November 2011 Archives

Holiday Sale and Open House at the AS220 Cottage Industries! Tuesday, December 6th 6pm to 8 pm

Join us at our first annual AS220 Cottage Industries Holiday Sale on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 from 6pm to 8pm! Members from the Photo, Labs, and Printshop will be present displaying a wide range of work from photo prints, laser cut wares, vinyl cut stickers, and silkscreen, letterpress, and intaglio prints. In addition to the sale, you can make your very own holiday ornament to take home in a free, hands on demonstration which will combine silkscreen printing and laser cutting. Cottage Industry members will be offering tours throughout the evening and will share their experiences at AS220. Come find unique holiday gifts, participate in free demonstrations, and meet new friends at the AS220 Cottage Industries.

Kyle Bryant's exhibition entitled "What's Real and What's Right?" is a statement on how short a month really is. Bryant currently resides in Portland Maine where his time seemingly ran together into an endless stream of days no different than the last. As an artist in residency at AS220 he quickly learned what a month really is. The editions of silkscreen prints and vinyl stickers that he created during his residency are a testament to balance and exploration. More importantly they are works about making work and attempting to accomplish long term goals in a short period of time.

Kyle's work will be on on view Wednesday November 9th from 7 p.m. to 9p.m. at the AS220 Labs at the Mercantile-off Mathewson Street, around the corner from the AS220 Project Space Gallery.

Eighteen years ago, AS220's first permanent home, the Empire Street complex, opened its doors to the public. Perishable Theatre, Groundwerx Dance Company and a group of resident artists joined AS220's galleries and performance space, helping to fill the 21,000 square foot building with creative energy. Together, we helped build the foundation for the City's 1996 establishment of a downtown Arts and Entertainment District.

It is with melancholia, as well as gratitude for their contributions to the creative community and for years of successful partnership, that we announce the dissolution of Perishable Theatre. Following diligent efforts to restructure the company in the face of current economic realities, Perishable has reluctantly concluded that the best, most responsible course of action is to end operations. Under the advisement of consultants and in cooperation with AS220, Perishable Theatre has crafted a strategic plan to transfer the assets and stewardship of 95 Empire to AS220 effective January 2012.

Preserving the vital and unique theatrical resources of the black box theater for the many performance groups that depend on the space has been a central priority both for Perishable, as it ends operations, and for AS220, as it continues to support and encourage vital artistic activity at 95 Empire Street.

AS220 appreciates the unique role played by Perishable as a "research & development theatre", nurturing new arrivals and early career professionals in the performing arts. Over the last 28 years, the Theatre has produced and presented scores of innovative original performances. Perishable was a natural partner to AS220; their work resonated with the organization's mission to provide an unjuried and uncensored space where artists can learn, work, create, produce, and perform their original art. AS220 believes an open forum for performance, where experimentation is part of the mission directly serves artists and the public-at-large while fueling innovation in the arts. It is with this conviction and sincere enthusiasm that AS220 announces the 2012 launch of AS220's newest program, 95 Empire.

The mission of 95 Empire is to offer a home for the activities of diverse individuals and groups working in the field, including and surpassing the role of a presenting venue. 95 Empire will support a core collective of new and emerging companies, while providing affordable education, quality audience experiences, and access to the resources of a theater and dance studio to the community-at-large.

In addition to presentations of original works by resident companies with the 95 Empire Performance Collective, AS220 staff charged with managing the program will coordinate special events and a late-night performance series featuring individual artists, local troupes and itinerate theater and dance groups from around the state. The 95 Empire facilities, which include: classroom space, a black-box theater and a dance studio, will also be made available at affordable rental rates as scheduling permits.

AS220 will also develop and run new educational programs under the umbrella of the 95 Empire Theater Arts School. AS220 plans to offer the entry and intermediate level courses Perishable's Theatre Arts School built its reputation on, while expanding the breadth of 95 Empire's educational programs to include advanced professional development workshops and expert-led intensives. In addition to the regular roster of affordable classes, each resident company in the Collective will create two single-session public workshops per season, which will be offered free-of-charge to underserved members of the community.

You recently moved to Providence to a studio in AS220's Mercantile Block. What led you to Providence and AS220?

I was really interested in finding a community that was supportive of the arts. I had the opportunity to meet some of the staff of AS220 and fell in love with the organization. I've always felt strongly about community-based organizations and I felt inspired by AS220 to follow my dreams on becoming an expressive artist. I have been very impressed with the AS220 staff and community for devoting themselves to an organization that is in support of the larger community as a whole, while not forgetting the ever-special refuge for the artist. I feel very thankful to have been welcomed into this community and hope that I can contribute not only as an artist, but also as a person who really wants to make a difference in this world one photograph or moment at a time.

You have several bodies of work including a series entitled, Dialog with the Homeless shot with a 4x5 camera this past winter in San Francisco. Some of the photographs from the series seem quite intimate and I believe you must have established some amount of trust between yourself and the individuals you were documenting. How did you create that bond between yourself and individuals to create such intimate portraits? What was the origin of this body of work? Did you set out to document the homeless or did the project develop organically from conversations and chance encounters? Did you move to San Francisco that winter expressly to document the homeless?

The homeless project was a challenge. I knew that I was drawn to the homeless in San Francisco from living there in the late 90's. I have always felt a certain amount of isolation as a person, so the main focus of my project was to try to communicate the isolation that these people may feel.... I feel that I have been spiritually homeless for years, so this project was a way to get closer to expressing an aspect of the human condition and perhaps isolation, not only as a person, but also as an artist.

As part of my graduate program, I decided to take advantage of my opportunity as a student to relocate to work under the mentorship of Reagan Louie, who as you may know is a well known documentary fine art photographer. It took me a few months to narrow the focus of my project. I started volunteering in shelters and was searching for a way to get closer to the people that I felt a connection to. My project was really about observing. For months I would go out and just talk with them, sharing a cup of coffee or a cigarette before I even picked up my camera. I tried shooting some 35mm and had thoughts of just focusing on one or two from the street community, but knew that I wanted to get closer, not only photographically but also personally. The 4x5 camera forces me to slow down as a photographer, learning these skills in an intuitive way allows me to focus on the person that is in front of the lens...

To Continue Reading This Interview Click "Read More" at Right

COME THROUGH!!!!! He is an amazing illustrator, check out his work!

It can if you are photographing at the Cupcakerie! Photographic Memory students are photographing for a local business website (which is in-process and not online yet). It has been inspiring to meet local business owners and in this case tasty as well. Cupcakerie owner Kritin Brennan generously gave assistant James Sawyer a sampling of the Cupcakeries artful cupcakes when the shoot was over. Photo Mem program manager Scott Lapham may have eaten some as well....... Yum.

At AS220 Youth's game night we have been playing different single player and multiplayer games, every Thursday! This week we will be playing the new Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The reason we want this game in particular is because of its vast open-ended nature, it's supreme focus on character interaction and weapon design.

In video game class, we've really been focusing on character design; this game should put the importance of good character design and weapon design into perspective. Another reason we want to have this game present at game night is because of its intense focus on single player gameplay, there is no multiplayer. This is also why we've been playing Call of Duty at game night, both games are hugely successful, and each of them is competing for sales.

Through discussion we hope to elaborate on why this is, and what everyone's opinion is about these games. Multiplayer games obviously translate better at game night, but in order to think critically about game design we have to explore elements of single player games.

We're really excited to play Skyrim and it will offer an opportunity to branch out into some more diverse games and really get things going at game night.

Stay tuned for next weeks blog on how it went!

SKYRIM

COD: MW3

This Sunday, Nov.20th AS220 PHOTO invites you to join the conversation for our first Open Critique and Photo Discussion Group! We know there are a lot of photographers out there looking for a place to share and show their work and gain feedback from fellow shutter snappers and lens lookers, and we're excited to provide a supportive and diverse environment for photographers at all levels.


At AS220 Photo, it is our mission and goal to offer opportunities and resources to all artists, and a vibrant and varied community is just one of those resources we can provide! Our hope is that though these monthly, free discussion groups, we can continue to build that community and create connections among local photographers working towards different goals and to gain a better understanding of all the different ways artists use photography to express their ideas.

Join the conversation this Sunday from 1-4pm at AS220 Photo in Mercantile Block studio 207 on 131 Washington St. Ring "207" on the call box. Bring work, bring friends and bring an open mind! We can't wait to see you and learn more about all the amazing art you are making!


In the meantime, AS220 Photo also has a slew of classes coming up this winter. This is just a sample, but visit AS220's online store for class details and descriptions or contact photo@as220.org for more info.

Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011
1-4pm / FREE
Open Photo Critique / Discussion Group
One Session Workshop

Wednesday, Nov.23, 2011
7-10pm/ $45
Alternative Process Vol.3: Gum Bichromate
One Session Workshop

Wednesday, Nov.30, 2011
6-9pm / $50
Photo Restoration
One Session Workshop

Sunday, Dec.4, 2011
12-4pm / $40
Digital SLR Workshop
One Session Workshop

Thursday, Dec.8, 2011
7-10pm / $50
Introduction to the 35mm Camera
Workshop Session 1 of 2

Saturday, Dec.10, 2011
12-4pm / $50
Introduction to Studio Lighting
One Session Workshop

Saturday, Dec.10, 2011
5-8pm / $75
Introduction to the Black and White Darkroom
Workshop Session 1 of 2

Sunday, Dec.18, 2011
1-4pm / FREE
Open Photo Critique / Discussion Group
One Session Workshop

Game night at AS220 Youth has been experimenting with different types of games since it's recent reboot. We started with a simple goal, combine game night with our game design class! Since then we've played some of the latest and greatest games out there.

It was our goal to turn a fun Thursday night gathering of friends into a gathering of minds that can think critically about games. We've made several improvements to our night, such as upgrading a Nintendo Wii to an Xbox 360, opening a Gamefly account, and purchasing 2 key games. The first of those 2 is Plants V.S. Zombies, a flash favorite.

Plants V.S. Zombies is all about strategically placing specific plants(who have different attack moves) from a huge list, which are unlocked after each round and using them to defeat the ever-stalwart zombie horde. Since we first tried Plants V.S. Zombies at game night it has become a studio favorite! Most of us love the skills and the challenge presented to protect your house from a zombie invasion. Beyond that, the effects and sounds make the game both funny and entertaining.

Another game we have been playing is Castle Crashers. The first night we played we had 4 controllers, and we just went off! The game speaks for itself, the pure simplicity of wailing away demented minions of lore. Games like these are always entertaining and in a group setting, that energy translates really well.

When I asked the attendees if they would play castle crashers at home, most said yes! Still we had some who were hesitant. Stating that "it might not be everlasting fun, but it's still entertaining."

I used these 2 games to give a small-scale example of how single player games can be just as fun as multiplayer games. I am currently conducting a similar yet much heavier discussion between 2 behemoth massive game titles comparing multiplayer and single player games.

Stay tuned!

-Mike

CASTLE CRASHERS

PLANTS VS ZOMBIES