I have long admired the artistic activities of visual artists Maria T.D. Inocencio - a 2x Pollock-Krasner recipient, and Mark R. Smith, represented by the Elizabeth Leach Gallery.  While partners on the domestic side of life, their individual work - while often installation-based, has taken them each down very separate paths that have not crossed since their very early years in school at Cooper Union in NYC.  Until now!  I am thrilled and honored that they have chosen to collaborate on a project for the South Waterfront.  Each with a history of inviting community participation in the realization of their work, the AiR program offered them an opportunity to explore how a new community comes to know itself - together!  COMPASS, their April project, officially begins on Saturday, April 5th in the AiR studio with a series of workshops that invite hands-on participation with the artists.  COMPASS posits Portland as the center of the world and seeks to “map” the individuals in the community through the collection of a few simple coordinates - height, birth place, gender and the spelling (or re-spelling, in this case) of one’s name.  The resulting object of this data will be the creation of a simple flag for each individual that will be placed outside in the context of the larger installation - a 20′x40′ oval that is literally a map of the world with the South Waterfront neighborhood at its center.   While allowing for anonimity, COMPASS seeks to map who we are and from where we came.   Very family-friendly, all ages and Portlanders are invited to participate in this project.  The workshop is from 11a-2p and repeats again on April 12th, 11a-2p.  The final exhibition of this work will occur on Saturday, April 26th, from 11a-1p.

Our monthly guest artist series continues with Mark R. Smith and Maria T.D. Inocencio in April 2008. Join the discussion as they write about their experiences in creating art that celebrates the South Waterfront community.