The Art Collective

After three days in the CDEx Gallery, this note was sent to participants the evening of May 15:

A quick note to say Tuesday is likely going to be a key day in the process of this show. Several UQAM fine arts students are very serious about getting involved, one has done two collaborative events in the past with us at Café des arts (Mathieu Lacroix), one was at this year’s event in March, a third came back after checking out our website following a conversation he had with Sylvain and I on Saturday. Mathieu, who started a collective, attended our collaborative event in March 2005 at UQAM's Café des arts.

These are serious artists and moving into this new level of collaboration in this show will be a fascinating experience as our large-scale projects draw in new talent and energy.

In terms of the ongoing process, Guest Curator Juliana España Keller came to gallery today and made the official first mark on our found objects that have been painted with gesso. She was very pleased with how each of the projects is moving forward.

The mural: David King completed the top of the tree, Judith Brisson added a second tree on left. Marisa Hoicka has worked on a new smaller mural with Angeliki, David and Robert in it as we were working at the gallery today.

Found objects: Angeliki Gketsou has started a complex drawing on one umbrella, added coats of gesso to objects. Her hard work, along with that of Céline Lapointe, in applying gesso has given our found objects a purity of surface that will assist the drawing process.

François Morelli’s drawings: several have been coloured by visitors and by Robert Winters.

Sylvain Vachon worked on the roll of stonehenge paper drawing after Marisa began drawing on it, followed by Robert. A visiting painter who studied at Rome’s Ecole des beaux-arts worked on it for 90 minutes. Piece is black and white, with varying washes of black ink, as suggested by Juliana.

Using acetates and the overhead projector, Céline drew two images on separate walls, one an animal-like image and the other food symbols near table where our food is placed.

After discussion Monday, we want to put names of the curating team of artists on the wall, with the Detour title, discussion of where to put this continues.

Juliana has done a very good press release. Céline’s sandwich warmer has been very useful for making cheese sandwiches. And Judith’s hard work in providing an overhead projector for two days is much appreciated, we have very strong images anchoring our murals that have already drawn very favourable reaction from artists visiting the gallery. I think the strength of the mural images and the process of our show have made a favourable impression; today, we were given a key for the gallery, making for easier access.

Finally, Sylvain shot images for a video he is doing about the movements of a brush, inspired from the roll of paper drawing at the CDEx gallery. Céline assisted with this video project.

Images of our progress are in photo section of our gallery.

Posted by Robert W at 02:21 PM | Permalink

This is the press release for The Art Collective's CDEx show. The poster for the show can be seen in the Photos section of our website. Thanks to Juliana Espana Keller for her assistance in curating the ground-breaking Detour show and collaborating with us in its execution.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
For more information please CONTACT:
Robert Winters | robertwinters@videotron.ca

THE ART COLLECTIVE is pleased to announce
DETOUR
Montréal, Québec
CDEx Gallery
à UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal), Pavillon Judith-Jasmin, JR-930
405 Ste. Catherine St. E.

Url: www.theartcollective.net

Dates: 13. 05 – 19. 05 | 2006
Opening Hours: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Closing party: Friday | 19. 05. 2006 | 16:00h – 20:00h

Opening May 13th, 2006, and in process through May 19 th, 2006, in the CDEx gallery of UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal); The Art Collective presents: DETOUR.

This experimental laboratory centers upon the concept of creating fieldwork in a visible open studio as ‘the art collective’. The key element is to create a critical awareness of the collective’s production process by turning its internal mechanism inside out.
This weeklong event provides the collective the ability to present and articulate their concerns through interaction with the public and the local art community. The links that are formed through the medium of drawing are being developed through collaboration and evolution of the medium in relation to object making or works related to the body and identity.
The gallery’s physical visibility to a street level audience is vital in attracting the public to come into the gallery and create with the artists involved; a wall mural, drawing on gessoed “found objects”, a connect the dots art work and more……in fact everybody is invited to participate in the unfolding process…..

UQAM has generously provided the graduate student gallery as an adopted site for this investigation and for the duration of one week. Other associations from the art community invited by the collective are encouraged participating and fusing with the collective process. As well, collaboration in this project with artists affiliated with UQAM’s fine arts program is an important link in the collaborative process of creation.

For additional information and please contact:
Robert Winters | robertwinters@videotron.ca
THE ART COLLECTIVE - www.theartcollective.net
Montréal, Québec
CDEX Gallery
à UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal), Pavillon Judith-Jasmin, JR-930
405 Ste. Catherine St. E.

Runs from 13. 05 – 19. 05 | 2006
Opening Hours: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Closing party: Friday | 19. 05. 2006 | 16:00h – 21:00

Posted by Robert W at 09:36 PM | Permalink

Our show May 13 to 20 at UQAM’s CDEx gallery is shaping up to be an exciting event as we present our collaborative process in a high profile street level space at the northeast corner of St. Denis and Ste. Catherine Sts.

Our poster/invite by Design specialist Angeliki Gketsou is very strong and the curatorial process for the show, led by Guest Curator Juliana España Keller, has taken us to the Detour theme in which the inside of our process is what becomes outside through the CDEx show. The curating team for the show includes Judith Brisson, Angeliki Gketsou, Marisa Hoicka, David King, Céline Lapointe, Sylvain Vachon and Robert Winters. Other artists expected to be involved include: painter Stephanie Reynolds, lead curator for our Strings show in April and co-ordinator of the Drawing Table project at the VAV Gallery in March; and Concordia painting graduate Janice Taylor.

We will have a mural painting project, led by Collective founding member David King. There will be drawing sculptures and a connect the dots activity. We are looking for found objects such as an old table, chairs and umbrellas to paint black and white. Objects such as board games will also be brought in. Any objects that can be brought in would be much appreciated. Starting Saturday May 13, we’ll be at the CDEx gallery each day from 1 to 5, until May 20.

http://julianaespanakeller.com

We are also working on a collaborative project for the CDEx show with Montreal artist François Morelli, an adviser to The Art Collective since its founding in 2004, is starting a three-week intensive collaborative art making studio session in Victoria with an undergraduate class. This would involve online collaboration with the class during the show, in real time, as the CDEx gallery has an Internet connection.

To find out more about François Morelli, a Concordia Studio Arts professor:

http://cjournal.concordia.ca/journalarchives/2006-07/jan_26/006067.shtml

2) Monica Eckert’s work at Animation Extravaganza: tonight at 6 p.m. at the Hall Auditorium: You are invited to Animation Extravaganza, an end-of-year screening of animated work that includes a piece by Collective member Monica Eckert.

Monica’s piece, called Passages, explores how we deal with death and the rituals that we create to mark the transition for the deceased and the ones left behind. It focuses on the importance of these rituals celebrated and witnessed by the community.

Animation Extravaganza!
Monday, May 8th 6:00 pm
The Hall Auditorium
Henry F. Hall Building
H-110, 1455 de Maisonneuve West

3) Holly King’s show: If you’re down in the Sherbrooke area, don’t miss Montreal artist Holly King’s show, Twisted Roots, at the Galerie d’Art of Université de Sherbrooke., which continues until June 4. Holly, an adviser to the collective, curated a selection of the collaborative work shown in our Strings show in April.

Robert Winters, co-ordinator of The Art Collective
robertwinters@videotron.ca

check out new images in gallery:

http://gallery.theartcollective.net

Posted by Robert W at 02:50 PM | Permalink

Welcome to the website of The Art Collective, a group of artists based in Montreal who are experimenting with collaborative art-making, with sometimes surprising results. The Art Collective works in collaboration with the Studio Arts department of Concordia University's Faculty of Fine Arts. The group also is co-sponsored by the university's Fine Arts Student Alliance.

What we do: Each piece of artwork we produce involves the work of several artists working in turn, adding layers of meaning and expression.

Collaboration, risk and reward: It can take a substantial amount of trust to turn over artwork you've just completed to somebody else who can, for example, take the piece in a completely different direction, if that seems warranted. But that's just part of the collaboration process, which involves setting aside some of the traditional ideas surrounding art and artists. One of these involves the idea of the individual artist as genius, an idea that was popular in some circles during the Renaissance. In collaborative art-making, each artist tries to build on what is already on the page, amplifying or clarifying what is there.

Who we are: The Art Collective operates in collaboration with the Studio Arts Department of Concordia University's Faculty of Fine Arts, which is known as one of the leading art schools in Canada. We do much of our work in one of Studio Arts' drawing studios and receive advice from faculty members who are professional artists with strong careers in the art world. Student members of the group bring their own artistic preoccupations and the latest techniques and thinking coming from their classroom experiences. Other members of the group are professional artists who wish to remain in contact with the art-school milieu.

Links with other collectives: We are interested in exchanging ideas with other art collectives in Canada and elsewhere, with the goal of exploring the potential for collaborative art-making, both within our group and with other collectives.

Posted by Robert W at 04:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)