Sum of All Parts workshop at the BPAC 10/3/09

Aspire's iXpress art program recently held a free workshop at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. We spent the day using deconstructed recycled materials, scissors and lots of glue to help us finish 'The Sum of All Parts' a collaborative eco-conscious art project.

'The Sum of All Parts' is funded in part by a Buffalo and Erie County Decentralization grant. iXpress was awarded a grant of $700 to help this project come to fruition. Working with the Burchfield Penney Art Center and local artists Ginny Lohr and Jozef Bajus on our concept and execution everything culminated into the workshop held on October 3rd.

Part of the goals of 'The Sum of All Parts' is to promote collaboration between artists, iXpress artists and the community. Hopefully, strengthening ties with the community and creating more awareness about the abilities of the developmentally disabled. We had a lot of interest from museum goers. Tons of people stopped by to help us out and ask questions about the project and Aspire.

If you're bummed you missed out on this amazing experience don't fret! We are having another workshop this HALLOWEEN! Saturday, October 31st 11am-3pm it's FREE and open to everyone. Encourage your individuals, friends, neighbors and family to come!

museum goers stop by to help out, Jody shows off her creation!

A close up of our boards

Adding to our already overloaded boards

Families worked together on their recycled arts

Some projects drying before their added to our boards

All done!

Remember! October 31st 11am-3pm open to all and FREE!

Southern Tier's Community Labyrinth Project

Aspire's iXpress RIVERWALK COMMUNITY LABYRINTH EXPERIENCE CONTINUES IN THE SOUTHERN TIER!

Labyrinths represent "wholeness," and can be different shapes and sizes. Comprised of a designed space and a path, a labyrinth invites us to enter, progress to the center, and then back out again - with opportunities to enjoy all that there is to experience along the way. With origins in ancient Greek culture, labyrinths have been created by many different cultures for many centuries. Today, labyrinths are found in parks, gardens churches and other places where experiences of peace and enjoyment are desired. In addition, the natural elements and features of the Chadakoin River area, where The Riverwalk Community Labyrinth is located, offer visitors the sights, sounds and solitude of nature.

Aspire's iXpress artists in the Southern Tier continue their summer long "labyrinth experience"

Activities have included: (1) making individual finger labyrinths, (2) creating and using a temporary 40-foot-diameter labyrinth in Mall Boulevard's Day Hab parking lot; and (3) observing and identifying the wildflowers and grasses ocurring in this natural area, and doing drawings and nature journaling from all that we're finding.

The development of the 90-foot-diameter Riverwalk Community Labyrinth continues, located along the Chadakion River on Jones and Gifford Avenue, Jamestown. The labyrinth paths are being mowed regularly and the plants tended by individuals of The Resource Center.

Meanwhile, the artists at Aspire's Lakewood Day Hab and The Resource Center are creating the components for "Serpentine Field," the labyrinth's proposed centerpiece sculpture. Funds for the sculpture were awarded by NYS Council on the Arts and administered by Cattaraugus County Arts Council, based upon a grant application developed by Aspire's iXpress staff. Funding for the sculpture was the impetus for the Riverwalk Community Labyrinth becoming a reality.

"Serpentine Field" will be a mixed media sculpture, a mosaic of hundreds of individually-created ceramic tiles and other media. The sculpture will occupy a space approximately 8 feet square and 2 feet high, in the labyrinth's 25-foot-diameter center. Inspiration for the sculpture arises from the natural features of the Chadakoin River area where the sculpture and labyrinth are to be located: grasses, flowers, and leaves: footprints of animals; insects; fossils; and the many textures of stones, bard and other elements present at the site. Aspire's iXpress artists are enjoying the many clay art processes being employed in creating the varied tile imagery: stamping, carving, and creating textures with various techniques and tools.

The clays being utilized were selected based on their visual, textural and weather-proof qualities. Tiles will be fired once and remain unglazed, resulting in a natural appearance.

When completed this fall, The Riverwalk Community Labyrinth's "Serpentine Field" will offer and experience reminiscent of the sights, sounds, textures, and aromas of the area's water, field, trees and weather, and all that is to be discovered there. The sculpture offers opportunities, too, to contemplate the relationships among places, people, our constructed envirnoments and the natural world.

Watch for more updates on The Riverwalk Community Labyrinth!

Southern Tier's Community Labyrinth Project

1. General Introductory Info

As a part of the Southern Tier iXpress program's "Community Labyrinth Project" and an extension of our explorations of labyrinths, Aspire's Mall Boulevard artists helped create a temporary labyrinth, 40" in diameter, in the Lakewood parking lot. And then, for the rest of the day, we all walked (and otherwise moved through...) the labyrinth, joined by staff, visitors-and even an intrigued passerby!

Mall Boulevard's parking lot labyrinth was created for the purpose of offering an on-site opportunity in creating and enjoying a labyrinth, and served to augment our individuals' involvement with "The Community Labyrinth Project", currently under development on Jones and Gifford Avenue in Jamestown. In addition to developing the 90' Community Labyrinth, individuals at Aspire and The Resource Center are busy creating clay tiles that will be assembled this fall into The Community Labyrinth's "Centerpiece Sculpture."

The parking lot labyrinth experience at Mall Boulevard helped us come up with an answer to the question, "what is a labyrinth?"

A labyrinth is, simply, a path that invites us into a created space, leads us to the center, and then back out again. Labyrinths of all shapes and sizes have been created by many different cultures for many centuries, for the purposes of meditation, exercise and enjoyment.

Following a labyrinth path is quieting and calming - and fun, too!

2. Here are the steps that we followed to create the Mall Boulevard parking lot labyrinth:

To begin creating the parking lot labyrint, we marked a center point. Then one individual stood on the center point, holding the end of a rope marked with knots at the 5' points.

Another individual ("the measurer") picked up the rope at the first 5' knot, held the rope taut, and moved slowly around the center point. A third individual ("the marker") followed closely behind the measurer, chalking the line until the starting point was reached, completing the innermost circle.

Then the measurer moved further away from the center, taking hold of the rope at the 10' knot. A larger circle was measured and marked this time, outside the first circle. As that circle was completed the process continued, moving further out from the center at 5' increments, measuring and marking a series of concentric 5' circles until the desired diameter for the labyrinth was reached. Then the openings were marked to allow for a continuous path from the outside of the labyrinth to the center and back out again. Finally, the "trial runners" took on the challenge...will our planning and measuring and marking lead us to the center?

Success!

It works for "all walks" and everyone!

Sum of All Parts: Part II

Some more pictures from our Sum of All Parts workshop, enjoy!

Experimenting with our base structures and materials

Cardboard shapes for stacking, hanging and who knows!

a finished cardboard painting, it will eventually be cut up into abstract forms.

Bill works on painting the cardboard

(from left to right) Bill, Jacqui, Paige, and Sarah work together

Comfort Zone Cafe Mural

IT'S COMPLETE! Pictures will be posted soon but if you find yourself near the corner of Elmwood and Potomac pop into the CZ Cafe for a 'rest' and you'll see a mural completed by Co-Op participants and art facilitator Jody.

Sum of all Parts: Part I

iXpress was lucky enough to receive a grant from the Buffalo and Erie County Arts Council and along with a generous contribution from the Schwinger family we are now able to fund a major community project . We have started working on the 'Sum of all Parts'. This project will bring awareness to the community about waste, consumption and the unknown possibilities of ordinary objects around us. It will also educate the public about artists with disabilities and encourage community integration, confidence and independence within Aspire's iXpress participants.

For this project iXpress is honored to be working with local artists Ginny Lohr and Jozef Bajus. These two diverse artists are our project leaders and will guide us through to their vision of the final product. We are also pleased to say that the 'Sum of all Parts' will be holding an open workshop at the brand new Burchfield Penney Art Center on Elmwood where it will be exhibited from November 2009- January 2009! More details to come about that as we get closer to the fall.

To get the ball rolling creatively we had a workshop to play with materials and see what happens! Here are some photos from that day:

Scott and Jody drill holes in our MDF board

Just a small portion of our materials donated by Aspire staff and friends

One of the base panels assembled

Bill came right after Special Olympics to participate!

Thumbs up indeed Sarah.
Sarah flattens soda cans between sheets of fabric so no one gets hurt!

Some of our mess we made

Jacqui and Paige painting on cardboard that will eventually be cut out into organic shapes.

Check back for more updates on S of all P in the future!

DEC Grant Awards

Back in the fall iXpress applied for the Decentralization Grant offered in Chautauqua and Erie Counties.

Chautauqua County's iXpress is lead by Sara Michalak, she is pursueing an outdoor sculpture project related to the surrounding landscape. Her project will be implemented by our iXpress individuals in conjunction with The Resource Center.

Erie County iXpress lead by Amy Holdnack and Samantha Hamilton requested funding for a large scale assemblage project using deconstructed recyclable materials. They will be working with two local artists, Ginny Lohr and Jozef Bajus. The project will conclude with a workshop day hosted by the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

We are pleased to announce that both projects have received funding for their respective projects and we can't wait to get production underway! More news on these two amazing projects (and what you can do to participate) as they unfold.

Comfort Zone Cafe Mural

Comfort Zone Cafe has graciously asked us to do a mural for their new Elmwood location! iXpress was only too happy to get right to work. The Co-op at Tri-Main is primarily working on this endeavor. This large work will be installed mid Spring we'll be sure to tell everyone when it's up for viewing! Deb using the projector to paint our drawings on the mural boards.

Laura helping Deb out.