Cynthia Hopkins

March 2002 through May 2002

Cynthia will continue work on an operetta titled "Beyond the Beyond (a good old-fashioned thriller)", and bring it to fruition. She has already done two work-in-progress showings of material from this operetta at the Phat Tuesday series curated by Boo Froebel at Dixon Place in New York City and Galapagos in Brooklyn.

The piece will be a meditation on the mystery of the memory function of the brain, that will weigh the romanticization of heritage against the merits of a knowledge of one¹s history, and will celebrate the possibility of self-creation in opposition to one¹s roots and in spite of crippling past experience. The general themes of memory, heritage, and possibilities for change in one¹s identity will be explored through the story of a woman who suffers from severe memory loss and embarks on an investigation of her own history, only to find it might be better left un-remembered. Her adventures begin when, while investigating the mystery of the screening process of the memory in an age of ever-increasing sensory input, she uses herself as a case study and accidentally undergoes a mystical transformation into an entirely new, unrecognizable person, thereby finding herself at the center of a web of intrigue, suspicion and unexpected glory.

Read more about Cynthia Hopkins.

Jim Finnerty

September 2001 through December 2001

In September of 2001, Jim Finnerty arrived from San Francisco to serve as AS220's third Artist-in-Residence. Jim constructed handcrafted, one-of-a-kind musical instruments for the use of the Broad Street Studio's orchestra. Many longtime AS220 associates will remember Jim from the eighties and early nineties, when he was a leader in AS220's development and a regular performer as part of Meatballs/ Fluxus.

Two instruments were created: One Very Large Gong, and One Very Large Fully Chromatic End-struck Tube Instrument constructed of PVC. Both are sculptural instruments that seek to easily engage people into the experience of ensemble music making.

Meanwhile, research, development and location searches continue for two mixed-media sculptures: The Digital Sisyphus, an actualized version of the Greek myth updated for the 21st century, and The Sousaphountain, a brass band instrument transformed into a exploding fountain that pays homage to the March King.

Read more about Jim Finnerty.

Scotty "the Blue Bunny" Grabell

May 2001 through July 2001

In May of 2001, Scotty the Blue Bunny arrived on Empire Street for a three month residency. Rhode Islanders know him as a member of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, but Scotty is s fixture throughout the New York City late night variety performance scene, with appearances at The Va Va Voom Room, The Blue Angel Cabaret, The Murray Hill Show, The Slipper Room and The Red Vixen Burlesque on his resume.

When not in clubland, Scotty can be found running with the theater crowd. His monologues, movement, violin playing, social theory, point-making, philosophy, and social reform have all been expressed at reputable spaces like PS122, Dixon Place, and Here. His most recent project of note was as appointed Mentor to choreographer Julie Atlas Muz for her original ensemble work LOVE, GUTS (cha cha cha), commissioned by the Joyce Foundation and performed at PS122.

Scotty is looking forward to using his stay to further his plans for global bunny domination. Step one includes establishing Scotty the Blue Bunny's Drag Queen Stitch and Bitch, a weekly sewing circle in which the glamour-minded may create fantasy garb. Scotty is his own propmaster and seamstress and has a lot of practical knowledge to share, and he hopes the sewing circle will serve as a place for people to bond, discuss hyper-identities, and then construct them. Hopefully there will be a fashion show and photo exhibit will result from this project. Step two will an original one man show: The residency is an excellent opportunity for Scotty to focus and craft a feature length solo performance, something that has eluded Scotty for a number of years. Audiences may expect costume changes, songs, movement, spiel and random acts of decoration, total gayness, a little bellydancing, and more. Scotty's residency is the second in a series that is funded in part by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund.

For more about Scotty Grabelll, visit www.scottybunny.com.

Jay Critchley

January 2001 through April 2001

Jay is a writer, performer and visual artist who uses a fine-tuned wit and irreverence to tackle a wide range of social issues. Jays resume includes Miss Tampon Liberty, a replica of the Statue of Liberty constructed out of tampon applicators that washed up on East Coast beaches, and Septic Space, a theatre and art gallery housed in a septic tank in overdeveloped Provincetown Massachusetts. His solutions to creative challenges can be controversial and hilarious, but he never fails to make his message clear.

For more about Jay Critchley, visit www.tiac.net/users/reroot.