May 21 2021 #217

Intuit Visionary Ball 2021

June 10, 2021

Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art is hosting their annual Visionary Ball on the museum’s birthday, June 10. You can join on Zoom to celebrate 30 years of intuitive art. All proceeds support the museum’s ability to offer accessible outsider art exhibitions and programs to students, teachers and audiences around the world.

Intuit will honor Lisa Stone as this year’s Visionary Awardee, an award given to those doing outstanding work in the field of outsider art.

Event highlights include:

Intuit’s iconic silent auction
Visionary Award presented to Lisa Stone
Inspiring stories from Intuit friends around the country

Registrants will receive an email with the Zoom link to access the livestream the week of June 10. Please contact claire@art.org with questions.

USPS Art Project:
John Dowd & Jennifer Edmondson

The USPS Art Project is an artist collaboration project. The goal is for unique collaborative artworks to be created, while helping the USPS by sending and receiving packages. Artworks are shared online on the @USPSArtProject social media.

Running through to July 3, 2021, hundreds of artists have joined in the project, creating sculpture, paintings, drawings, mixed media and fiber art.

Snake, Johnny Dowd & Jennifer Edmondson, mixed media for USPS Art Project

Crossword, Johnny Dowd & Jennifer Edmondson, mixed media for USPS Art Project

Currently Johnny Dowd and Jennifer (aka Jif) Edmondson have three pieces up at the Greenly Art Space in California as part of the project.

"[The project] has connected us to the time that we're in, in a way... even if we thought during this time that we were just doing the things we would normally do, you can't be making something and not be connected to the time you're in," said Jennifer.

Exam, Johnny Dowd & Jennifer Edmondson, mixed media for USPS Art Project

Jennifer and Johnny like to make things with materials that degrade when left outside, exposed to the elements, because the pieces turn into something new.

"Johnny used to give me boxes of things he'd made and I would collage it, or paint on it, cut it up, paste it to a box. I could do whatever I wanted on it," said Jennifer. "Then we started the postcards, and that was the first time I wasn't only collaging things he’d made, but for the first time my own drawings were with his drawings."

"There was an interesting war of sensibilities", Johnny commented.

For further information, visit The DowdCrowd and Johnny Dowd's website.

Fountain House Gallery:
Outside/Outsider

May 21 – June 13, 2021

Outside/Outsider is a fine art exhibition & film festival featuring artists confronting mental illness. It will also feature community workshops, a panel discussion and a film festival to facilitate a dialogue around neurodiversity, its impact on the creative process and the lives of the artists.

Artwork: Helena Holland Breger

Artist Issa Ibrahim says:

“It is such a pleasure to present the artworks in this Outside/Outsider exhibition. Most of the artists are new to me and bring fresh perspectives to the preconceived ideas of what is Outsider Art, or art produced by someone with a diagnosis/mental health issues. As someone with the firm belief that in this sick society we are all affected, traumatized and even slightly (or not so slightly) insane, it is important, if not essential to knock down the parameters of exclusivity, snobbery, “art-speak” and bullshit that separate and marginalize."

Obituary:
WILLIAM FAGALY (1938 – 2021)

Bill Fagaly, renowned curator, scholar, and author at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) passed away on May 17, 2021.

For 50 years, Bill worked at NOMA, spearheading the establishment and development of the museum’s internationally acclaimed collection of African art. By far the longest serving member of NOMA’s staff, he leaves an extraordinary legacy.

Bill Fagaly. Photo: R. Alokhin

Susan Taylor, the Montine McDaniel Freeman Director of NOMA:

“Bill will forever be a part of NOMA’s history and the African collection will remain as one of his enduring legacies. A generous friend and colleague, Bill’s presence, joyful and distinctive laugh and love for life will be terribly missed. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and all who knew him.”

Text: Margaux Krane