Sunday, April 19, 2015

A Winter of Adventures as a Myth Maker

For the winter months Donna Dodson and I visited the Avian Avatars regularly, meeting friends and arts enthusiasts for tours and talks along Broadway. It was a delight to see so many fans and discuss the various interpretations of these monumental sculptures. 


As our exhibition slipped into the final weeks there was great enthusiasm for moving them. Two museums and three cities actively recruiting funds. In the end Muskegon Museum of Art in Michigan, and partners throughout the city, rolled out the red carpet for The Avian Avatars, our five haulers, and the Myth Makers. What a grand entry into the city and a fine installation we had. 





Generous volunteers, a proficient team, and visionary Judith Hayner, Muskegon Muesum of Art Director made fast work of the installation.

See this for more fun images: http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2015/04/take_a_virtual_tour_with_the_a.html#0
At the entry of the Muskegon Museum of Art:


The Scold
A raucous chatterbox who dresses in ever chic, uncompromising Artist Black, the crow is a gregarious gadfly and a peripatetic poet who has an opinion on everything.

“I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
-Henry David Thoreau







The Realist
The most common of raptors, the Red Tail Hawk is a determined competitor. Everyone has a killer instinct, a desire to fly and an ambition to achieve their fifteen minutes of fame.

“When it comes to luck, you make your own.” -Bruce Springstein


The Great Spirit
The Owl sees it all and embraces both the strengths and weaknesses of humanity. The Great Spirit is an advocate who seeks out the best in each of us. A humble leader and a mystic, the Owl inspires from a spiritual perspective.

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can [each] do small things with great love.”
-Mother Teresa

At the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce round about:

 
The Tourist
A close relative of the common and often debased city pigeon, the Victoria Crowned Pigeon has recently arrived from far away. Like many who are visiting Muskegon for the first time this lively bird wants to experience it all. Drawn to the vivid, gaudy and seedy, the Tourist has big eyes for the larger world and does not miss a detail of what this city has to offer. The Tourist is forgiven for not knowing the social mores. An immigrant like the common pigeon earns no such generosity. Unfazed by highbrow convention, the Tourist is prepared to shape culture with its spontaneous taste making and impulsive choices.

“Who we are cannot be separated from where we're from.”
-Malcolm Gladwell




 
The Taste Maker

An uncompromising harbinger of taste, the Critic is not a populist. The Falcon is an idealist, a philosopher and an opinionated vocalist with a social vision.  The revered place of the falcon in many cultural traditions lends virtue to this sacred avian gathering.

“The truth is not for all ... but only for those who seek it.” -Ayn Rand

Next for the Myth Makers:  
Chesterwood Stockbridge MA
2015 highlights include the exhibition “Boston Sculptors Gallery at Chesterwood 2015”,

Chesterwood, the former summer home, studio and gardens of Daniel Chester French, America’s foremost sculptor of public monuments, announces its 2015 schedule of exhibitions, programs, and events. Chesterwood will open the first three weekends in May for one-hour guided tours only of the studio and residence at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., before opening daily for the season from Saturday, May 23 to Monday, Oct. 12 (Memorial Day Weekend through Columbus Day), from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Special Exhibition, May 23 to Oct. 12
“Boston Sculptors Gallery at Chesterwood 2015” features 24 contemporary sculptures by 25 sculptors, which were created specifically for and in response to sources of inspiration discovered at Chesterwood. The exhibition reflects the wide range of sculptural media and styles that represent the members of Boston Sculptors Gallery, which was founded in 1992 to present and promote innovative, challenging sculpture and installations. I will be exhibiting  a contemporary presidential monument: Madam President is a conceptual interpretation, of the first woman president of the USA and homage to Daniel Chester French's Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.

Join us on June 6th, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Free with admission. 
“A Walk in the Woods”. Explore outdoor sculptures in “Boston Sculptors Gallery at Chesterwood 2015” with The Myth Makers: Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein, whose individual, solo and collaborative works are in the exhibition. The Myth Makers are exhibiting a new work on site for this exhibition: Forest Grace, based on the iconic stance of the ruffed grouse.

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