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Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, NY, NY
In April, New York’s Museum of Arts and Design will open “Dead or Alive“, an exhibition showcasing the work of more than 30 international artists who use organic and once-living materials-such as insects, feathers, shells, bones, silkworm cocoons, plant materials, and fur.
“In the hands of these artists mute materials are brought back to life as works of art,” states Chief Curator David McFadden. “With profound and provocative associations, organic materials are transformed and resuscitated. This exhibition evokes our deepest emotions about mortality, but at the same time celebrates the new life given to lifeless materials by these talented individuals.”
Dead or Alive, on view until October 24, 2010, features new site-specific installations and recent work by contemporary artists from around the world, including Jennifer Angus, Nick Cave, Tessa Farmer, Damien Hirst, Alastair Mackie, Kate MccGwire, and a collaborative installation by Tim Tate and Marc Petrovic.
Dead or Alive follows upon themes of a slightly macabre nature. Once-living parts of flora and fauna are recombined and rearranged into works of art that address the transience of life, and all that is elegant and alarming about the natural world.
• Artist Nick Cave uses leaves, hair, twigs, and other found objects to create bold costume-sculptures called Soundsuits. When worn, the Soundsuits are brought to life and create a loud swell of noise as the performer moves-a meditation on the power of ritual and ceremony.
• Jennifer Angus also subverts familiar forms with her site-specific architectural installations. Built to mimic interiors furnished with traditional wallpaper and textiles, the works are actually ornamented with thousands of dried insects pinned directly to the wall. These installations blur the distinction between decoration and expression, and between domestic comforts and disturbance.
• Cuban artist Fabian Peña employs insects to explore the endless cycle of life and death, and to comment on the foulest conditions of human existence. For The Impossibility of Storage for the Soul (2007), Peña has rendered an image of the human skull using only clipped cockroach wings. Mounted on a light box, the wings cast an eerie amber glow into the gallery.
• Washington Glass School’s Tim Tate and Marc Petrovic‘s collaborative work “The Apothecarium Moderne” is an installation referencing a 19th century apothecary…….but represents cures for the ills of modern man.
The nine cures represented are (Left to Right From Top) : Loss Of Faith, Financial Insecurity, Identity Theft, Over-population, Erectile Dysfunction, Infertility, Family Dysfunction, Intelligent Design and Ennui.
Marc Petrovic on the collaborative process: “I really enjoyed being able to add and subtract elements and ideas with another artist. It seemed to take some of the mental pressure off not having to come up with the entire concept and execution all on my own. I often have input from my wife, Kari Russell-Pool, when I work on my own pieces, but I almost always execute my own pieces entirely by myself from start to finish. This was a lot of work, but a great experience.”
“After a majority of the components were made I went to Tim’s studio in DC and we laid out all of our fabricated parts along with all our found objects. After we went over each bottle one at a time putting all of the parts for each bottle together to get a better visual of our concepts manifested, we then edited the pieces further and added or subtracted components to get them to work visually as well as to strengthen the concepts.”
“We then split up the components again and, each in our own shops, worked on assembling the more complex components. Tim did the final engraving of text on the bottles. The division of labor worked out to be pretty equitable.”
Detail: Ennui Materials: Blown, engraved and lampworked glass; firecrackers; matches. Dimensions: 6″ x 6″ x 18″ The top finial contains an exclamation point. Inside is filled with unlit matches, save for one atop a dome filled with firecrackers. The text is in German….the chorus of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony’s “Ode To Joy”.
Infertility Materials: Blown and engraved glass; bird eggs. Dimensions: 6″ x 6″ x 18″
Petrovic / Russell-Pool Artwork Available
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Marc Petrovic and Kari Russell-Pool honored at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC.
The James Renwick Alliance “Distinguished Artists” series featured Marc Petrovic and Kari Russell -Pool, with a presentation of the two artists at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery this past week. As part of the event, artwork by Marc and Kari were on exhibit. Mark and Kari will be offering one of their works to be included in the upcoming James Renwick Alliance auction that will be part of DC Craft Week this April 20-25.
Exhibit of Petrovic and Russell-Pool in the glass gallery.
Some of the Marc Petrovic’s fantastic work that was on exhibit at the glass gallery is available for purchase:
Courage
Marc Petrovic
Blown Glass
$ 5,000
Source Of Her Fears
Marc Petrovic
Blown and Etched Glass
$5,600
Source Of Her Fears (detail)
Marc Petrovic
Blown and Etched Glass
If interested, contact the Washington Glass School Gallery – (202) 744.8222
Kari Russell-Pool & Marc Petrovic Demos
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The James Renwick Alliance hosted the demo at DC Glassworks.
The dynamic duo that is Kari Russell-Pool and Marc Petrovic worked their magic this past weekend, giving demonstrations of their intensely beautiful glass techniques, and illustrated how the two artists work with and inspire each other.
Performing the demos at DC GlassWorks, and talking at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, the husband and wife artists are the Nick and Nora of glass.
Marc dazzled the audience with his incredibly detailed and stunning blowing abilities, creating a life sized striped bass that seemed to be stopped in midair leap and one of his famous birds.
Catching the fish with fireproof gear.
Kari made a number of her delicate lampworked flowers and showed how she creates the lace-like forms in glass.
Marc watches Kari assemble a flower.
James Renwick Alliance Distinguished Craft Artist Program
>The husband-wife artist team of Marc Petrovic and Kari Russell-Pool will be featured as the first JRA Distinguished Artist Program for 2010, with a day long demo on Saturday January 23 and a talk at the Smithsonian’s Grand Salon at the Rewnwick Gallery on Sunday, January 24. 
Marc Petrovic top, Kari Russel-Poolbottom
Kari Russell-Pool and Marc Petrovic have been working as studio artists since their graduation from the Cleveland Institute of Art in, respectively, 1990, and 1991. Marc makes pieces that are predominantly glass but also contain wood and metal components. Kari is primarily a flame worker. She creates form from pattern with a technique she developed on her own. Although Marc and Kari strive to retain their individual work and approach, they have collaborated, to a greater or lesser extent, since college.
Kari Russell-Pool top , Marc Petrovic bottom
Each offers insight and suggestions on the other’s work. The collaboration between the two artists most often incorporates Marc’s blown birds into Kari’s structures. In an unusual approach to flame working, Kari melts and pulls all her glass rods from the same glass furnace that Marc uses to sculpt his components. This allows for compatibility between the blown glass birds and the flame-worked structures. Flame workers seldom use soft glass in large-scale work. This glass does not take the stress of torch work well but does allow a greater range of color variation as well as the unique ability to be fused with furnace-blown components.
Both have taught at the Penland School of Crafts and The Studio at Corning, and have conducted numerous workshops both at home and abroad.
The James Renwick Alliance will host the two artists in a demo on Saturday, Jan. 23rd from 10 am to 3 pm, held at our sister school location, DC Glassworks. The cost is $55 payable to the James Renwick Alliance. Click HERE for more info about the demo and tickets from the JRA.
Click HERE for more info about the James Renwick Alliance.
Click HERE for info about the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery calendar of events (scroll down for talk details).