Innovative Art Paves the Way for Skate Park

SHOVE IT!

Polk County Heritage Gallery

Silent Auction and Exhibition on view until June 20th, 2013

James, age 8, posing in front of custom skate decks on view at Shove It! (Photo: Heath Hardage Lee)

Review from guest contributor Heath Hardage Lee

June 12, 2013

Friday night my eight-year-old son James and I were on our own for the evening.  Dad/husband was out of town, and tween daughter was at a spend-the-night party.  What cool and creative night out could a cartoon and skateboard-loving boy and art-obsessed mom both enjoy?

Shove It! was IT….

The Baykid Army Amasses!! (Photo: Source)

This extensive paper toy/custom skateboard exhibition opened Friday night at the Polk Country Heritage Gallery in downtown Des Moines.  The show is the brainchild of photographer and artist Beau Scott who grew up the Newport Beach, California, (remember the T.V. show the O.C.?), skateboarding.  Scott enlisted the aid and expertise of Ian Miller, owner of the Thee Eye Gallery, to put together the show.  The co-curators created a laid-back, So-Cal vibe where everyone ages eight to eighty was warmly welcomed. 

Curator Beau Scott with Shove It mascot (Photo: Heath Hardage Lee)

The goal of the exhibition and related silent auction Friday is to generate funds to build a Des Moines Regional Skatepark.  Scott and Miller used Kickstarter, an online funding tool to raise money to create the show.  90 percent of the proceeds from the event will go towards funding the proposed Skatepark. 

Now to the art…

Artists from twenty-nine different cities and five continents contributed pieces to the show.  The artists’ charge:  create two works of art:  a custom skateboard deck and a coordinating paper toy.  The results were dazzling.  Our favorites: 

Sacred Diamond Tattoo Mike Diamond’s Great Gatsby-flavored flapper image. (Photo: Heath Hardage Lee)

Beau Scott’s black crow silhouettes, inspired by one of his photographs.  The stylish Penny Knox is posed next to her son’s work here. (Photo: Heath Hardage Lee)

James’s pick:  the Dan-Flavin-esque light sculpture skateboard by Neon Specialties. (Photo: Heath Hardage Lee)

Scott hopes that Des Moines will continue its ascent from flyover zone to stop-over-and stay-zone through original art and attractions like the proposed Skatepark comments Scott.  “The civic openness and creativity we have here is what makes Des Moines a great city.  If the park is built, it will be like a jewel in our crown.”

Heath comes from a museum education, historic preservation, and writing background.  She started her museum career at the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the Program and Education Director.  Heath has since worked as a consultant for significant southern historical museums such as Stratford Hall, Robert E. Lee’s birthplace, and Menokin Plantation, home to Francis Lightfoot Lee.  She has written for numerous magazines, newspapers and blogs. Heath is currently under contract for her first book, Winnie Davis:  Daughter of the Lost Cause, abiography of Varina Anne “Winnie” Davis, daughter of Confederate President, Jefferson Davis.  Heath holds a B.A. in History from Davidson College, and an M.A. in French Language and Literature from the University of Virginia.  She lives in Des Moines, Iowa and loves being a docent at the Des Moines Art Center.  Her favorite pastime is exploring all the super cool art museums and galleries across the Midwest. 

12 June Permalink

Art Opening Line -Up

Bones triptych on view at Shove It!

Shows opening tonight and tomorrow have linked info to them. Shows are updated regularly on our google calendar. Email us your event, and well put it on the calendar. Happy First Friday. 

Thursday June 6:

5 PM - Ankeny Art Center - D. Ryan Allen

5 PM - Ankeny Art Center - John & Jason Brommel

6 PM - West Glen - Jill Wells

FIRST FRIDAY June 7:

5 PM - RAYGUN - Lucas Moser

7 PM - Thee EYE - SHOVE IT!

Happy artting!

PREVENT PASSIVE RESPONSE. RESPOND TO THE ART YOU SEE. Submit to Art Beacon.

6 June Permalink

Paddle Boating with Francis Cugat

Response by guest contributor Holly Wist

June 5, 2013

Francis Cugat (1893-1981) was born in Spain, raised in Cuba, and educated in Paris at Ecole des Beaux Arts <a school with a Renoir ~ Louis XIV kind of flavor> After completing his education, Cugat arrived at New York with his family in July of 1915. He was 22. Shortly thereafter he volunteered to make a poster for the opera singer Rosa Riasa so that he could introduce his art to Chicago.

Cleofonte Campanini (1860-1919) <a man with a fantastic moustache> the conductor and artistic director of the Chicago Opera Association loved Cugat’s work so much that he commissioned at least 12 additional portraits of opera members.

In this poster for the opera Carmen, Cugat highlighted Muratore’s face from the back. The shadowed side of singer’s profile is disappearing into the background. The effect is stopped by his sideburn and the thin black outline his neck and chin.

Giacomo Rimini’s hair is implied by a thin white line.

These paintings were used in newspaper ads and lowbrow places like department stores. Although the posters drew huge crowds, the style of Cugat’s art was considered offensively garish. There was a dispute amongst the art crowd because Cugat and Campanini were “Billing Grand Opera Like a Circus.” Cugat’s next project transitioned from “like a circus” to a very literal carnival.

Francus Cugat’s “Celestial Eyes”

The gauche painting Celestial Eyes graced the dust jacket of the first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Celestial Eyes is the only known book cover created by Cugat. Unlike other cover art of the time, it was created with some collaboration between artist and author prior to the book’s completion. See: NOTE

The line work in Celestial Eyes does not conform to any face, but rolls in currents across the paper. The blocky elements evident in Cugat’s compositions for the opera have been removed. The images in Celestial Eyes are disorienting and fluid. Naked women circ-de-sole in the eyes of a crying woman’s face. Her enigmatic profile is reflected on the water with the riotous 1920s Coney Island. The whole image reads as a scene reflected on water. The painting is titled CELESTIAL Eyes, which seems to imply eyes floating in the sky. I think the “celestial” has more to do with an otherworldly/unobtainable quality. Try to catch the moon by cupping water in your hands.

Cugat’s painting is masterfully suited for The Great Gatsby. Other people would disagree with me, Ernest Hemingway thought the painting, “looked the book jacket for a book of bad science fiction.” Cugat’s art wasn’t artistic enough. There is an identical argument about the new Gatsby film.

circus : new Gatsby movie :: opera : The Great Gatsby book & cover

What is it about The Great Gatsby by its nature, that attracts this contrast between the frivolous arts and arts we perceive as noble? Are we critics “boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past?”

Holly Wist is an artist working in Des Moines. Read about her recent exhibitions, Interjections and Viking Funeral.

5 June 1 Permalink

What’s in a word?

Bart Vargas, Moberg Gallery

May 24th - July 6th

Installation of work by Bart Vargas

Review by Rachel Buse

May 28, 2013

Words. They mean things. We got a dictionary to remind us of those meanings. We also learn meanings from hearing a word in context, attached to a string of others. Depending on how many times we see them printed, written or hear ‘em spoken, their meaning and impact evolves. What’s your favorite word right now? What’s the worst word you can think of?

A year ago, Bart Vargas started painting patterns of dots into shapes we recognize as capitalized letters. The first letters built the words BIG TIME. This piece was on view at Moberg’s 10^th Anniversary show.  After a general positive response, he decided to continue with these paintings. Some of his words are sourced from asking friends for a “word of the day”. From the pool of suggestions, he’ll select which of them should be painted. 

Vargas’s MAYBE FOREVER

MAYBE FOREVER was a request from someone wanting a word painting in honor of getting hitched. When Vargas asked them for which he should paint, they suggested “maybe forever.” And this is what was painted. Vargas said he liked it cause the phrase sounds both “doubtful yet hopeful”. The bride did not find it so charming. The miscommunication in this exchange can be challenged in each word painting. Every word having the opportunity to be interpreted differently, for better or worse. 

Installation of work by Bart Vargas

Vargas’s paint is thick. It’s rubbery. Or like modeling clay. Each and every dot has a bit of body. Vargas got both his BFA and MFA in sculpture, which explains his beefy surface and the physicality of each word. I forgot to ask about his process as we were busy wrestling with the significance of words. The choices he offers in scale and color allows you to be choosy in selecting which word’s meaning associates the most with you.  Which fuck is your favorite? The gold and red one?  Do you wanna small one, a big one, or a repeat fuck? 

Also on view at Moberg, Travis Rices’s three multi-colored shredded paper towers. Walk through this mini forest to the back left to find the word installation.

Travis Rice’s “ACCUMULATION”

28 May 5 Permalink

Zines coming around the bend.

The zine suitcase received a structural upgrade to compensate for the multitude of zines being made.

Event recap from Rachel

May 17, 2013

The Zine Suitcase is headed to Market Day tomorrow. It will also be at next weeks Art Friends event. The price to take some is to make some. Everything in the suitcase is up for grabs. Many new gems were created during March’s Zine Zowee. There are also stickers and a few hand made sketchbooks to be had. 

Layla and her gramps working diligently (right).

Evidence over the social media reveals many participants continuing to zine in their individual lives. Please enjoy some pleasing images from the newest crop of zines and links to the genius makers who made them:

RUA ARNOLD <———DOWNLOAD FULL COLOR PDF

DEREK ARNOLD <———DOWNLOAD FULL COLOR PDF

MICKEY DAVIS

RYAN HANSEN

GOOD KID ROB

JON PEARSON (LEFT), CAT ROCKETSHIP (RIGHT)

LAYLA!

Two high school student contributions from our trip to Lamoni.

AVALAN WILSON

Rob, Derek and Rua! (left to right)

At the next Art Friends event, expect zine making, french press coffee, some art supplies and a room full of makers. Bring works in progress to work on, draw from the figure, make a collage…. How you take advantage of the time is up to you. Hope to see ya. Bring your friends.

FACEBOOK EVENT

17 May 8 Permalink

May snow brings new art shows.

The Polk County Heritage Gallery hosts Thee EYE tomorrow eve. Not to miss!

HI FROM THE ART BEACON. Heads up. Today is the First Friday of May 2013. Also there is an art show at Frame Works opening on Saturday. And a brainstorm about an artist database at Sunday. Please attend, spread the word and respond.

Friday May 3:

5 PM - East Village Craft Crawl

5 PM - Anderson Gallery - Figmentation

6 PM - Brent Westphal

6 PM - Thee EYE - III  A Medley of Sculpture, Light and Canvas

7 PM - Sound Rover: Ramona Muse & Derek Lambert

Saturday May 4:

4 PM - Mesbah’s Light and Color Art Exhibition Opening

Sunday May 5:

3 PM - Centralized Artist Database - First Meeting

Happy artting!

PREVENT PASSIVE RESPONSE. RESPOND TO THE ART YOU SEE. Submit to Art Beacon.

3 May 4 Permalink

Elegance in the Ordinary

Tilly Woodward at Olson-Larsen

April 12 - June 1, 2013

NEST SPOON Oil on archival mat board 11 x 9

Review by Alissa Sheldon

April 29, 2013

April 12, Spring Gallery Night in Valley Junction, found another well-hosted opening at Olson-Larsen Galleries.  The Snacks were playing, the wine was pouring, and the crudités were abundant.  The show, featuring new work from Scott Charles Ross, Sarah Grant, and Tilly Woodward was clearly a success.  As the crowd wandered through the pleasantly meandering gallery, a quiet bottleneck began to form at the first curve.  Here was the work of Tilly Woodward, and it was stopping people in their tracks.

There is something quietly meditative about the work of Woodward.  She takes subjects that the typical viewer may be inclined to dismiss and makes them treasured icons of simpler times - times free of multitasking, text messaging, and racing from one don’t-miss activity to the next.  Everyday subjects – a fish, a spoon, a bird’s nest – are taken out of the hustle and bustle of context and placed elegantly against a vast black field.  In doing so, Woodward calms the eye and gives the viewer an opportunity to focus on the intricacy of each item.  It is easy to fall into a peaceful contemplation of what our eyes and minds often take for granted.

EGGS X2, RUBBER BAND BALL Oil on archival mat board 11 x 9

Woodward cites the Northern Renaissance as an influence, and indeed her treatment of a baseball or a cicada exudes the same reverence as portraits of kings and queens did centuries ago.  The mundane is elevated to nobility.  Of course, Woodward’s use of oil aids in this effect, and she is incredibly adept with the medium.

The petite scale of her work adds to this feeling as well.  That the subjects themselves occupy such a small space gives the impression of gazing at a treasure inside a jewel box, and viewers may be surprised to find themselves seriously considering the symbolic relation of a rubber band ball to an egg.

Whether it is Woodward’s intent or not, perhaps the world needs more of these opportunities to pause, reflect, and just plain breathe.  For the gift of that moment, the crowd at Olson-Larsen thanks her.

29 April 1 Permalink

Apocalypse Maybe

Curtis Poortinga’s “Apocalypse Maybe”, Mars Cafe

April 2013

Ganesh, (Hindu master and remover of obstacles.)

Review by guest contributor Rua Arnold

April 26, 2013

Curtis Poortinga, of Des Moines, is currently exhibiting a colorful and surreal series at Mars Cafe. A modern take on religious and mythical stories, the pieces are a beautifully interesting take on life and death.

The movement, colors and shapes have a very midcentury modern feel, which is very appealing.

My favorite was Apis (perhaps because of sitting below it I got to spend the most time with it). In Egyptian mythology, Apis was a bull deity who represented a king who became a deity after death. The way the bull stares at the viewer almost feels like he’s challenging you — daring you to look away first.

Apis, (egyptian god of fertility, harvest, etc.)

Hades and Persephone, another beautiful piece, shows a modern take on the Greek myth where Persephone was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld. In this instance, they are shown riding a motorcycle with Hades portrayed as a skeleton. Persephone seems unhappy and aware of her fate.

Hades and Persephone

Despite the dark themes in this show, there is joy in each piece. Go to Mars Cafe soon to take joy in these pieces before the exhibit is over.

 —

Rua Arnold is a graphic designer living in downtown Des Moines whose opinions have previously been published on trailerhomepodcast.com. Her work can be found at ruaarnold.com and her blog is at ruaarnold.tumblr.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ruaarnold.

26 April 3 Permalink

Dr. Seuss is an epic badass.

Kavanaugh Art Gallery, Spring Gallery Night in Valley Junction

April 12, 2012

Exterior of Kavanaugh Art Gallery. Photo: Kavanaugh

Response by guest contributor Holly Wist 

April 23, 2013

You didn’t know Dr. Seuss made taxidermy sculptures, did you? Me neither. Reproductions of Dr. Seuss’ Unorthodox Taxidermy are on display at the Kavanaugh Art Gallery in Valley Junction.

In the 1930’s Seuss used horns and beaks from the zoo where his father worked to make sculptural pieces. The creatures look like exotic game mounted and stuffed for a billiard room. (Maybe somebody’s smoking a cigar in there.) The appearance of them makes me wonder, who is shooting Dr. Seuss characters?

Dr. Seuss “Mulberry Street Unicorn” circa 1938, and reproduction

Seuss tackled racism, environmental concerns, and such in his storybooks. I think the confusing, unpleasant deadness of these creatures is intentional. Given the way we treat real animals, Dr. Seuss’ ought naught to be exempt.  Imaginary creatures are thrust into very real circumstances.   

Curiosity about Dr. Seuss’ Unorthodox Taxidermy prompted me to spend the better part of two days on a cyber adventure into the art of taxidermy. Robert Rauschenberg, Damien Hirst, and Berlinde De Bruyckere were noteworthy.

If you’re still hungry for more, “Taxidermy in Art” has a fantastic overview of contemporary artists working with taxidermy. See: http://taxidermy-in-art.tumblr.com/

Holly Wist is an artist working in Des Moines. Read about her recent exhibitions, Interjections and Viking Funeral.

23 April Permalink