THREADS

On April 24, 2013, WAM Collective produced Threads: a runway show and design competition in conjunction with the University of Minnesota’s College of Design. 10 student designers had the opportunity to showcase their work in front of a sold out crowd and to be judged by five local artists and style experts. Designs were inspired by the Weisman Art Museum‘s recent exhibition from the Williams College Museum of Art: Laylah Ali: The Greenheads Series. The event featured a member lounge with craft cocktails by Common Roots, a “step and repeat” for all guests to have their photo taken, a dance performance choreographed by John-Mark and music by Radio K. Juut Salonspa provided hair, makeup and nail styling for all models walking in the show.  Were you there? Did you miss the event? Either way check out some photos from that night.

Threads designers in the Member Lounge, Photo by Amy Gee

WAM Director Lyndel King, Photo by Amy Gee

Designer Allise Prew and model Carli Hassan, Photo by Amy Gee

Model Carli Hassan, Photo by Amy Gee

Designer Ariel Warne and model Kalie Schlick, Photo by Amy Gee

Model Kalie Schlick, Photo by Amy Gee

Model Natalie Lindquist and designer Ashley Jensen, Photo by Amy Gee

Model Natalie Lindquist, Photo by Amy Gee

Designer Bridget Erl and model Kate Jeffy, Photo by Amy Gee

Model Kate Jeffy, Photo by Amy Gee

Designer Tess Ross and model Anna Wojcicki, Photo by Amy Gee

Model Anna Wojcicki, Photo by Amy Gee

Honorable Mention: Designer Xixi Xu and model Phallis Seng, Photo by Amy Gee

Honorable Mention: Model Phallis Seng, Photo by Amy Gee

Honorable Mention: Model Courtney Johanns and designer Katie Mackereth, Photo by Amy Gee

Honorable Mention: Model Courtney Johanns, Photo by Amy Gee

Third Place: Designer Lauren Smith and model Lauren Sheibley, Photo by Amy Gee

Third Place: Model Lauren Sheibley, Photo by Amy Gee

Second Place: Designer and self-model Anna Peshock, Photo by Amy Gee

Second Place: Designer and self-model Anna Peshock, Photo by Amy Gee

First Pace: Designer Lauren Kacher and model Amanda Spencer, Photo by Amy Gee

First Place: Model Amanda Spencer, Photo by Amy Gee

First Place: Model Amanda Spencer, Photo by Amy Gee

The first place winner of Threads took inspiration from Laylah Ali’s use of tires in her paintings. The look was inspired by the suffocating and restricting use of a material intended for transportation or movement.

Judge Carolyn Halliday, Photo by Amy Gee

Judges Sara Rogers and Ellen Roeder, Photo by Amy Gee

Judge Caroline Hayden, Photo by Amy Gee

Judge Nate Young, Photo by Amy Gee

Design by Anna Peshock, Photo by Amy Gee

Design by Katie Mackereth, Photo by Amy Gee

Design by Ariel Warne, Photo by Amy Gee

Design by Bridget Erl, Photo by Amy Gee

Design by Lauren Kacher, Photo by Amy Gee

Design by Xixi Xu, Photo by Amy Gee

Design by Tess Ross, Photo by Amy Gee

Design by Lauren Smith, Photo by Amy Gee

Design by Allise Prew, Photo by Amy Gee

Design by Ashley Jensen, Photo by Amy Gee

View from the member lounge, Photo by Amy Gee

Designer Bridget Erl and model Kate Jeffy, Photo by Amy Gee

“Reach” choreographed by John-Mark, Photo by Amy Gee

“Reach” choreographed by John-Mark, Photo by Amy Gee

“Reach” choreographed by John-Mark, Photo by Amy Gee

Designers and models backstage, Photo by Amy Gee

Design by Lauren Kacher, Photo by Amy Gee

Photo by Amy Gee

Photo by Amy Gee

Photo by Amy Gee

First place design by Lauren Kacher, Photo by Amy Gee

Written by Emily Macy

THREADS: Everyone has a story to tell.

It’s finally here! WAM Collective is proud to announce their second annual design competition and runway show in conjunction with the University of Minnesota’s College of Design: Threads.

Ten finalists from the U of M’s apparel design program have been selected by WAM Collective to go head to head as they send original garments down the runway on Wednesday, April 24 at the Weisman Art Museum. Student designers were asked to interpret Laylah Ali’s Greenheads Series into a ready-for-the-runway garment that narrates their own personal experiences and stories. The designs have been constructed utilizing nontraditional materials, sculptural shaping, and innovative surface textures. Hair and makeup styling courtesy of Juut Salonspa will complete the looks as they are sent down the runway. Each garment will be judged by a panel of artists, designers, and style experts from the Twin Cities arts scene:

• Carolyn Halliday, textile artist
• Caroline Hayden, apparel designer
• Lyle Jackson, costume designer at Tulle and Dye
• Sara Rogers, the Mall of America’s style expert
• Nate Young, multimedia artist

Winners of Threads will walk away with a package of covetable prizes. In addition to the runway show and Q&A sessions with each designer, the event will also feature a dance performance by House of John Mark, a VIP lounge for WAM members, and a cash bar for all attendees. Emceed by the Twin Cities’ Grant Whittaker, this event is free for WAM members and U of M students. General public tickets will be sold for $5. Tickets on sale March 25 here.

If you joined WAM Collective for last year’s No White, you already know not to miss another one of these fabulous events. Members lounge begins at 6:00pm, with General Admission at 7:00pm. Don’t be late! Show starts at 7:30pm.

It’s February. We all need something to do.

So, in the midst of this cold, boring month that seems to be never-ending if you’re from our part of the country, it is hard to keep from being lazy. We all need something to do. Because of this, WAM Collective has compiled a list of awesomely entertaining and free upcoming events to attend. Winter is the perfect time to take advantage of the many indoor spaces supplying creative and inspirational experience throughout the city.

Our Treasures: Highlights from the Minnesota Museum of American Art at the Weisman Art Museum Februrary 2 – May 12 2013. Curated by Kristin Makholm, executive director of the MMAA, this exhibition features more than thirty significant works from the collection of over four thousand works and includes painting, sculpture, craft, drawing, and photography. Regional themes, such as the Native American experience and the people and landscape of the Midwest, are explored in this exhibition. Artists include Thomas Hart Benton, Cameron Booth, Alexander Calder, Christo, Jasper Cropsey, Edward S. Curtis, Patrick DesJarlait, Frances Cranmer Greenman, Tim Harding, Childe Hassam, Robert Henri, Wing Young Huie, Frederick D. Jones, Jr., Gaston Lachaise, Mike Lynch, Warren MacKenzie, Paul Manship, Joseph Rusling Meeker, Joan Mitchell, George Morrison, Louise Nevelson, Ed Ruscha, Mark Tobey , Peter Voulkos, and Grant Wood.

Laylah Ali: The Greenheads Series at the Weisman Art Museum February 16 – May 12 2013. This is the first time the Greenheads series, created between 1996 and 2005, is being shown as a comprehensive body of work. Forty-three of the exquisitely rendered gouache paintings—from a total of more than eighty—have been gathered from collections here and abroad to chronicle the series’ development. The figures inhabiting Ali’s works—the Greenheads—are enigmatic, round-headed beings of indeterminate sex and race who inhabit a regimented, dystopian world where odd and menacing, though sometimes strangely humorous, encounters prevail. This exhibition will allow viewers to examine the evolution of Ali’s series. While the early paintings frequently focus on physically aggressive exchanges between groups of figures, these interactions are later replaced by individuals—alone or in small groups—who witness the prelude to, or aftermath of, a charged encounter. As the series continues, more and more of the figures’ anatomy is pruned away, as if the artist is examining how much can be taken out—such as arms, feet, skin color—while still communicating thought, emotion, and social status.

This exhibition was organized by the Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota Department of Art.

Words @ WAM! at the Weisman Art Museum on February 27 at 6:00pm. Feeling like getting your creative kicks on through some original literature? We believe that fine art and creative writing go hand-in-hand. For the second year, the local online literary community of Hazel & Wren and WAM will host Words at WAM, a literary open mic. Social hour and open mic sign-up starts at 6:00 pm. Indulge in refreshments, stroll through WAM’s galleries, and participate in a community poem via Twitter. Musical entertainment will be provided by University of Minnesota student composers. Readers begin at 7:00 pm, in order of the sign-up sheet. The open mic is open to all interested wordsmiths of any genre: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, spoken word, and all literary mischief welcome. Each reader will have four minutes to read their work(s), with a 30-second grace period. Readers will be given warnings if they go over the time limit, and at 4 minutes, 30 seconds, will have trashy dimestore romance paperbacks thrown at them. The open mic will end at 8:00 pm, regardless of how many people are left on the sign-up sheet, so get there early to ensure your reading slot! Featured local rockstar readers will close the evening, starting with student fiction reader Matthew Ullery, chosen by the staff of U of M undergraduate literary magazine Ivory Tower, and ending with poet, activist, and emcee Tish Jones.

Artist Talk with Laylah Ali at the Weisman Art Museum on March 7 at 7:00pm. Laylah Ali: The Greenheads Series depicts physically aggressive exchanges between groups or figures and evolves into focusing on the time that preludes or the aftermath of these violent acts. Laylah Ali was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1968 and lives and works in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where she is currently a professor of art at Williams College. Ali has had solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis; and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art; among others. Her work was exhibited at the Venice Biennale (2003) and the Whitney Biennial (2004), and she was featured in the award-winning PBS series Art 21.

Finally, look forward to spring in anticipation of another design competition and runway show hosted by WAM Collective in conjunction with the College of Design. Though we can’t spill the beans about the theme quite yet, we will work on threading together some hints to be shared over the next few weeks. Save the date for April 24, 2013!

Laylah Ali, Untitled, 2004, gouache and pencil on paper. Collection of The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The Truth About Memory

On November 28th, at 7:30pm, local intellectuals and artists–students and non-students alike–came together to witness our latest WAM Chatter event, Is Memory True?

The event, put together by our own Katherine Covey, housed a subdued, yet curious atmosphere that began with a selection of treats and drinks, followed by presentations from Rebecca Krinke, Wilma Koustaal, and Mona Smith. Each presenter was given an alotted time for presentation, followed by a debate between the three. The event gave each, from backgrounds of multimedia art, psychology, and the Dakota tribe, a chance to defend their opinions on the truth of “memory”.

Such diverse backgrounds gave way to a very enlightening discussion, followed by the chance for audience members to ask questions and participate.

All in all, it was a hit! The event was the most successful Chatter event yet! Hats off to Katie, the presenters, and everyone in attendance!

-Elizabeth Bazany WAM Collective

Crafting Memories with the Weisguides

On Sunday the 25^th of November, at WAM, the Weisguides had a DIY activity for people to do from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

From 2011 to 2012 two graduate interns processed the Weisman’s archival collection leading to the opening of the exhibition, The WAM Files: The Art of the Archives. Their hard work led to the exhibition space being filled with scrapbooks, photographs, and documents from the Weisman spanning back 40 years.

Tour guides of WAM lead groups through the WAM’s collection of art, ending with the WAM Files. Upon finishing the tour in the archival room, the visitors were led to tables at the other side of the museum where they constructed journals. The journals were made to archive one’s memories and dreams – a preserver of time.

Participants made the journals to give as gifts for family members or personal photo albums to catalogue their history.

The hands-on aspect of the afternoon made it a wonderful ending to the weekend. The tea, coffee, and lavender cookies made the front of cooler weather bearable from inside, out of the house, and in an amazing location.

Turn the next page of your journal and come to WAM’s future Weisguides events with family, friends, and visitors of the Weisman Art Museum!

The Big WAM Bash

WAM Collective had the opportunity to assist artists Xavier Tavera and Jan Estep recently at the Big WAM Bash. It was a night of art, music, and mingling: check out the WAMigo’s looking sharp!

Weekend with the Weisguides- 10/28

A couple weeks ago, I was lucky to be in attendance for Weekend with the Weisguides, an event that takes place one Sunday a month here at WAM.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with what this event is, let me enlighten you.

It starts with a tour, showing the museum and usually a particular exhibit that ties in with the activity that is done post-tour.  The activity is an art project of sorts, encouraging the tie-in between the art that was just seen and the creativity that we all posses.  (The snacks that are available never hurts either!) This week, to tie in with the Guy Tillim exhibit, the art project focused on Strong Dreams.  This was the description that accompanied the activity:

“The subjects in Guy Tillim’s photographs have experienced hardship, and know what its like to have their dreams taken from them. The artist focuses on the juxtaposition of the subjects’ past and reality, showing how forlorn people can be without hope.

Here, you can make artwork demonstrating how your dreams can be unwavering to circumstance. Think about what you want to be when you grow up, where you want to live, how many kids you want, etc. Then, draw this scene in crayon on a piece of paper. Afterwards, paint a dreamy landscape with watercolors over the scene. The wax crayon is impervious to water – just like the dream should be permanent. We all have dreams, and although the subjects of Tillim’s photographs had their lives change drastically, it is good to remember we can be strong and keep hope.”

All in all, it was a great craft to do!  We didn’t have as many kids in attendance as we normally did, but a few adults from the tour came in and participated, remarking on how long it had been since they’d painted and how much fun this was.  There are some photos of artwork that was done at this event, and I hope that we can have a great turn out for the next one on November 25th!

–Taylor Bartelt, WAM Collective