CONVERSATIONS SCHEDULE AND DESCRIPTIONS FOR 2008/2009
ME AND MY IDEAS with Andrew Sloan
Saturday, November 15, 10 am - 2 pm
Andrew Sloan is an artist who has taught workshops that are designed to unlock the creative process, and to see the world around us as full of inspiration. Participants will create a self-portrait utilizing found objects from the area, and whatever else is available in the Top Drawer studio. The workshop will consist of an introduction to the philosophy of Top Drawer, a demonstration of ideas and techniques from Andrew, followed by independent gathering of materials and artmaking in the studio alongside the artists of Top Drawer, and ending with a formal group presentation. Workshop fee is $40/person. Contact seamush@lifeincri.org to RSVP.
RUMBA CUBANA with Evans Manuel Molina Fernandez
Saturday, December 13th, 4 pm - 6 pm
Evans is an artist who's taught workshops that combine painting, dance, and performance into one joyful, physically expressive experience that is both culturally enlightening and recreational. Participants in the workshop will learn the basic history of rumba and how to interpret the rhythms of the conga with the body, how to use paint to create visual interpretations of their experience, combined with the opportunity to work alongside the acclaimed artists of Top Drawer Art Center. Workshop fee is $40/person. Contact seamush@lifeincri.org to RSVP. www.afrocubanevans.com
RESURRECTING AND RECYCLING: THE ART OF MOSAIC with Cindy Kelly
Saturday, January 10, 12 pm - 4 pm
Cindy Kelly, former owner of Mixed Media Gallery, is an accomplished visual artist whose primary medium is the ancient art of Mosaic. Cindy will introduce the different processes used by mosaic artists, and give an overview of the possibilities inherent in the medium. Along with the artists of Top Drawer who will also attend, participants will be asked to bring in broken china plates, beads, bits of mirror, and any other small found objects you can imagine to make your project unique. Workshop fee is $40/person. Contact seamush@lifeincri.org to RSVP.
DIRECT DRAW MOVIE COLLABORATION with Leif Goldberg
Saturday, February 21, 2 pm - 6 pm
Leif Goldberg, co-founder of the legendary Providence-based newspaper Paper Rodeo, is an artist whose expertise extends from drawing and printing to the film arts. In this workshop, be part of an amazing collaborative project with Leif and the artists of Top Drawer in an experimental film. Leif will bring in blank film, each cell of which participants will draw on and fill in, to create a moving painting which will then be premiered at the end of the workshop set to music from members of the Top Drawer Band. Workshop fee is $40/person. Contact seamush@lifeincri.org to RSVP.
WRITING FOR FILM with Leigh Medeiros
Saturday, March 21, 2009
11 am – 2 pm
Leigh Medeiros, of Silver Wing Script Services, is an accomplished filmmaker and screenwriter. In this special screenwriting workshop, participants will be taught the basic concept of putting thoughts into words into pictures, and what a professional Hollywood script looks like. Join the artists of Top Drawer in pairing off to complete one scene written by Top Drawer artists with assistance from public participants. Workshop fee is $40/person. Contact seamush@lifeincri.org to RSVP. www.silverwingscripts.com
DRAWING IN THE AIR with CW Roelle
Saturday, April 18, 2009
12 pm – 2 pm
Providence artist CW Roelle’s beautifully intricate, three-dimensional wire drawings are in many public and private collections around the world. Join the artists of Top Drawer in receiving a demonstration and basic lesson in his technique. Workshop fee is $40/person. Contact seamush@lifeincri.org to RSVP. www.cwroelle.com
MAKE/SHIFTS: Raiding The Lumberyard with Jon Laustsen
Saturday, May 16, 2009
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
with special reception 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Showing through May 29, 2009
Jon Laustsen's hand-built installationsturn the real-world materials and methods of home construction into differently-familiar landscapes, falling somewhere between children's building toys and basement-dwelling train-town replicas.In this workshop, Jon will lead a group project in which the artists of Top Drawer and members of the community will assemble structures built from his specially-provided materials and contribute to a collaborative construction, to be unveiled at a special reception. Workshop fee is $40/person. Contact seamush@lifeincri.org to RSVP. www.jonlaustsen.wordpress.com
MONOPRINTING OURSELVES with Jessica Gonacha
Saturday, June 20, 2009
1 pm - 5 pm
Jessica Gonacha is a painter, patternmaker, designer, and illustrator, whose colorful work reminds us that the only thing we need to take seriously in life is joy. Join Jessica and the artists of Top Drawer in a special workshop, where participants will work on a self-portrait through the process of monoprinting. Workshop fee is $40/person. Contact seamush@lifeincri.org to RSVP. www.jessgonacha.com
FLIGHT OF FANCY with Sasha Wiseman
Saturday, July 18, 2009
1 pm - 4 pm
Without any formal training in film, Sasha Wiseman has created improvisational, experimental videos that have been screened everywhere from AS220 to the MOMA. Join her and the artists of Top Drawer in creating a movie from scratch, to be screened at the end of the workshop. Workshop fee is $40/person. Contact seamush@lifeincri.org to RSVP. www.dirtpalace.org
AND WE DREW A CITY TOGETHER: PARTICIPATORY CITY BUILDING WITH COLLAGED STICKERS
with Andrew Oesch and Meg Turner
Saturday, August 22, 2009
5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
This project is about authorship of our communities- about dictating our environment through individual desire and group effort. At times this is harmonious, driven by planning discourse and collaboration; cohesive communities creating their visions. At other times the process of authorship is dis-orderly- overlapping and effacing one desire with another; strangers working independently. We are here to put these conflicting desires into action.
What is this event gonna look like?
When you walk in someone is going to say "hello." You will be given a sheet of instructions and a pile of stickers. On the wall there will be a big map with empty streets and over to one side there will be a craft table with scissors and markers. The stickers will consist of drawings of architectural elements and complete buildings. You and the artists of Top Drawer will have the job of cutting, coloring, augmenting, collaging, and placing the stickers onto the map. Together we will navigate the tension between our individual dreams and shared resources. Before you leave, the city historian will take your picture so you and your constructions are remembered forever.
Oh, did we mention that the sheet of instructions is going to be a beautiful letter pressed print that you get to keep?
What do you need to do to prepare?
Think about your ideal city. Think about the one you live in. Come ready to play and explore with friends and strangers.
Workshop fee is $40/person. Contact seamush@lifeincri.org to RSVP.
IMPROVISATIONAL PATCHWORK with Denyse Schmidt
Saturday, September 19, 2009
12 pm - 4 pm
Denyse Schmidt is a quilt artist and designer whose staggering resume includes a line of quilts sold through Crate & Barrel and Sundance catalogs, as well as paper goods published by Chronicle Books. Join her and the artists of Top Drawer in this special textile workshop designed to bring out your improvisational instincts in creating your own unique patchwork projects. Workshop fee is $40/person. Contact seamush@lifeincri.org to RSVP. www.dsquilts.com
MASKMAKING with C.F.
Saturday, November 7th, 2009, 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.
C.F. is a Providence-based artist and musician, with comic books published by PictureBox Inc., and noise albums released by Load Records under the name “Kites”. Join him and the artists of Top Drawer for a special handmade maskmaking session. $40 suggested donation, contact seamush@lifeincri.org to reserve your spot! www.pictureboxgallery.org (At our NEW LOCATION!! 16 Cutler St. (in the Cutler Mills complex), Warren, RI.)
CONVERSATIONS is made possible by The Ocean State Charities Trust and The Fogarty Foundation.