Continuing the Art of Play
September 6 + 13, 2023
Artist: Summer Wheat
Join Zoom Meeting / Class
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87618016665
About
Summer Wheat is known for her vibrant paintings, multifaceted sculptures, and immersive installations that weave together the history of materiality, figuration, and abstraction in both fine art and craft milieus. Each series engages individual and collective human experiences drawn from historical and contemporary sources, mediated through a variety of references ranging from ancient art and medieval tapestries, to etchings from the Renaissance, to modernist abstractions. Wheat’s work examines various manifestations of labor, leisure, commerce, and class through the depiction of numerous figures and archetypes such as farmers, hunters, beekeepers, gardeners, weavers, bankers, and movie stars. The artist’s densely populated “scapes” envision worlds where time seems to have collapsed and every person, regardless of social status, occupies a shared/equal space, in which both labor and leisure are paths to healing humanity. Using a tongue-in-cheek type of humor inspired by comic strips, Wheat subverts conventional hierarchical structures and stereotypes to create more expansive depictions of daily life throughout history.
This will be a 2-week project.
Please watch (at least) the first 12 minutes of the video above before class.
Warm-up + Project
We will begin with an idea. A story to tell, a moment in history, or simply a personal story or experience to share visually in the style of Summer Wheat.
I would like us to slow down and begin with that idea as a drawing (a sketch) of the idea. This will be a starting point (or a sketch) to inspire the final fully developed piece.
Let us try not to overthink the idea. The goal is to have a place to begin and to get started with the process. We will spend a bit longer on the drawing process in order to not feel rushed in the completion of the initial sketch or draft.
Mint Museum Installation
Paintings
Blue Puddles 2021 | Acrylic, gouache, gold leaf on aluminum mesh
Jewelry Box 2020 | Acrylic on aluminum mesh
Outpouring | Acrylic on aluminum mesh
Garden | Acrylic on aluminum mesh
Boots in the Grass, 2016 | Acrylic on aluminum mesh
Breadwinner with Water, 2018 | Acrylic on aluminum mesh
Breadwinners 2016 | Acrylic on aluminum mesh
Kiss and Tell, 2023
MUDIMA Foundation, Milan, Itay
Makeup | Fiberglass, stone, grout
Artist | Fiberglass, stone, grout
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