Detroit Field Trip - Part 1: Swoon

Instagram is one of my main tools for discovery.  There comes a time though that photo glimpses on a 3" screen cease to be enough:  curiousity takes over; buses, trains, and accommodations are booked; bags are packed, and just like that, it's off to Detroit on a solo art field trip to experience Calendonia Curry - aka Swoon's work as it was meant to be - in immersive 1:1 scale.

The first stop was the beautiful Detroit Institute of Art, where Swoon's Thalassa hangs overhead in the Woodward Ave foyer, just beyond the Grand Hall until March 2017.  The 20ft tall piece is grace and strength and triumph and an invitation to look up, up, up.  Originally conceived for the NOLA Museum of Art, Thalassa was inspired by New Orleans' ties to the sea, humanity's relationships to water and the natural world, and her Greek goddess namesake, who is mother of all the sea creatures flowing from her fabric and handcut paper tentacles. Given the recent narratives of the two cities where Thalassa's been shown, more than anything else she spoke to me of optimism and resilience.

The next day I visited The Library Street Collective, where Swoon's The Light After solo show is on view until November 26th. While the sun shone gloriously and bathed Thalassa in beautiful light at the DIA, the weather was much more somber (really, downright wet and dreary) when I made my way to the downtown gallery. The mood was set perfectly though, for a show that deals with the transition between life and death, Swoon's research on shared- (by friends, family, and caregivers of the dying), and near-death experiences, and her own experience of her mother's passing.

The immersive installation takes viewers on a journey from the gallery's Library St front room -- a reconstruction of a dream and the calm Swoon experienced during the moments of her mother's passing; through a dark tunnel -- a space often recollected by those who had been resuscitated from near-death; and finally a bright meadow in the gallery's Belt Alley annex -- the imagined Light After: a warm, welcoming place where those who have been near-death commonly recall moving towards, but of course are called back to the world of the living and never reach.

Turning the corner from the tunnel to be welcomed by this last figure was one of the most disarming moments of the exhibit.  He emanated such incredible kindness;  looking at him I completely felt what Swoon meant when she referred to her works as "vessels of empathy" - I wanted to know his story and it felt like he could care deeply about mine.  Although the exhibit drew on experiences and research surrounding death and dying, it was also easy to appreciate the journey from the stance of life's own difficulties and darkness.  To surround visitors in warmth and have this guy waiting to greet them just beyond the jagged dark was such a wonderful, hopeful thing.  

Beyond the artistry of her portraits, Swoon's use of space and scale and place are reasons to go experience her work in real life if you can.  West coast friends - one of her pieces will be in the Juxtapoz Superflat exhibit at the VanArt Gallery starting November 5th. If you can make it out to Detroit (go!!) her work can be found at the DIA until March 19th 2017, as a large scale public mural on the corner of Jefferson St. and Manistique Ave,  and at the Library Street Collective until November 26th.

Give Your Gifts - a Small Worlds Raffle

This Sunday I'll be celebrating the closing of my SMALL WORLDS solo show at the Manx, and I thought I'd use the night to give a little, and then give some more.

Last winter when a typhoon hit my home island of Mindoro in the Philippines, I was touched by friends and colleagues who let me know that they'd made donations for aid to the Red Cross. Now, the disaster brought on by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti is weighing heavy on my consciousness, and I realize that I have an opportunity to give much more than I could have expected to on my own.

As I've learned, monetary donations are the most effective way to help in disaster situations. To that end, I'll be selling raffle tickets for two original collages and collecting donations for Haitian relief efforts during the closing night of my show.  All of the money raised will be donated to a Haitian-based organization called Ayiti Resurrect.  Beyond raising money to directly assist communities to restore food security (incredibly urgent as the hurricane has ravaged farms and crops) and rebuild damaged homes, Ayiti is also identifying effective, grassroots, Haitian led organizations and will be distributing funds to each of those efforts. You can learn more about Ayiti's Hurricane Matthew campaign, and donate if you're able.

Raffle tickets will be 1 for $2, or 4 for $5 (remember to bring your small change!), and I'll be picking out a winner for each piece on Monday morning.  The finissage takes place at the Manx on Sunday October 16th, beginning at 9pm.  If you'd like a facebook reminder, the event details can be found here.  

Looking forward!

Cornucopia

It's been a fruitful summer of consistent, thoughtful making.  Here's where you can catch me or my work this fall: 

• Teaching a workshop at Possible Worlds on Thursday October 20th.
  Breaking news from shop/art space co-owner Melanie Yugo: the workshop has entirely sold out (nearly within 24 hours of being announced)!!  I'm so grateful to everyone who signed up.  If all goes well, another workshop around Christmas or New Year's is a possibility.  I'll do my best to make sure this is a hit so we can have another.  'Till then, make sure to follow Possible Worlds on facebook to be the first to hear about cool workshops (collage and otherwise) and brilliant art shows.
   
• In the company of six other fantastic local collage artists in my curated show as part of Chinatown Remixed until October 29th
  Curating Improbable Treasures is something I'm incredibly proud of. Seven artists, a spectrum of approaches to collage, a cheeky theme pulled from Patti Smith's M-Train, and a carefully chosen venue in the heart of Chinatown.  The opening was last weekend, but you have until the 29th to catch the show inside Little Latin America (764 Somerset St W). Store hours are 10-6 Monday to Saturday; closed Sundays.
   
• On the walls of one of the best places in Ottawa: The Manx! 
  A week before hanging the group show for Remixed, I hung Small Worlds at the Manx.  It's a solo show of collage explorations created over the summer, most of which dig into my architecture school roots.  It's on until October 16th, and I do hope you'll come join me for a drink that night for the show's closing (there was just too much happening in September to have an opening!). I'll update with a proper event page in the coming days.
  
  I'm going into October feeling pretty accomplished and really proud in the work I put out.  I hope you get a chance to check out these three very different venues and enjoy the exhibits (I'd love to hear what you think!). Now that all this work is out in the world, it's back to cutting and pasting and dreaming up projects for the new year.

A very emerging artist's guide to putting on an art show

1. Make art.  Daily. Be prolific. Make it for the process- not all of it will be fit to show, but it will all be of value.
2. Share your work.  Use social media and all the hashtags - instagram's the best for this.  After you share yours, follow and genuinely support other artists.  
3. Make artist friends.  Go to their openings, check out their shows. Share their shows on social media.
4. Find out who the curators are. Get to know them.  Submit to calls for art.  An offer to show will come your way (be prolific, share your work, make connections).
5. Confirm a show date. Make more work.  Try different themes, subjects and approaches if you have the freedom to do so, or turn your focus to specific show themes/ mediums/ subjects.
   
   A couple weeks/days before the show
6. Edit down your work.  Look for emergent themes.  If it's a solo show, think of a title.  Don't try to be too clever.
7. If possible, scan your paperworks so you won't have to deal with trying to document them after they're behind glass.
8. Start collecting frames.  If you've got a bit of a budget, support your local framer - chances are they'll have discounts for artists, and they will have to know-how to make your pieces shine.  If your budget's more miniscule like mine, hit up local thrift shops and look for the best quality frames that have been donated - you might have to visit more than one shop to find enough frames. Keep your standards high. Another option is Ikea. Their Ribba series is classic. Either way, make sure to check the glass for chips and scratches. When you get home with your frames, clean both sides of the glass.
9. Start framing.  I discard any mats that come with the frames because there's no guarantee that it's acid free.  Since I don't own a mat cutter and my Bainbridge cutting days ended with architecture school, I use cold pressed watercolour paper as a background and float my pieces on top (purchase some archival acid-free tape).  I trust my eye to get things centered, but use my drafting triangles to make sure things are level.
10. Lay all the pieces out and start grouping and arranging them.
11. Record the dimensions of each piece and think of titles and prices.  Create a price list.
12.  Document each piece if you haven't already.  Take shots of the pieces on their own, and with props for styled shots to share on social media.
13. Get social.  You'll need graphics for a facebook (make an event for the show opening/ closing), instagram/twitter, and a hardcopy poster. Get business cards made to leave at the venue.  Decide if postcards are worth while.  Beyond your social circle, make sure your invitations get to everyone you'd like to see your work: gallery owners, curators, fellow artists, editors...
14. Visit your venue to familiarize yourself with their hanging system and gather the appropriate tools. If you're unsure ask the curator.
    
    The day before:
15. Pack up your pieces.  I use cheap kraft paper or newsprint in between each piece to prevent scratching.
16. Pack the gear you'll need for hanging: nails, hammer, level, glass cleaner, HB pencil, camera, tripod.
17. Print your poster and price list
18. Write out this guide as a means of trying not to forget anything crucial. Rest a bit.  Think or sketch out pieces you'd like to make but are currently too tired to do so. Be proud of the work you've done.

My latest series Small Worlds goes up at the Manx tomorrow.  Very excited, very tired.

There's truth in this

"At our best and most fortunate we make pictures because of what stands in front of the camera, to honor what is greater and more interesting than we are. We never accomplish this perfectly, though in return we are given something perfect--a sense of inclusion. Our subject thus redefines us, and is part of the biography by which we want to be known."

-Robert Adams Why People Photograph

Featured!

Rob Haggart's @aphotoeditor instagram account shows off promo material from professional photographers and has been a source of inspiration for a while now.  When I was finally ready so print my own promo of my faisons-ici photos, Rob was at the top of the mailing list.  Weeks after I sent my package on its way, I was so stoked to see my work on his feed:

Beyond the psych of having my work featured along with some very very talented people, it was really, really interesting to see which pages of my book caught Rob's eye.  I wish I could pick his brain about what made these images stand out a little more, but he's a busy guy who gets lots of mail.  I'll have to dig for clues in his very helpful blog instead.

If you're curious, head over to Blurb to flip through my photobook online! I loved designing and laying out the book as much as I enjoyed taking the photos, and I'd love to create more books! Get in touch if you'd like your photos printed in book form.

Love is love

What a joy to photograph E&R's wedding ceremony!  It was my first time in a temple, my first Jewish ceremony, and my first LGBTQ wedding.  Between shots I was pretty taken by the beauty of the ancient traditions being brought to life, and in how loved and supported the grooms were by their friends and family.  R's older brother and his wife deserve special credit for planning and carrying out the day (and asking me to come photograph it ;), and for making the grooms feel so clearly accepted, safe, and celebrated.  This wedding was so much about what it means to be a family, and I'm so grateful I was asked to capture the beauty of it all.

All the best to these two grooms - mazel tov!

CALL FOR ARTISTS!

This is my second year on the Chinatown Remixed organizing committee, and I've been given an opportunity to curate my own pop-up art show in one of the neighbourhood's unique spaces.

Knowing that there are a few collage artists in this city whose work I admire, I'm putting out a call for either digital or analog collage art that fits the show's title IMPROBABLE TREASURES (thank you Patti Smith for putting those words together in M Train).  Existing pieces and/or proposals for new work will be accepted for display from September 24th-October 29th 2016, with the big festival vernissage on September 24th.

To submit, send a brief introduction to you/ your work, 4-5 sample images and links to your portfolio/ artistic online presence to hello [at] kristinacorre [dot] com, subject: Improbable Treasures proposal.  Deadline: Friday August 12, 11:59 PM

This'll be the first of my collage-related adventures for the fall.  More art announcements to come :)

Oooh, and for artists of other media/ forms - Remixed's general call for submissions is open until August 5th!  Please do submit proposals for your own exhibit/ performance/ installation for this month-long celebration of art in Chinatown!

Take nothing but memories

The time I shot a fashion show

So much fun being my wallflower self backstage at the Humura  Fashion Benefit in 2013.