Northwest Florida Arts Association
Posts tagged full circle gallery
March Member’s Meeting w/ Speaker Mercedes Rodgers
Mar 13th
We’re starting our monthly member’s meetings on Thursday, March 24 at the Art Lair, at 6pm. Members and non members welcome.
Our first speaker is Mercedes Rodgers, owner of Full Circle Gallery. She will be speaking on her SOS Blanket Project.
More on this project:
“The ‘SOS Security Blanket’ is a community project and conceptual art piece made of petroleum based plastic. It is the artist’s mission to combine fine art and domestic crafts to allow people to express their concerns about current energy policies and to help educate people about how we can work towards a more sustainable future. This is a action and community-made work that uses craft to agitate for change. Mercedes is inviting everyone who has something to say about the Gulf oil spill & other man made disasters to create a square for the blanket. By creating a square, any one who feels hopeless, vulnerable or angry will be able to use art to express not only their inner issues regarding the oil spill but also be part of a consolidated call for change. Bringing together all of our angst, fear, frustration and helplessness into one large project will create a strong visual message and help to remind people about the hazards of off shore drilling and non-sustainable energy practices.
Mercedes will collect squares for one year from the day the disaster started. With this project she intends to enter community spaces to talk to people, help them create their squares for the blanket and educate them about the impact of our current energy policies. Mercedes goal for this piece to be a continuous reminder for people about the hazards of offshore drilling and our endless need for oil. Mercedes says “I see this project as a catalyst for a smarter more informed future, a protest and a vigil for hope and positive change.”
The meeting will be catered by Moe’s Southwest Grill.
The cost is $5 per person.
Please RSVP by Tuesday, March 22 -
nwflaa@gmail.com
Strange Bird Reception TOMORROW!
Feb 25th
“Strange Bird…A Look at Security” is a multimedia, community-oriented exhibit by artist Mercedes Rodgers. This installation will be a combination of sculpture, film, origami, painting and self-exploration. The “Strange Bird” reception & masquerade party will be held at Full Circle Gallery on February 26th, from 6-9 p.m., with the artist commentary at 7:00pm. A reception will follow in which participants may adorn bird masks and dress of their choosing (all birds of the imagination are of course welcomed) and be photographed in the artists’ human-size birdcage.
This show will feature a hand crocheted, over-sized birdcage, nest, collection of paintings and a video made by the artist that illustrates her process throughout this installation. Mercedes says of the show, “This work is about the many meanings of the bird as a symbol: its imagery and the range of ideas it can evoke. Using the bird as a metaphor I am allowing the viewer to look at their free, uninhibited-self in contrast to their tame, socialized-self and see where their cages lie. It is about how we view birds in nature as free and flying; verses how we see them in captivity as caged domesticated pets or property and how those thoughts of freedom and captivity translate into our own lives”.
The artist invites the public to Full Circle Gallery any time between February 5th and March 13th to contribute to the “Thousand Cranes” aspect of the installation. Participants will be asked to ponder what they believe is the real meaning of personal security as they learn to fold and encapsulate their thoughts within their origami cranes. Non-locals are also encouraged to participate in this installation and may email their contributions directly to the artist at fullcirclegallery@gmail.com, or leave a comment on Full Circle Gallery’s Facebook discussion board. The paper cranes will then be placed in the nest and be a part of the show on Feb 26th
The “Strange Bird: A Thousand Cranes Project” will also examine Japanese belief that if a person manages to fold 1000 paper cranes, they will be granted a wish for healing, a good life, a good marriage, or world peace. A thousand paper cranes is a powerful gesture of caring, devotion, and love. During the “Strange Bird: A Thousand Cranes Project”, Mercedes Rogers will to take the wishes, dreams, fears and desires of our community and fold them into 1000 cranes with the hope of bringing security and peace of mind to the collective. If you wish to participate in this project, please answer one or more of the following questions and submit your answer in person or by email. Mercedes will fold all contributions into paper cranes and place them side-by-side in the nest of the installation to be explored together Feb 26th.
Questions:
- What does the word security mean to you?
- Where does your sense of security stem from?
- What words do you associate with insecurity?
- What decisions have you made to try to bring security into your life?
- Have you ever made a decision with the intention of gaining a greater feeling of security, but later found that the decision actually caged you into a specific lifestyle and hampered your freedom?
- How can your needs for security be a burden?
- Can a person ever be truly free of needs?Is it possible to be secure and free at the same time?
The NWFLAA’s own Brandon Pence will be in attendance tomorrow night. Please come out and support your local art community at this amazing reception!
