social practice

Public Radio

Artists Talk with LVA: November 25, 2022

Squallis Puppeteers celebrates its 25th anniversary and Nora Christensen & Shawn Hennessey talk about that history with us. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com Thursdays at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

Squallis Puppeteers has existed for twenty-five years and has always been dedicated to handmade and homespun. We have been making puppets, performing, and teaching children (and adults) in Louisville, Kentucky since 1997.

In 2003, Squallis Puppeteers Inc. became a nonprofit 501c-3 organization.

Our mission is to use the art of puppetry to free imaginations, create fantastic characters, and tell the stories that are important to our community.

Squallis is recognized as a positive and important part of the Louisville community, telling stories that challenge viewers to think, while reflecting values of citizenship, empathy, and collaboration.

Squallis has two full-time staff, Nora Christensen and Shawn Hennessey, who conduct most of the educational programs and two-person performances.

Public Radio

Artebella On The Radio: December 10

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This week we will be speaking with Remi about her latest project, the ISEEU Mobile Platform. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM, or stream on Artxfm.com Thursdays at 10 am to hear Keith Waits talk with artists.

Tara Remington (Remi) is an American Multi-Media 2D/3D Artist whose processes include: public art, installation, printmaking, drawing, photography, and sculpture. Remi’s formal study: Ringling School of Art, Sarasota FL and Portfolio Center, Atlanta Ga where she studied graphic design, photography, and advertising. Her professional career began in the early 1980s in arts management, programming, instruction, and facilitation. Remi’s ten-year focus has been on collaborative 3D temporary and permanent public art installations and murals. Her work has introduced mixed media processes and art to a cross-section of age, gender, race, and socioeconomic participants. Remi envisions art as a mindful and empowering vehicle of change, informing the masses how creativity can be embraced by everyone and can be approached from many perspectives.

Interdisciplinary

Vignette: Brianna Harlan

“I am not what you think I am. You are what you think I am.”
-Unknown

"The Divided States of Americans (1)" by Brianna Harlan, Graphic Art, 16x20in, 5 Posters

"The Divided States of Americans (1)" by Brianna Harlan, Graphic Art, 16x20in, 5 Posters

We speak of our common humanity; that what connects us as Americans is greater than what separates us. Important words that few would argue, yet what is the action plan for rediscovering that commonality? In her Artist’s Statement for The Divided States of Americans, Louisville artist Brianna Harlan offers an action plan for the crucial first steps:
 
“The current, divisive political climate is causing increased self-awareness, especially among millennials who have been called a generation for activism, and marginalized groups. As false stereotypes are used to fulfill harmful political agenda, everyone’s realities are influenced. We are encouraged to draw lines, determine the worth of humanity, and demonize differences. The Divided States of Americans attempts in red, white, and blue—mirroring propaganda posters—to advocate for a different message: get a little closer to one another to see the greatness of diverse identity.”  

The Divided States of Americans are an example of social practice art, a series of five posters in red, white, and blue colors, with images that are autobiographical but also reflections for the viewer to witness their own role in unifying the communities in which they live; both a challenge and an invitation. Each Poster has "They Say" statements on the left vs "I am" Statements on the right. All five are currently featured in Looking Up: Heroes For Today – An LVA Exhibit at Metro Hall, which is on exhibit through January 11, 2019 at Louisville’s Metro Hall, 511 West Jefferson Street.

Harlan describes herself as, “a mixed media artist that creates Radically Vulnerable art to invite transformative dialogue. Themes of her work include identity, social/cultural dynamics, intimacy, oppression, and self-suppression. Brianna works primarily with participants, inviting them to share and unpack sensitive topics through questions and actions. The discoveries that come from these mindful investigations shape the concept and inform the work's medium. She creates with people, not just about them, and views the process and resulting work as a tool for a moving experience and constructive conversation.

Photo: Festival of Faiths

Photo: Festival of Faiths

She was a member of the first group of Hadley Creatives, a 6-month learning and engagement experience for local artists who are at a pivotal point in their careers developed by the Community Foundation of Louisville in partnership with Creative Capital, a New York-based nonprofit that supports innovative and adventurous artists across the country. An exhibit showcasing the work from this group opens June 1 at the Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft in Louisville.

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: BA Studio Art, Hanover College, Hanover, IN
Website: briannaharlan.com

Scroll down for more images

"Oasis" by Brianna Harlan, Mixed Media Interactive Installation, 27x19x8ft, KY Center for the Arts,  April 2018

"Oasis" by Brianna Harlan, Mixed Media Interactive Installation, 27x19x8ft, KY Center for the Arts,  April 2018

"The Divided States of Americans (2)" by Brianna Harlan, Graphic Art, 16x20in, 5 Posters

"The Divided States of Americans (2)" by Brianna Harlan, Graphic Art, 16x20in, 5 Posters

"inside Out" by Brianna Harlan, Printmaking: Relief and Mono-type, Clear Wax, 12x15in

"inside Out" by Brianna Harlan, Printmaking: Relief and Mono-type, Clear Wax, 12x15in


Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2018 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved

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