your day job? How do you manage balancing work with studio time with your life? I currently work part time as the photography instructor at Baltimore School for the Arts teaching high school classes in darkroom and digital photography, as well as a few other part time jobs. I am lucky to have a job that allows me to constantly think about art and photography. It is also great to be able to teach analog darkroom photography on a high school level to students who have never had the experience before of printing their own work in a darkroom. Film photography is such a great medium and I’m so thankful that Baltimore School for the Arts continues to have a functioning darkroom.

How would you describe your work, and your studio practice? My work is often conceptually based projects that result in a photographic series, sometimes the end product of that series will be a book, a photographic installation, or both. As of late I have been trying to create work that does not have a true end product but instead can simultaneously exist in many different formats. My photography recently has becoming more abstract but is based on specific materials that relate to 20th century Modernism and its relation to architecture. I am very interested in the role that abstraction plays in everyday domestic life.

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What part of artmaking to you like or enjoy the most? The least? I often get too caught up in theory and concept before I even start a piece and sometimes that hinders me from actually creating a physical object. The part I enjoy the most has to be the grey area after the series of work has transitioned from simply being an idea in my sketchbook to something that occupies real space but before the series is complete. I have a hard time finishing a series completely, I am constantly going back into past work and revising it.

What research do you do for your art practice? A lot of my projects deal with some sort of cultural history, so I do tend to do lot of time looking up specific historical events and topics in libraries and online before I actually start making a work. I consider artistic research to be a very important aspect of my practice.

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What books have you read lately you would recommend? Movies? Television? Music? I’ve recently read “Draw it with your Eyes Closed: The Art of the Art Assignment” and it definitely has made me think more critically about my approach as an art teacher. As for music, I’ve had the new St. Vincent and Future Islands albums in heavy rotation lately. I have an addiction to buying artist books and exhibition catalogues, I recently got Sara Cwynar’s Encyclopedia of Kitsch which is a fantastic photography/artist’s book with a completely unique design.

Do you ever get in creative dry spells, and if so, how do you get out of them? I feel that I constantly shift between phases of complete stagnation to periods of intense work and production. When I get in a dry spell I try to force myself simply work on anything to keep my hands busy even if that work doesn’t actually lead to a complete finish project, it helps me to start something new.

How do you challenge yourself in your work? Lately I’ve been trying to force myself to incorporate new media in my artwork and not simply continue a formula. My newest work is probably the least traditional photographic work that I’ve done in a long time and visually is much more aligned with abstract painting than straight forward photography. One of the hardest things to do as an artist is to constantly push your practice and not get not let the work become too predictable .

What is your dream project? I know this isn’t what is meant by this question, but lately I have been having dreams about making artwork that doesn’t actually exist in real life. It has been weird to visualize what artwork my subconscious wants to make compared to my actual work. Sometimes the work in the dreams is pretty close to real life but other times it has been really strange and unlike anything I’ve done before.

Call for Artists: GUTSY

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 GUTSY: Taking the Fear Factor Out of Feminism

GUTSY: very tough or brave : showing courage
marked by courage, pluck, or determination
a:  expressing or characterized by basic physical senses or passions
b:  rough or plain in style :  not bland or sophisticated

Feminism, much like art, is about perception. You may consider your participation in this call for entry a radical feminist act against the mainstream misogyny of the art system, you might not. Either way, your participation in this exhibition will help support women in Baltimore. The Feminist Art Project – Baltimore and Gallery CA invite artists to submit artwork to GUTSY: Taking the Fear Factor Out of Feminism, an exhibition which seeks to highlight the work of female artists and artists dealing with feminist issues, themes, and aesthetics.

As part of TFAP-B’s mission to support female artists and local organizations working to support women, 20% of each work of art that is sold will go to Power Inside.* Power Inside is a human rights and harm reduction organization that serves women and girls who are survivors of gender-based violence and oppression. Power Inside serves women impacted by incarceration, street life and abuse. They offer direct services, advocacy, leadership development and public education to help women build self-sufficiency, heal from violence, and avoid future criminal justice contact.

This call for entry is open to artists in the Mid-Atlantic region that recognize the aesthetic, intellectual and political impact of women, regardless of race, class, or creed, on visual arts and culture. *Please note, the artist retains 80% of sale. Neither Gallery CA nor The Feminist Art Project – Baltimore will take commission on the sale of artwork during this exhibition.

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The Feminist Art Project – Baltimore recognizes the aesthetic, intellectual and political impact of women on visual arts and culture. We are a grassroots, non-profit arts organization which aims to be inclusive; supporting local, self-identified female artists, as well as men who recognize and promote Baltimore area women in the arts.

TIMELINE

Deadline: Deadline for Application is Monday June 2nd
Exhibition Run: July 18th thru August 8th
Notification: Artists will be notified Monday June 16th
Reception: Closing Reception August 8th 6-9 pm
Delivery dates: July 1st and 2nd
Pick up dates:  August 9th-10th

TO APPLY

Artists should attach their statement and/or CV, no more than 3 images in JPEG formation (sound and video artists may submit links), a 2-5 sentence description of the work and why you want to participate in GUTSY: Taking the Fear Factor out of Feminism. Please submit materials in an email sent to tfap.bmore@gmail.com with subject heading GUTSY_Lastnameofartist. Artists are solely responsible for delivery and pick up of accepted work. Two dimensional pieces should not exceed 60” x 60” and must be ready to hang/display. Three dimensional works should not be taller than 72” and wider than 48”, unless previously approved by TFAP-B and Gallery CA. Sound and video artists are responsible for supplying their own technology for exhibition. Artworks considered unsuitable for hanging/presentation will be refused. TFAP-B and Gallery CA reserve the right to refuse any artwork that is misrepresented through documentation or is not the piece selected by the jurors.

Artists will be notified by Monday June 16th. Selected artworks need to be delivered to Gallery CA on July 1st or 2nd, 2014.

Call for Artists: Bromo Seltzer Gallery Top of the World Gallery and BOPA Main Office Gallery

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APPLY HERE: https://boparegistrations.wufoo.com/forms/bopa-exhibition-spaces-call-for-proposals/

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, Inc. (BOPA) is a non-profit arts and events organization charged with making Baltimore a more creative and vibrant city. The organization’s programs include city-wide special events and festivals (Artscape, Baltimore Book Festival, parades, fireworks) as well as management of historic sites and cultural facilities (School 33 Art Center, Top of the World Observation Level, Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, The Cloisters). As the City’s designated arts council, BOPA administers arts education and cultural programs, awards grants, and coordinates the 1% Public Art Program.

BOPA is now accepting proposals for exhibitions in gallery spaces at the BOPA main office, Bromo Arts Tower and Top of the World Observation Floor at the World Trade Center. Each exhibition will be approximately two months long during the FY15 exhibition season, September, 2014 to June, 2015.

The BOPA office at 10 E. Baltimore Street, 10th Floor, has exhibition space in the lobby and conference room. The office is open M – F, 9am – 5pm, for viewing the spaces.

Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower is located at 21 South Eutaw Street and has space available on two floors. The building is open to the public for viewing every Saturday 11-5pm. This historic building houses 15 floors of artist studios and has two small rooms on the lobby level and a larger gallery space on the mezzanine (2nd floor) level. Due to its historic nature, the Bromo galleries have some limitations. A site visit is recommended. www.bromoseltzerartstower.com

Top of the World Observation Level, located on the 27th floor of the World Trade Center at 401 East Pratt Street, is open to the public 7 days a week during the summer and 5 days a week during the winter (see website www.viewbaltimore.org for details). There are two walls each 37 1/3 ft. long dedicated to exhibitions. The windows at Top of the World offer a 360° view of Baltimore, which attracts visitors from all over the world.

Call 443-874-3596 or email betsy.stone@promotionandarts.com to schedule a visit to view the exhibition spaces.