Stories without words. History without pages. A roomless exhibit.
http://mdocs.skidmore.edu/storytellers/shift/
A noble purple frames the fantastic profiles of our fervorous fellows. Bold and italicized, “SHIFT” rests loudly and consistently in its corner.
http://mdocs.skidmore.edu/storytellers/shift/
“SHIFT” names MDOCs’ 2020 Storyteller’s Institute. Sara Ema Friedland, director of the Storyteller’s Institute writes in the exhibition description: “the name comes from the artistic routine of ‘shifting’”. And “shift”, they did. The typical on-campus, five-week residency of the Institute was transformed into daily congregations on Zoom calls. However, that couldn’t stop the good, creative work of the program. Eight Skidmore students, seven documentary professionals, and one visiting student still “interested in building a conversation” worked under this year’s pertinent theme of true “collaboration and co-creation”.
This search for ways to connect is a necessary inquiry for the present moment. Pining for ways to see friends, exercise, learn, continue to binge our favorite Netflix shows together, keep routine, or keep hope, we’ve let our own creative juices flow, shift, and take on the role of artist. Then, perhaps, the endeavor of this gallery can also serve as a guide. Here are the products of people who kept pushing, kept sharing, and kept teaching.
http://mdocs.skidmore.edu/storytellers/shift/
Guided by the institute, the artists first exchanged “Mail Art”. Poems, drawings, and pictures were delivered and received along with personality and flair – without meeting in person. Some visiting professionals aimed to continue the interactivity by proposing interesting creative processes; artists shared a single canvas and presented an explosion of colors, shapes holding hands, diverse puzzle pieces squeezing together, and a newborn community.
Guided by their hearts, each artist created something unique yet similarly inspired by their current experience. Keshawn Truesdale, ‘21, found his journalistic work shift to respond to the politics of “the current moment.” In response to the summer’s forest of anxiety, Mickey Baroody, ‘21, “wanted to focus on what was right in front of [him]” and highlight “the friends who [he] quarantined with and spent the most time with” in lifelike paintings. The short film full of imagery and muted emotion by Tianyu Shi, ‘21, “expresses her own true feelings” and leaves plenty of room for interpretation. Olivia Arthen, ‘21 gathered her strength and challenged herself “to make progress on the deck again.” In perhaps my personal favorite, Arthen collages the 21 tarot cards from snippets of magazines or calendars. Each tarot sports images that make it immediately recognizable but also have unique composition to carry an “AHA” moment upon a deeper look. This piece embodies finding meaning in anything and everything. Meaning that only someone else can envision or show you. Meaning that can be communicated through collaboration.
Work by Olivia Arthen, '21
http://mdocs.skidmore.edu/storytellers/shift/
But, few words can hope to capture the emotion and spirit behind these works. What are you waiting for? It’s literally a click away.