Top Drawer E-Newsletter 8.21.09

Hello Everyone!

Remember, tomorrow is our next CONVERSATIONS workshop, 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 disorderly- 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 (suggested donation).

Thanks to everyone who attended the opening reception for Beyond Will Power: The 5th Annual Top Drawer Group Show! It was a great success, and always is a great moment when so many artists come together to celebration their year's achievements. For those who missed the opening, you still have until September 4th to see the show. Pick up a copy of the Providence Phoenix to see Greg Cook's article about the show, or go online to read it here.

We have a very busy September coming up, as the month starts off with an exhibition featuring a collaborative project between photographer Nathan Fitch and the artists of Top Drawer Art Center. Nathan, a former staff member at Top Drawer, spent his time here slowly developing a body of work based on the artists. After moving to New York, he sent us prints of his portraits and requested the artists take theirs and embellish, paint, draw, or otherwise decorate it. The result is Double Vision, and will be at AS220's Main Gallery, 115 Empire St., Providence. The opening reception is Sunday, September 13th, 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. (The show will hang from September 4 - September 26).

Stay tuned for the final list of artists who will be participating in Double Vision, and also for the other events for Top Drawer this September!

Until then, keep on supporting the arts!