I was talking to a native Easthamptonite about project01027 and she kept asking me why am I doing this project. I am not native to this town, far from it. But when I moved to Easthampton I found that it was a community with many hidden surprises whether it be its natural beauty that sometimes seems hidden among the vinyl siding yard-less houses or it's immense quirky community that resides here.
This coincided with an artistic change in my work that was moving towards stepping beyond the typical norms of conceptual and community art and making work that was both conceptually interesting to me and to my community about my community, and in turn art or whatever tool I was using. Suddenly I have very few rules in my work. I use any or every medium. I do what works then. This particular project (there will be three more)is certainly odd since it has taken a historical bent. It might be connected to the obsession with local food, culture, and politics that seems to be pervasive in this country with our CSAs and buy local stickers. Am I a localrist: an artist who focuses on local culture? So, I made that up. But aren't we creating new words everyday?
So Why am I doing this project?
1.Because I adore Easthampton
2. I believe that artist's work is a reflection of their community and influences the community, and I thought perhaps it's about time to make my work represent that
3. It fascinates me and hasn't stopped yet.
And so many more reasons but I'll save those for late.
