Page 20 - the NOISE May 2015

CARMINA RECYCLER
aRtists’ Coalition BRinGs it BaCk to life
CLoCKWISe, FRoM ToP LeFT: a detail of Rachel Grieg’s Excessive Force; one of Ken Whitaker’s fine wire sculptures; Sonya Malkhassian’s Horseshoe Bend at Hozhoni this May.
stoRy By eRiC kailiki
nothing quite rings in spring for the Flagstaff arts scene always takes a radical view of history, many times from a femi-
whether deep in platitudes or just having a ridiculous time with stuff around the house, the citizen-created elements housed within the Recycled Art exhibit are what give it the season’s most distinguished opening, a gala replete with never-before-seen “Upcycled Fashion” and a musical extrava- ganza that guarantees toe tapping — from, yes, self-built re- cycled instruments!
Alluding to its humble beginnings as a citizen initiative way back in 2002 when it decked the limited wall space of Flag- staff City Hall and its recent move to the wide open spaces of the gardens & gallery of the Hozhoni Foundation, Mr. Fran- kel portends, “The educational aspect emphasizing the vast importance of recycling brought out in a fun, creative, and unique way ... I think affects and influences attendees and participants alike and raises everyone’s consciousness to one of the most significant public challenges we face as a nation in the 21st Century.”
He continues, “I believe that the City of Flagstaff Recycled Art exhibition has greatly broadened and enhanced the Flag- staff art scene by giving artists free reign to really work and expand their artistic imaginations and creativity with virtually no bounds. working only with the recycled material bounds has shown how broad the focus of the artists’ work can be, with complete serendipity and surprise as the result. To me, it is by far the most creative art show each year in Flagstaff, and I am never disappointed in the scope of work that is pro- duced for the show.”
Opening Reception for the Recycled Art exhibition is 6-9PM Saturday May 2 at the Hozhoni Gallery, 2133 north walgreens street. Awards are part of the whole shebang, in- cluding Best in show, Most Creative, Most Useful, Most Hu- morous, Best Use of Material, simplicity, elegance, 2 student Awards, and the “People’s Choice Award” ... Be sure to vote anytime between now & the 30th though, as the show only hangs through May. flagstaff-arts.org
| eric kailiki is an upcycler from way down yonder.
eric@thenoise.us
like the ‘Recycled Art Show,’ an extravaganza somehow intuitive of annual cycles when the dusting of closets and the sorting of winter piles heighten at a seeming frenzy, and the greening of garbage pails aligns with the new season’s growth now impetuously foaming across this shared earthen floor. It is that magic time of year when something perhaps tossed in an unswept corner resurfaces to light as a newfound muse, an inspiration, a calling to hands in motion. Objects of variety suddenly are subjects of stimuli, and when fused with tact and purpose, are often found at the Artists’ Coalition most popular exhibit of the season, now in its 13th year.
Avid fans of the show will be pleased to know that satchel the dog has returned from sabbatical with a brand new piece this May, In Advance of a Torn Ligament. And more astute art patrons may also relish in new pieces from years’ favorites, nancy DeBlois with her rambunctious mannequin recovery, Rhonda Thomas Urdang with her radical thought-provok- ing assemblages, and even renegade gearmeister John Ste- bila makes a guest appearance from his double-booking at the sTeM (see article next page); to name a but a few.
This year, over 60 artists are participating, nearly a third of whom are first-time “art’cyclers” from across the cultural divide — young and old, thrifty and spendy, laborers and homemakers — a hallmark of the show’s all-inclusive nature and popular interest. “These new artists will pump a vital fresh enthusiasm into this always exciting Flagstaff tradition,” affirms Mike frankel, executive director of the Coalition.
Among the new entrants are Ken Whitaker, an Iraq war veteran who while crafting incredibly detailed miniature mo- torcycles out of found metal wire, finds zen to heal his PTsD, following recent studies indicating symptoms of anxiety and depression are reduced by as much as 69% in those who en- gage in artistic pursuits after a traumatic event. extols Mr. Frankel, “each piece is uniquely formed and his attention to detail is mind blowing.”
Then giving nod to return participants, he raves, “Rhonda Thomas Urdang has been a participant in the exhibition for many years now and I always look forward to her work, which
nist perspective, and her pieces always provoke controversy and discussion over their meaning and implication. This year is no different and her work will be just as challenging.”
Another poignant entrant is Rachel Greig, whose piece Ex- cessive Force mimics the staccato of guns and police in the re- verbial news cycle of late — an impressive piece when taken in as a whole (the image above is cropped for publication) and beckons a question for the guardian and the guarded. Ms. Grieg, who some may remember crafted a dragon out of plastic bags and a cardinal from cans in last year’s show, is a graduate of psychology, sociology & art; she found cardboard, buckshot, and comic books to create her latest, a work of “ex- treme opposites” that casts attention to an “ugly head” in the conscience of the day.
Art professor Elisa Wiedeman, who annually takes her nAU students to the exhibit, is a sculptor of happenstance in her entry this year. she explains: “A few years ago, I left a watermelon rind out in the sun to see what effect the ultra violet rays would cause. I’d forgotten about the experiment, when one day I happened upon this mysteriously beautiful, highly textured object. It took me a few seconds to recognize the rind, but the transformation was phenomenal.” The find served her as the perfect bird body, to which she affixed a knothole of pine to a clay head, clipping a few feathers from an old duster for a final dash of tail festoonery. Voila! L’art recyclé est façonné!
Realtor and sustainable designer Sonya Malkhassian is the child of immigrants who remembers being taught to never waste things and be resourceful at every turn in the bend. now sporting a home she herself designed with straw- bale and passive solar, she met inspiration at Horseshoe Bend and recreated its geological strata when an old event board and a collection of aluminum cans turned up. winking at the Theory of Biomimicry, she says: “with a strong construc- tion background, I like to play a lot with materials left over as waste from construction sites ... that’s my dumpster diving location of choice!”
20 • MAY 2015 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us
photo By mike fRankel
CouRtesy photo CouRtesy photo