Events on July 27, 2021

  • Open Curiosity, virtual workshop series 6:30pm @ Virtual Event

    PlySpace, the artist in residence program of The Muncie Arts and Culture Council is excited to announce Open Curiosity: An Exploration of Material as Metaphor. This workshop series will be led by Summer 2021 Virtual PlySpace Resident Carrie Dickason. The free, four-part workshop series will take place via Zoom on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, beginning Tuesday, July 20 and ending Thursday, July 29. The program is open to ages 18+ and all skill levels. Registration is required. Sign up today at: PlySpace.org/open-curiosity.

    Open Curiosity: An Exploration of Material as Metaphor, a four part online workshop, invites participants to release their expectations about “Art-making” and embrace process-driven, open-ended inquiries. Participants will use simple basketry techniques to consider relationships- both physically/structurally and metaphorically/philosophically. The sessions will include discussion and interaction among workshop participants, with facilitation by New Mexico-based artist, Carrie Dickason, and will culminate in an online Instagram exhibition with a map of participants’ locations and their individual works. Participants do not need to be based in Muncie in order to participate. The course is capped at 20 participants. 

     

    The purpose of this virtual workshop is to spark creative exploration and experimentation, opening and expanding it into everyday life. The content will include gentle guidance with prompts and support to consider inquiries such as: How can we use curiosity as a tool to stimulate growth and joy in our lives? What happens when we approach personal expression and interactions, with an open responsiveness? Can we use openness as an entry into helping ourselves and others to heal?

     

    This series of virtual workshops welcomes individuals 18+ and all skill levels. Participants are requested to commit to all four sessions as they will build upon one another, and because group participation and interaction is integral to the direction of the workshop and the unfolding of the content. Please note that this is not a product-driven, skill-based workshop. Participants are encouraged to experiment and take risks. Fiber processes are generally slow, and this is an introduction, so the intention is that participants will be compelled to continue their pursuits beyond the workshop and share their projects as they develop. Find an overview of each session as well as a suggested supply list on our website, PlySpace.org/open-curiosity.

    About the Artist:

    Carrie Dickason is a mixed-media artist whose experimental work is informed by observations of nature, combined with interests in the constructed environment and consumer culture. She has a BFA in Textiles from Indiana University, Bloomington and MFA in Fiber from Cranbrook Academy of Art. This foundation combined with over a decade of working in hand-woven carpet and automotive upholstery restoration, informs her playful approach to use of materials and the cumulative development of site-specific installations. Some ongoing themes of inquiry include the contrasts between: Nature/Culture; Attraction/Repulsion; Organic/Synthetic; Permanence/Impermanence. 

     

    Dickason’s work has been exhibited at the Columbus Museum of Art, OH; Cranbrook Museum of Art, MI; Center for Maine Contemporary Art, ME; Teton ArtLab, WY; Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, MI; Burlington City Arts, VT; Interstate Projects, NYC; Grizzly Grizzly, PA- among others. She has presented and facilitated creative workshops at Blue Star Contemporary (San Antonio, TX); University of Michigan (Ann Arbor); Center for Creative Studies (Detroit); and St. Olaf University (Northfield, MN). Her studio practice has been supported widely, by The Corporation of Yaddo; The Santa Fe Art Institute; Hemera Foundation; Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts; Vermont Studio Center; Haystack Mountain School of Crafts; and Taliesin West, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. 

    More information about the Open Curiosity: An Exploration of Material as Metaphor visit our website, PlySpace.org/open-curiosity.  PlySpace Summer Term events can be found on the PlySpace website at PlySpace.org/events and the PlySpace Facebook page. Questions or comments about the PlySpace Residency program, events, and community collaborations can be directed to the Program Coordinator, Sarah Shaffer, at sarah@munciearts.org. Learn more about Muncie Arts & Culture Council at www.munciearts.org.

     

    PlySpace is a program of the Muncie Arts and Culture Council in partnership with the City of Muncie, Ball State University School of Art, and Sustainable Muncie Corporation. PlySpace is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.