art blog

How the Art Community Thrives

January 25, 2024 in Art, Art curator, Museum

The role of an art museum is more than what meets the eye. When we talk about art, it can also expand to the performing art form and beyond. Yes, it is good to feel a limitless quality of what art can do and who it can reach. One of the art museums in the Washington D.C. area that has that expansive quality is The Kreeger Museum. Nestled in the northwest area of D.C., where the winding roads and carefully landscaped gardens meet, the Kreeger gravitates to locals and tourists who seek a serene space for various art forms within the city.

While supporting the contemporary art scene through art shows, talks, and events constitute the norm of an art museum’s role, it is refreshing for the visitors to also experience a variety of programming that enhances its visual arts component. Helen Chason, the director of the Kreeger, graciously shared insights into the museum's profound engagement with the local community, highlighting how these endeavors contribute to the enrichment of visual and performing arts within the Washington D.C. region.

Creative Selectivity

The craft of selecting artists is a process that takes time and research. Art curation is a way of carefully presenting new and returning visitors with a vision of what the art museum represents and what it stands for. It's a process that goes beyond showcasing popular talent. Contemporary emerging talent is always present but it takes a keen eye to select it based on the season, your audience, your messaging/themes, and the other type of programming you may have going on.

At the Kreeger, it is important to immerse the visitor in art but also through music and workshops. These creative endeavors stimulate the artistic senses of sound, movement, and visuals.

Helen Chason touches on the importance of supporting local talent:

To shine a light on the amazing visual and performing artists practicing in our city and provide them with gallery space for showing their work, we developed The Collaborative in 2021. The Collaborative is an exhibition program that supports DC-based artists and strengthens our relationships with other non-profit arts organizations in DC. We are honored to champion the work of these artists and provide many of them the opportunity to present their work in a museum for the first time.

It’s important to highlight local talent within museums, especially since Washington D.C. can be considered such a transient city, where people come to work for a few years and then move on to other places. Nurturing the talent that is already working within the Metro Area can only foster more of an inclusive cultural experience and create room for more talent to emerge, flourish, and maintain itself in creative careers in this area within the visual and performing arts fields.

Chason states:

Jazz at The Kreeger, also developed in 2021, is a monthly concert series at the Museum that features DC-based performing artists. Working in collaboration with Elijah Jamal Balbed, we are honored to present this jazz series to support and spotlight the wealth of musical talent in our metropolitan area.

Aside from art, the jazz community has been an intrinsic part of the Kreeger’s programming. Jazz expands how people can enjoy the art experience through music by honoring diverse talent through another art form. This opportunity creates an atmosphere of cultural history and community as it all blends in together to honor the talent of this area.

Community Goals

The Kreeger Museum uses the art space as a place the community can visit to enjoy and learn more about Washington D.C.’s overall cultural scene. It immerses the visitor in the art experience by asking them to be part of it and engage with local musicians, artists, and overall local talent.

It is commendable for an art space to know its audience and what they want to obtain from visiting a space. It could be to have a nice time, mingle, or learn more about local art and music. It is all valid, but it is also a matter of picking their brain based on how they respond to the activities you are presenting and what they might be interested in as a parallel activity in their daily lives. Say someone is interested in art, could they also be interested in learning to make art or listening to music while viewing it? This is a reflection of what we can see in the Kreeger’s programming.

Chason expands on this thought:

We have a wonderful and simple mission – to share art, architecture, and music. Working with partners and artists across the city we strive to develop workshops, exhibitions, performances, and talks that appeal to all audiences. Our grounds provide a fabulous space for outdoor installations and performances. With new art spaces opening up across the city, there is more opportunity for all to experience work in new venues. The more we work together to promote our artists, the richer our community will be. We are headed in the right direction.

Presenting art as a lifestyle is an exciting pursuit, especially making art more approachable, where people feel there’s a space for them no matter their background. There is room for all to feel welcome, especially if they feel their other interests similar to art are welcomed too, like workshops, music, and even yoga.

Final Musings

The important part of maintaining a contemporary art space is to be open to multiple possibilities. We live in a world where art has become more accessible to people and it is a good feeling to feel included in this beautiful and in-depth world that is art.

Spaces like the Kreeger are taking this mission one step further by learning more about the people who visit and those who live nearby when offering programming that engages their interest and keeps them coming back to learn more about art history and local talent while immersing as part of a visual and performing art community.

Forces Bound to Coexist

June 30, 2022 in Art, Contemporary art, Female artists

When artists collaborate, it is like a world of creative possibilities. But what is a remarkable task in this process is the ability to work well together while developing ideas that will spark something new individually, and then collectively. For artists Nikki Brugnoli and Anne C. Smith, this task has become part of their professional lives, and though each artist individually showcases work, when the two collaborate, it becomes second nature to their overall process.

Brugnoli remarks on the close relationship the two of them share:

“It has always been a part of the widening conversations about our practices, our lives, our families, and our friendship - to connect in this way. [The past] 10 years have been fruitful and we've evolved from initially an academic mentorship to be very close friends; sisters,” she says.

The two first met at George Mason University in 2012, when Smith was a graduate student in the MFA program and Brugnoli was teaching and advising. Over time, they developed a bond discussing art, poetry, motherhood, and academia. They formed a deep friendship that would eventually evolve into that of collaborative creators.

Inspired Thoughts

When you look at Brugnoli and Smith’s works, you can’t help to notice the differences in their styles. Brugnoli works with screen printing, layers, mylar, and figurative aesthetics to her imagery, while Smith’s work tends to be more abstract in context. Both artists merge well from their distinct perspectives thanks to their deeper understanding of their inner visions and each other. They both produce beautiful work that converges to show similarities in subtle ways but still remains solely that one artist’s voice.

Brugnoli’s work touches on metaphorical layers of depth, as one finds when viewing it, it is like uncovering pages upon pages of a bigger work, and when you find the gist, it is even more perplexing. As for Smith, her work is highly detailed as she plays with scale and ensures you take your time with every part of her art pieces; a fascinating way to appreciate the work itself. Both artists have a strong approach to their work, and it is that intentionality in technique and detail that allows for a beautiful coexistence when presenting their work together.

Brugnoli speaks on how important it is for her and Smith to get in touch with the physical aspects of their practices, and how this serves a greater purpose. “I think what stands out for us the most is our approach to materials. We are both very physical "makers" and we like drawing, as a practice, but also discuss drawing as a metaphor to larger ideas about our lives - like memory and ritual,” she says.

The differences in aesthetics between the two artists allow each to voice their opinions, consider new viewpoints and possibly take those in and implement them. They see this practice as essential to their collaboration style, which is open and communicative, and in turn, allows them to broaden their perspective, technique, and process.

Smith remarks on this experience, “Nikki always asked questions that took me aback because they were so direct and challenging! I really valued that, and our conversations helped sharpen my focus in the studio. I was also inspired by Nikki's resourcefulness and that she provided a sort of model for incorporating family and studio practice.”

Process Matters

Anne C. Smith, *Sift*, 2018. Artwork from the Forces Fleeting exhibit.

The behind-the-scenes collaboration between Brugnoli and Smith is what makes their work even more compelling. It takes time, effort, and communication to be able to work well with someone, but that’s not all. There also needs to be a sense of understanding of one another’s styles and a support system that holds space for creative freedom, where both artists feel comfortable creating and being expressive. In Forces Fleeting, their recent exhibit at the Athenaeum Gallery in Old Town Alexandria, Brugnoli and Smith both showcased dark color pieces that were contrasted by the materials each artist used, with Brugnoli using mylar, and Smith using ink-stained linen. Both sets of works allowed for the artistic elements in every piece to show the artist’s style and skillful technique in her own way.

For Brugnoli, the creative process can be transformative and helpful in accomplishing goals:

My practice is geared more toward process - a very clear process of incubation, ideation, and transformation that tends to be very immediate and intense. I tend to procrastinate and wait until only a small window of time remains to actually do the physical work, while months and months, even years, can go into the preparation and writing.

Anne and I decided in the beginning that we would document, via text message, email, etc our emerging conversations, specifically about Forces Fleeting, and use that as a springboard. All of the planning was very intentional. I think we both benefit from clear deadlines and the high expectations we have for one another to create our best and strongest work. There was never any question that the outcome of Forces Fleeting would only deepen our respect for one another as artists and friends.

Nikki Brugnoli, *Copper and Gold*, 2021. Artwork from the Forces Fleeting exhibit.

In Forces Fleeting, both artists played into their differences and bond at the same time. They intermixed their personal process and individual experiences into an expanding universe, where their work created insight into one another in its own way. Brugnoli touched on thoughts of personal moments, time, and loss, in her layered technique, where dark and shimmering shades complemented her screenprinting. While Smith allowed for specific places and spaces to serve as a platform for her stance on how we live our lives as we move, drive, and explore from one place to another, and how all this adds to one individual, complex experience.

Smith remarks on this:

In our work, we've found connections between what we think about: landscape, place, and home. And also in our practices that fuel: walking, silkscreening, and drawing, for example. We've wanted to collaborate on a show for a long time, and we finally get to do that with this show, Forces Fleeting, at the Athenaeum. The work in that show touches on those overlapping themes, each with our own perspective and experience brought to the work. We're both working mostly monochromatically in these pieces, with areas of deep, dense black ink -- I think we both find poetry in those shadowed areas. By showing together, our work can have some of those conversations visually that Nikki and I have had in the studio over the years.

Concluding Musings

Anne C. Smith, *Point of Longing*, 2020.

Successful collaboration is a fascinating thing, and in art even more so. What we see in Brugnoli and Smith’s work is the interconnectedness of two distinct forces in the art field that allow for growth and support in one another’s voices, own challenges, and sense of direction.

Brugnoli points out, “For me, what reveals the strength of a successful collaboration is the shape of trust exchanged and created between two makers.” It’s true that this aspect can really build on the momentum of making things happen in a positive direction, and these two artists know exactly how to make that dynamic work for their individual and collective styles.

For Smith, there is an added intuitive exercise that allows for the creative success of their work together. She says, “There's a shared goal of wanting to see the other person realize their most gut-felt vision in a way that sings. With that kind of foundation, the outcome of the work grows naturally into something we're both proud of.”

Collaborative creativity can only flourish in places where it’s fostered. These places are found where even a challenge is seen as an opportunity to learn more about the process and how to better create together. That level of understanding is what Brugnoli and Smith share, and that synchronicity allows for a successful collaboration that can stand the test of time.

Brugnoli_Memory%252Bof%252Ba%252BLoop.jpg

Today’s poem reflects on the blossoming collaboration between these two artists:

FROM THE SUN AND HER FLOWERS BY RUPI KAUR

it isn’t blood that makes you my sister

it’s how you understand my heart

as though you carry it

in your body

In Chroma, I Live

July 08, 2021 in Latin American art, Contemporary art

Jaime Domínguez is highly in tune with design, color, and shape. The Mexican-born artist has a talent for playing with the visual field to draw you in and stir that innate human curiosity. In his own words, “the elements present in my work are the geometry through which I support the composition of all my designs, I could also say that architecture [is another element] but it is a very broad aspect, so I consider that geometry reduces the spectrum, mainly if we talk about the modernism, functionalism, deconstructivism, etc., within which geometry plays a central role.”

Aesthetic

One can describe Domínguez’s work as having both Minimalist and Abstract Expressionist elements. But much like those movements, there is more to discover about the worldview from which he creates. The aesthetic is much like a dance of polarities on the canvas, where light and dark meet, and strong and subtle collide. The artist’s Prisma and Kaleidoscope series also serves as reference of these layered complexities. If you’re familiar with the Mexican culture’s vibrant color themes and geometric shapes, through ancient culture, food, textiles, and handcrafted goods, you can see some of its influence on Domínguez’s artwork as well.

He explains:

Another fundamental element [important to me] is the aesthetics of Mexican popular art and specifically indigenous art, which in general is composed of simple and pure geometry in addition to its vast color palette, which is essential to execute my work... Finally, my essence as a Mexican and how I see the world from that place is what makes my work unique.

These characteristics seem simple, but it takes skill to manipulate color for balanced, effect-like purposes. You see bold colors, but you also see layers that complement those stronger hues as if they fade with grace. Or, they may emphasize the already existing color, depending on how you’re observing the work. Much like in most of his work, here viewing angle matters.

There are the geometrical shapes in which colors are engulfed, that serve as an added punch of detail to the works themselves. According to the shape, the motion is put to action and the colors and direction are dispersed in a fluid, synchronized effect.

Deeper Knowing

To fully appreciate abstract art, sometimes it’s easiest to take a step back when analyzing a work. With Domínguez’s art it is hard to do that, because the works have an attractive quality, flowing from the shapes and colors present, that keep you in the moment. What we see is a combination of something we can relate to within us that yields the “bigger picture” in an abstract sense. We all have these latent layers to ourselves, much like Domínguez’s paintings.

Some layers are expressed as bold colors, and some are soft like hidden qualities we expose from time to time. Whatever they are, they all encompass parts of ourselves that are very much alive and very much authentic to who we are, just like each of Jaime Domínguez’s works. They represent intricacies that are unique and beautiful, and that all reside within one place.

He shares his process:

In terms of shape, I am inspired by modern architecture, simple and defined forms. However, from time to time I break with this rule and include more organic or deconstructed forms, which I reinterpret from the sophisticated designs (interior and exterior) of cars or boats with sophisticated design. The color palette definitely comes from indigenous art. Even in most cases, I make my natural pigments with the same techniques that indigenous people use, and in other cases I acquire the pigments directly from the indigenous communities from which I inspire my work. I make my own blends with diversity of polymers so that they have longevity and a contemporary look. As for my influences in academic terms, they are more linked to architecture and many of its exponents of modernism, functionalism, deconstructivism, britalismo and some furniture designers of the early and mid-twentieth century.

Concluding Thoughts

Domínguez’s interests and techniques provide him range. They allow us to see the full spectrum of his art, where polarities attract and live within one artwork. His works have a 2-D quality to them because of his awareness with space, geometrical motion, and execution, and that is what makes them mesmerizing in their own way.

He touches on current projects:

I am currently working on the execution of my series "Pais Maravilla," which is a compilation of personal experiences with my Mexicanity, of how I see myself being Mexican in the face of global reality and at the same time what my culture has contributed to the global context. Basically, I take elements of the most relevant tangible and intangible cultural heritage in my life and put them into shape. It is a very personal reinterpretation of the transcendence of the clash of cultures (conquest) and I try to put it on a pro-positive plane in aesthetic terms. This series encompasses painting, sculpture, object, installation and is the most ambitious work I have done so far.

We look forward to seeing it! For more on the artist’s work, please visit his website.