lauren moore making things

new URL

2011-08-24T17:27:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! I've finally decided to merge my two blogs into one. Now that I have a functioning portfolio website, this blog's function/purpose has somewhat shifted... so I've moved everything from "lauren moore making things" over to "on art etc." (my other art-related blog) and will continue my blogging on a regular basis from that URL. Please follow on art etc. to stay in the loop!!

CLICK HERE

to go to

on art etc.

a little something

2011-08-19T17:10:00.001-04:00

This week I've been continuing some research for a project that I've been working on for the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art. I've been serving as a research assistant ("Special Projects Associate" to be specific) to the Halsey's director and curator Mark Sloan for a book proposal/traveling exhibition that's in the works. The project involves the work of Mr. Don ZanFagna, a multi-talented man in his 80's currently living in Mt. Pleasant, SC.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Mr. ZanFagna

As part of my research, I've been reading up on "Organic Architecture." I've read cover to cover Javier Senosiain's Bio-Architecture, as well as heavily skimmed several others on the subject, and I've come across some ideas and quotes that are particularly relevant in my personal studio work (which shares some aesthetic & conceptual qualities with ZanFagna's). I can't seem to get the following quote, by Frank Lloyd Wright, out of my head. It's taking me somewhere I have been headed for some time...

Every house is a mechanical forgery of the human body... the whole inside is a sort of stomach that attempts to digest objects, objets d'art perhaps, but objects nonetheless. Here is where the feigned affliction installs itself, always hungry for more objects or plethoric because of excess. It seems like the whole life of the common house is a form of indigestion, an unhealthy body that suffers slight illnesses, that demands constant repairs and remedies to survive. It is a marvel that we, its occupants, are not driven crazy in it and with it; perhaps it is a sort of insanity we have put into it.

I'm thinking a lot about that quote and how Wright's ideas fit into my body of work/area of interest. I'm excited about the possibilities. Oh yea, and I pulled out some materials today. I've been sitting on my hands for the past few weeks, but I think it's time to start playing around - to see some ideas come to life. The above image is the result of today's toilings.

mmmoving

2011-08-11T14:26:00.001-04:00

The past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind. I drove to Atlanta and back to pick up my mom who graciously drove the 16 ft rental truck crammed with my belongings (who knew one 22 yr old could have so much stuff?!) all the way to Maryland. Steve was my slave for a few days... he packed and shoved and lifted without complaint, stopping only to go to the City Gallery to de-install my portion of the Contemporary Charleston exhibition - while I was at work, hosting a 3 yr old's ballerina birthday party on the day before the big move. We went far too many days on much too little sleep, but thankfully are still here to talk about it.

Taking things out of boxes has proven to be much less stressful (except for the few hours that I couldn't find the coffee grinder). I quickly filled my 2nd floor Silver Spring apartment with room to spare - it's much more spacious than my Race Street abode. After helping unload the rest of my belongings into my (also spacious) UMD studio, Steve headed home to Philadelphia, and after 2 days spent in the North Virginia Mountains at my Uncle Keith's, my mom and I met him there. Our parents met and Steve gave yet another magnificent tour of the city (if you're ever there, call him up!) Mom caught a plane south-bound and I hung around with the Evans' only to sleep through the next 2 afternoons - finally catching up on all the running around and lack of sleep of the previous week.

This week has been spent slowly... getting my apartment set up, little by little. I'm just now starting to learn my way around this place- this place is huge, especially compared to itty bitty Charleston, which has made for lots of wrong turns and missed exits. Yesterday I found my way to the University of Maryland campus again and organized my things in a way that makes me feel much more at home in my studio. I briefly met 2 of the new grad students, Lauren and Jason, who were also getting settled into their new spaces.

Below are 2 shots of my studio so far... much more talk is in store. I want to elaborate on my program, professors, my assistant-ship, etc. But until then...

my homage to charleston

2011-07-09T15:44:00.001-04:00

As most of you know, this past spring I graduated from the College of Charleston with majors in Studio Art and Business Administration. Charleston has been VERY good to me for the past 4 years and has provided me with a number of fantastic opportunities that very likely would not have been possible elsewhere. Its small, youthful, and encouraging arts community has made it a great city in which to come of age, to discover a calling, and to grow as an aspiring artist. In just three weeks I will be relocating to the DC area to attend graduate school at the University of Maryland, College Park, but before I say goodbye to this lovely city, I'd like to recognize some of the artists and arts organizations that have been most influential to my development while I've been here.

CofC Studio Art Department

As a student, I've had the opportunity to work closely with some super cool, endlessly encouraging professors. Some of the most supportive and influential include...

Herb Parker

encourager and motivator who knows how to do everything - always has a humble (and helpful) recommendation or two

Jarod Charzewski

non-stop sculptor and perserverant collaborator - will go to lengths for his students

click here to learn more about our collaborative project

Michael Morrison

studio manager and foundry extraordinaire - made me apply for an exhibition as punishment for leaving a mess

Lily Kuonen

not your typical painting professor - an intellect and a source book for all things art

click here to see a blog post I wrote on one of Lily's shows

---------------------------------------------------------

Local Arts Organizations

I've worked closely with the following organizations in a variety of ways...

Redux Contemporary Art Center

known for its diverse exhibitions, subsidized studio space for artists, educational programming, and multidisciplinary approach to the dialogue between artists and audience - I have exhibited here as well as taught classes

click here to see previous blog posts about the classes I taught and the exhibition I was in

Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art

In addition to producing exhibitions, lectures, film series, publications, and a comprehensive (kick-ass) website, the Halsey serves as an extension of the undergraduate curricula at the College and as a cultural resource for the region - I have been a pseudo-intern, gallery attendant, helping hand, and research assistant here over the past 2 years - Director and curator, Mark Sloan, has served as my adviser and mentor this past year (he deserves a post all to his own)

click here to see images of my work in the Halsey

The City Gallery at Waterfront Park

owned and operated by the city of Charleston - a venue for contemporary artwork that is new, vital and innovative, with a focus on broadening Charleston’s arts outlook - host of the annual Contemporary Charleston exhibition, in which my work was included this year

click here to see images of my work in Contemporary Charleston 2011:Under the Radar

google analytics

2011-06-17T14:14:00.001-04:00

I recently signed up for Google Analytics, a free service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about the visitors of a website. I've attached it to my portfolio site (laurenfrancesmoore.com) and can now learn all kinds of things about the people who visit my site. It tells me how many visitors I have each day, where they're from, how many pages they view, how long they stay on my site, how they got to my site, and so so much more. It's a remarkable tool, though I feel slightly narcissistic when I dwell on these details for too long.

I found it particularly interesting that several people have found my website through various tumblr accounts. After doing some digging, I discovered that this image (seen below) of the large steel sculpture I made last year at Franconia Sculpture Park, has made the rounds on tumblr. I'm not too familiar with tumblr and all of its ways, but the fact that this image of my sculpture has 90 "notes" seems pretty cool.

Vessel

fabricated steel

17' x 31' x 22'

CLICK HERE for more images

The blogs I've been featured on all seem pretty cool... I look forward to checking them out in more detail! A few of them include rerylikes, Tumbleword, and ArtPropelled.

Contemporary Charleston 2011: Under the Radar

2011-05-31T18:01:00.000-04:00

I am so honored to be included in this incredible exhibition... Please check out the 7 other talented artists featured in the show! I've included some installation shots, so you can get a feel for how the gallery space was broken up between the 8 of us. For more info on each artist, please CLICK HERE to see their profiles from the feature in Charleston Magazine, which is serving as the catalog for the show.

and here are the artists in no particular order...

Melinda Mead

www.melindamead.com

Greg Hart

www.greg-hart.com

DH Cooper

Nina Garner

www.ninagarner.com

Conrad Guevara

www.conradguevara.com

Rebecca West Fraser

Alan W. Jackson

Lauren Frances Moore

www.laurenfrancesmoore.com

The artists will be giving lectures on their work on the following Saturdays at 5 pm...

July 2: Rebecca West Fraser and Lauren Frances Moore
July 9: Conrad Guevara and Melinda Mead
July 16: Greg Hart and Alan W. Jackson
July 23: Nina Garner and DH Cooper

some photos of the opening

2011-05-28T10:03:00.001-04:00

photo by Reese Moore of Charleston Magazine

The above photo is of myself (cheese!) with Rebecca Silberman, Program Coordinator at the Halsey and co-curator of the show

photo by Kinsey Gidick of Charleston City Paper

or

2011-05-27T15:49:00.001-04:00

Last night was the opening reception for Contemporary Charleston 2011: Under the Radar at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park. There was an incredible turnout and I am so honored to be grouped with such a talented bunch of artists! I will post more on the opening and the other artists soon, but for now... I'll show you what I made.

These photos were taken before the opening, and before all the vinyl went up. That big open space to the right of the installation now is filled with my name in large print and my profile from Charleston Magazine. Stay tuned for more photos!

installing at the city gallery: rolling with the punches

2011-05-18T10:27:00.003-04:00

SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION... how convenient (NOT)

But I'm optimistic... I'll make it work to my advantage... somehow

what I have so far

a drawing

2011-05-14T12:52:00.001-04:00

This is a drawing I did as a final project for drawing class. It is the product of much deliberation, as drawing is not an active part of my creative process. Rather than draw something from observation, I wanted to make a piece that could potentially fit into my wider body of work. I went for a more process-based approach, which I won't even attempt to fully explain. I'll just say that it involved a number of steps, including reading aloud three definitions of "drawing" with a drawing utensil attached to my chin...

loose charcoal on panels

9" x 12" each

material prep

2011-05-14T10:29:00.000-04:00

This week I've been working out behind the sculpture studio to prep my materials for the Under the Radar install. I have a plan.... and I need an outrageous amount of this polyurethane-coated material to make it happen.

Contemporary Charleston 2011: Under the Radar

2011-05-09T08:49:00.000-04:00

In just one week from today I will begin installing at Charleston's City Gallery at Waterfront Park! I am one of 8 emerging artists that have been selected for the annual Contemporary Charleston exhibition. We've had to keep our lips zipped for the past few months in keeping with the show's theme, "Under the Radar," but the May issue of Charleston Magazine was released just last week with profiles of each artist, so now we can tell the world! Click HERE to see the online version of the magazine article.

The show will open on May 26th and will stay up through the end of July!

Time for me to get to work!!!!!!

the franconia blog

2011-05-06T08:09:00.001-04:00

Below is a little something I wrote for the Franconia Sculpture Park blog. Bridget Beck (click her name to see her awesome work!) writes a fantastic blog for the park in which she talks about all things sculpture, not ONLY the on-goings at the park. The blog includes poetry, pictures, definitions, philosophy, and musings of all kind. I recommend checking it out!

click HERE to see more images of what I made at the park

Here's what I had to day about my time at the park...

“Last June, completely unaware of what was in store, I packed up my Jeep and headed up to the odd place we all know and love, Franconia Sculpture Park. An “Intern Artist Fellowship” seemed like a great way to spend a summer. I thought, “why not?” I was intrigued by the expanse of the place and was invigorated by the thought that I would finally get the chance to make a sculpture without the bounds of pesky doorways and stairwells often encountered in traditional art-viewing institutions.

Upon prepping for my stay, I emailed John Hock with some questions concerning my plans for a very large and very likely overly-ambitious project and his response was this… “We have space. Ambition is good.” And I came to realize, soon after arriving, that this is a widespread theme at Franconia, an anthem of sorts, attesting to the “anything is possible” kind of optimism that is ever-present at the park.So yea, I made a really huge sculpture… but what else is new?

What’s great about Franconia is that I wasn’t the only one doing big things. At Franconia, I was surrounded (and I mean SURROUNDED) by talent and ambition that I had never before experienced. It was the first time I ever spent a length of time with REAL artists, at various stages of their careers, and I learned a great deal about what a future as an artist (particularly a sculptor) might entail. I picked brains for advice and learned much about opportunities that I never knew existed.

The Franconia family (network) is never-ending it seems. It really is a small, small world we sculptors live in. The contacts I made last summer (in addition to the sculpture I made) have proven to be quite valuable in my minimal professional development thus far. Exhibitions, grants, magazine articles, and grad school offers have all followed my summer spent at FSP. Every young sculptor ought to spend some time in a place like Franconia. It should be a requirement.”

CLICK HERE to see the rest of the blog!

the postcard show

2011-05-03T07:37:00.000-04:00

I will have a small piece included in the inaugural one night exhibition, Postcard Show: Wish you Were Here!, taking place at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art on Wednesday, May 11, 2011 from 6-8 PM.

EVENT DETAILS:
Inspired by the RCA Secret show held annually at the Royal College of Art in London, the Postcard Show is a one night exhibition of anonymously displayed 4 x 6 inch artwork. The identities of the postcard creators will only be revealed after ...a work is sold for the set price of $75. All proceeds will benefit the Skirt! Scholarship Fund at the College of Charleston.

Along with juried submissions, the Postcard Show will also feature the work of prominent members from the local art community. The invitational and juried submissions will be mixed together in the installation to keep the prices consistent and buying mysterious until the card is purchased.
Food by O-Ku! DJs Cassidy & the Kid! Champagne Bar by La Bubbly!

Tickets are $10 but included artists get in free!

BUY TIX in advance HERE:
http://skirt.com/postcardtix

finger painting

2011-05-02T22:24:00.001-04:00

oil on canvas

1' x 4'

plaster possibiliies at REDUX

2011-04-22T11:43:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos from my Plaster Possibilities class that just wrapped up at Redux Contemporary Art Center. The kids were great! They weren't afraid to get messy and make some really neat work.

Alexis - 8 yrs old

Connor - 9 yrs old

Emily- 13 yrs old

Ainslee - 8 yrs old

public art proposals

2011-04-20T09:29:00.001-04:00

The bubble project is coming along. Last week Jarod and I submitted a few proposals through CaFE, a site that hosts calls for submissions and applications for a wide range of artistic projects. The above image is of our aluminum "tool" that we cast ourselves in our foundry at the College of Charleston. This will be given to our plastic fabricators as a mold for the plastic bubbles (seen below). Jarod used his photoshopping genius to fix up the aluminum surface. We will work through the summer to get it to actually look like this, repairing holes and cracks with Devcon Aluminim Putty.

Below is another photoshopped image of a VERY basic example of how the bubble tiles may be installed, however, we hope to see this realized on a MUCH larger scale.

And if you're interested... here is part of our statement about the project... our design approach, if you will.

Charzewski and Moore’s collaborative approach to the design will undoubtedly be based upon our individual art practices. What unites our work is our use of the topographical style, or the grid, as a basic reference and starting point. The grid is a common denominator for engagement in our work and the final result is orderly, yet fluid, and slightly chaotic when necessary.

Part of our design strategy will encompass this topographical style and will result in a sort of controlled chaos. Our collaborative project, involves the replication of a single module, or master tile, which contains a sculptured surface of a bubble eruption that appears to be random to the viewer. The individual bubbles are specifically placed on the master tile so that when another identical tile is placed next to it is continues the bubble topography. We would like to mass produce these identical tiles, and with them create a large-scale installation that responds to existing architecture and enhances the surrounding environment.

who knew?

2011-04-11T08:39:00.002-04:00

Check it out... apparently I'm on the College of Charleston's homepage! ha! CLICK HERE to see it for real.

KK7

2011-04-09T17:42:00.000-04:00

Tonight the dancers will be performing Darkness/Light (the dance collaboration I've been working on) at Kulture Klash! Hopefully it doesn't rain, because they will be dancing outside! Eek!

CLICK HERE to read what Charleston Scene has to say about the event.

city paper write-up

2011-04-06T23:30:00.000-04:00

CLICK HERE to read the City Paper's review of the 2011 Young Contemporaries exhibition.

we have aluminum!

2011-04-04T08:38:00.000-04:00

We poured metal on Friday and anxiously awaited Saturday when we could bust open the mold and see what we got. We had no clue what to expect. Since it was such a large mold, we could only keep our fingers crossed that we wouldn't run out of aluminum... the biggest crucible can only hold 80 pounds! There were fears of air bubbles, leaks, and shrinkage, all of which occurred, but only on a minimal scale. We're hoping it's nothing we can't fix.

Once we got all the sand cleaned off, we had to "chase" the "flashing." Which just means we had to chisel off all of the extra stuff. There's a little foundry vocab for you! This has been such an interesting process for me. I took a foundry class last spring, but due to a malfunctioning furnace and kiln, never got to do many pours. This project is giving me the chance to learn metal casting in a much more hands-on way, which, despite the hours upon hours of tedious technical stuff, has proven to be quite an exciting learning process.

Young Contemporaries 2011

2011-04-02T08:24:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to all the Young Contemporaries prize winners! My installation, Flesh In, Flesh Out, which I spoke about in the previous post (in the background of the above photo), took the title of "Best Sculpture." Pretty cool!

I had one other piece in the show, entitled Objectified (seen below).

4' x 2' x 2'

fiberglass insulation on pedestal

Flesh In, Flesh Out

2011-04-02T08:14:00.003-04:00

I recently completed an installation for the Halsey's annual juried student exhibition, Young Contemporaries. I proposed it as one thing, and it kind of turned into a thing of its own. It came to life, despite the fact that upon proposing it, there were many unknowns as to how it was actually going to come together. It was very much an experiment, materially as well as formally, but I'm quite pleased with the results.

13' x 6' x 4'

made with polyethylene fabric coated with polyurethane, held together with hotglue

The piece is designed to be experienced from both sides. Viewers are invited to step inside, which is the most exciting part, if you ask me!

Many people have been asking me about the nature of the material that I used. It's actually been recycled from a sculpture I made a while back... look familiar?

CLICK HERE to see more photos of this piece

a work in progress

2011-03-28T12:06:00.003-04:00

I'm in the process of finishing up an installation for this year's Young Contemporaries exhibition at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art. Below are some progress shots....

prepping the mold

2011-03-28T08:46:00.003-04:00

Jarod and I are getting ready to pour some aluminum this week. We've been working (practically all semester) to get this mold ready. It's 4-part 1000 lb sodium silicate sand mold... it's a monster. Below you see the core on the left and the top part is on the right.

The interior of the mold gets coated with graphite, so the metal can flow smoothly and won't stick to the sand.

We have to use the forklift because of how ridiculously heavy each piece is.

Just as we were lowering the last piece of our mold in, it broke. We had a mini freak out, but have since figured out how to fix it. We're so close!

teaching technique with edible materials

2011-03-26T10:29:00.003-04:00

My edible materials class at Redux finished up this past week. We had a lot of fun, molding dough, carving melons, casting chocolate and building with pasta! These images are from our last class. The kid's made some pretty neat sculptures with pasta and hot glue!

Kate: 12 years old

Connor: 9 years old

Emily: 12 years old

Zoe: 13 years old

My plaster class starts this coming week. I believe I have 6 students this time, so it should be a blast!

darkness/light

2011-03-23T08:03:00.003-04:00

This past weekend was the big performance of "Collaborations: a dance concert." It turned out to be a really great show all-around. The piece I worked on, "Darkness/light," ended the show with a bang. I was wildly impressed with the lighting, the costuming, the choreography, and especially the dancers! Those girls were fearless! They climbed on and in and through my sculpture with such grace, despite the fact that they had only gotten to practice with the structures a small number of times.

I'm hoping to get some video clips soon, but for now I have some photos to share. These are shown in order of their appearance on stage. As you can see, the stage starts out dark, and the dancers are in silhouette. Next they move behind the screen (or "wave" as they like to call it), and gradually, the light comes up and the audience can see them full light.

Did I mention how incredibly awesome these girls are?!

thanks to Arianna Megaro for the photos!

2011 Young Contemporaries

2011-03-21T16:07:00.004-04:00

at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art
Opening Reception on March 31st, 5-7 pm
on view through April 26th

It's that time again! Every spring the Halsey Institute at the College of Charleston hosts the Young Contemporaries exhibition, the school's annual juried student show. The juror this year was Amy Mackie, the Director of Visual Arts at the Contemporary Art Center in New Orleans. She spent all day saturday digging through the 400+ submissions, and finished with a batch of 60 selected works. Two of my sculptures were chosen this year, one of which is a large site-based installation that is yet to be built. The other is a piece I did in the fall called "Objectified." It should be a really interesting show, as a lot of exciting/different work was selected this year.

a sneak peek

For more info on how the Young Contemporaries show works...

CofC Magazine

2011-03-21T12:31:00.004-04:00

My friend Kristen Gehrman wrote a lovely article/profile on me for the Spring issue of the College of Charleston Magazine. It's wonderfully written and exudes personality. Definitely worth checking out! You can find the online version HERE

photo by Leslie McKellar

Collaborations: a dance concert

2011-03-17T13:15:00.004-04:00

This weekend will be the debut of a project I've been working on for the past few months. For part of this dance performance, centered upon the theme of collaboration, I have been working collaboratively with choreographer and CofC dance faculty, Gretchen McLaine, to develop an interactive sculpture/set for her dancers. The entire set is composed of three pieces... an object on which the dancers will climb (as seen in the image above), a screen behind which the dancers will be making shadows, and an overhead piece that will be flown in (mainly for visual effect).

It's been a truly collaborative process. My design was inspired by Gretchen's concept for the piece, which we've titled Darkness/Light, as well as my own aesthetic and interest in interaction. Gretchen's choreography was built upon the elements that I designed. The choreography is also designed with costuming and lighting in mind. When all the elements come together, it is quite an incredible production. Definitely worth checking out, if I do say so myself...
If you can't make it to the show this weekend, we will be performing an excerpt at Kulture Klash on April 9th... more on that to come!

folded flesh

2011-03-03T02:32:00.001-05:00

oil on canvas
20" x 10"

sculpture/dance collaboration

2011-02-27T09:29:00.006-05:00

I'm currently working on a collaboration with Gretchen McLaine, a dance professor at the College of Charleston. The product of our collaboration will be a dance piece that has been choreographed around a sculptural set that I have designed, in response to her concepts for the dance, dealing with darkness and light, shadows, etc.. The structure seen above is one of several elements that make up my contribution. It is an object of sorts that the dancers will interact with in a variety of ways. They will climb on it, inside of it, through it, pick it up, move it, hang from it, jump on it, off of it, and more! I'm very excited to see the end product... so far I have a really good feeling about how it is all coming together. The sculptures, the movements, the costumes, the lighting, the music... it's all working quite nicely! See the video below (from yesterday's rehearsal) for a rough sneak peek.

The performance will be the 19th-21st of March... more info to come!

i have a REAL website

2011-02-24T00:22:00.004-05:00

The time has come for me to suck it up and make a big girl website. I've finally set it up! This blog has served as my website for quite some time, but now I'm in need of something a bit more professional, and organized, and easier to navigate. Now I feel like I have more freedom to use this blog more to discuss my work and where it's taking me. But for now...

check out laurenfrancesmoore.com

flesh paintings

2011-02-23T23:57:00.005-05:00

acrylic on canvas
7" x 5" each

I've been thinking more about the flesh and its many material and metaphorical qualities. It's presence in my work has been unavoidable it seems these past few months. Even my abstract, nonrepresentational work seems to pick up on the aesthetic. In this series of small acrylic paintings I have zoomed in on various places on my own body (elbow, neck, palm, forehead, and stomach) and have simply painted what is there. This is a different approach than I normally take. Unlike my sculptures which tend to start out with abstract forms and often turn into something that evokes the natural environment, these paintings were derived from life, though they appear to be abstract. I think this is a fun way to play with the boundaries of representation as well as the boundaries of my own work. I'm having fun with painting and the more I paint, the more I see it fitting in with my wider body of work.

a drawing

2011-02-09T23:22:00.000-05:00

charcoal on paper
4' x 3'

vessel in the snow

2011-01-25T07:56:00.004-05:00

My friend, and fellow Franconia intern, Julia Caston made it out to Franconia Sculpture Park this past week, despite the antarctic 40 below Minnesota weather! She and Mary Jane Mansfield (whom we also met this summer) trudged their way around the park in the knee-deep snow to take photos of our sculptures!

Here, Julia is cheesing it up in front of my sculpture, Vessel. She and Mary Jane are both from Minnesota, so they're used to this ridiculous weather. Below is an image of what she made at the park this summer... Maybe You Should Stop Buying So Much Crap

teaching at REDUX

2011-01-13T17:33:00.004-05:00

This Spring I'll be teaching some youth classes at Redux Contemporary Art Center. I'm very excited to work with kids in this capacity. See my class descriptions below... or CLICK HERE to see all the other classes offered up this spring!

Sculpture Basics: Teaching Technique with Edible Materials (recommended for ages 7-13)

Wednesdays, 4pm - 5:30pm March 2 - 23
Instructor: Lauren Moore
Member $90 / Non-Member $110

Each week students will learn about a different fundamental sculpture technique, but with a yummy twist! We’ll mold bread dough, carve melons, cast chocolate, and more! Looking at classic artists and their traditional methods, we’ll talk about the basic elements of sculpture and see how contemporary artists are pushing the envelope with nontraditional materials, like food! Bring your appetite for art! Materials included.

Sculpture Basics: Possibilities of Plaster in 3 Dimensions (recommended for ages 7 – 13)

Wednesdays, 4pm - 5:30pm
March 30 - April 20
Instructor: Lauren Moore
Member $90 / Non-Member $110

This four-week class will be an exploration of all the sculptural possibilities of that messy white stuff known as plaster. We’ll learn to mix it, pour it, carve it, turn it colors, build with it, and more! Students will be encouraged to use their creativity to construct original 3D forms while learning all the fun things that plaster can do! Materials and snacks included.

a new blog

2010-12-28T16:43:00.003-05:00

I've recently started a new blog called on art etc.

It will be supplementary to this one. Rather than posting images of my work, like I do here, I will be writing about the various things that are (directly or indirectly) influencing my creative process... books, artists, videos, materials, etc. It will be more of a journal. A documentation of my artistic intake... while "lauren moore making things" will continue to document my artistic output.

another grant

2010-12-27T18:24:00.005-05:00

My professor Jarod and I recently found out that we will be getting some more funding for our collaborative project that we began last May. We applied for another grant from our school (College of Charleston), and though we only were granted half of the funds requested ($5000) we will do what we can with the money provided! So... the bubble project continues......

CLICK HERE to learn more about our collaboration

studio

2010-12-23T13:50:00.005-05:00

Just before break I did a major clean-up of my studio space. I know it still looks like a mess, but it's organized and that's what matters to me! The dust is infinite and will never go away. This space is on the mezzanine level of the CofC sculpture studio. It's technically for the advanced students to share, but I'm really the only one who ever spends any time up there. I like to think of it as my lair.

A sculpture I made in 2008 out of chair parts... the precursor to Vessel, the sculpture I made this summer at Franconia Sculpture Park

I utilize every square inch! On the right is a painting I'm hoping to finish over the holiday.

another painting

2010-12-16T08:15:00.005-05:00

I'm really excited about this painting I just finished. Justin told me I should be psyched, and well, I guess I kind of am. What's so neat to me, is that I'm starting to realize that painting actually has a place in my body of work. When I fist started this class (painting 1) I saw it more as an exercise, if not an obligation, as a studio art major. But I've learned, especially with this painting, that my body of work can be enriched by some corresponding 2-D work of this nature.

oil on canvas 1' x 4'
(click on image to look more closely)

A few posts back I showed some images of this piece in-progress. I first made a 3-D panel covered in my favorite yellow urethane foam in a can, "great stuff," then torched the edges to create a richness in color. Then I simply painted what I saw.

Here are some detail shots...

Be on the lookout... this painting will be a part of the January exhibition in the Hill Student Gallery at CofC!

a quick installation

2010-12-15T23:44:00.005-05:00

I recently did a quick installation with some material I salvaged from an old sculpture. It was up for just under 24 hours, but luckily survived long enough to be included in the exhibition my feminist art class put together entitled Sexpectation: An Exhibition of Third-Wave Feminist Art. As you can see my other recent piece (the pink guy, "Objectified") was part of the show as well.

Unfortunately I wasn't really able to get any good shots of the installation... but here are some that I snapped.

polyethylene landscaping fabric hardened with polyurethane, tape
appx. 6' x 16' x 6'

a painting

2010-12-15T21:23:00.002-05:00

For our last painting session, we had to paint an alla prima portrait. It could be of a classmate, ourselves, or we could bring in our own model... soooo I talked my man Steve into sitting for me. It was a great exercise. The quickest I've ever worked.

oil on canvas 14" x 24"

Objectified

2010-12-05T15:03:00.004-05:00

I've been playing around with my favorite toxic pink stuff and exploring its endless possibilities. Here I have made it into a rope of sorts and covered this pedestal with it. In doing so I have objectified the pedestal by turning that which traditionally holds objects into the object itself. Not a revolutionary idea, I know. Can you tell I've been reading/thinking a lot about Minimalism?

fiberglass insulation
2' x 2' x 4'

a painting in-progress

2010-12-05T14:53:00.002-05:00

Have I mentioned I'm taking Painting this semester? For the first time... ever. It's been neat. Frustrating at times, but cool. It's true what they say, that painting opens your eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. It's fun to see how it influences my sculpture by helping me look at materials and texture with a new set of eyes. Below are some images of a work in-progress. I'll be busting my butt all week to finish it!

great stuff (torched) on panel

oil on canvas

"Wake Up, It's Today!"

2010-11-15T12:15:00.006-05:00

This weekend I did an installation for Nick Jenkins' "Wake Up It's Today" calendar release party. After seeing some of my other work, Nick came to me and asked me to do something for the event. Our ideas combined were quite dynamic...

I'm excited about working with a new material (the cardboard was Nick's idea) in a way that I think fits in fairly well with the rest of my work. It's great because its easy to manipulate and well, it's free! Steve brought all these used boxes for me from work! I can't believe they get rid of so much cardboard every single day!

This is one of the quickest installations I've ever done. We showed up at the Tin Roof, where the event was held, at 2 PM and worked non-stop until the doors opened at 7:30. Steve was a humongous help! Not only did he procure all the cardboard for me, he was also my extra set of hands during installation.

I definitely recommend that you check out Nick's calendar on his website. And you can hear some of his music there as well! CLICK HERE to hear the live recording from the event last night of his compositional project, 'Thus, My Retort.' Super cool.... see below

they even had matching (cardboard) costumes!!!

These guys from Portland also played last night... HOSANNAS
Catch em live before their tour ends! Atlanta folks, watch out, they'll be at Wonder Root tomorrow!

say AH

2010-10-31T11:24:00.002-04:00

magazine cut-outs on panel
12" x 36"

self study

2010-10-31T10:52:00.002-04:00

graphite and foam insulation on panel
3' x 3' x 3"

Ingress:Egress

2010-10-11T12:23:00.008-04:00

This past Saturday was the big event... Kulture Klash 6. I was happy to participate... it was a great opportunity for a LOT of people to experience a LOT of work in a SHORT amount of time. It was an excuse to make something. I would've liked to do something bigger and with more of a punch, but considering the time limitations, I'm happy with what I came up with. My installation was the first thing you saw upon entering... and people were passing through it all evening. It had a good run. Now it's all rolled up in the back seat of my car. Time to make something new.

made of welded steel wire, saran wrap, and fiberglass insulation

KK6

2010-10-04T08:13:00.004-04:00

This coming Saturday I will be participating in Kulture Klash, Charleston's biggest and baddest alternative arts festival. I've been working around the clock in the studio, as I just found out that I was doing something a few days ago... but that won't stop me! Come and see it... it'll be hard to miss.

October 9, 2010

7 pm -2 am
10 Storehouse Row
(at the navy yard in North Charleston)
$15 in advance... $20 at the door

wall drawing

2010-09-08T11:45:00.002-04:00

Last week we were setting up the student gallery, and naturally, being the beginning of the semester, there wasn't much work to be seen. My professor Herb had me rework the piece I designed for Redux last winter for the space, but there were still a number of blank walls. He was explaining to my classmate, Catherine (I wish she had a website for me to link because she's doing some really great stuff), that the student gallery should be a place for us to play, to experiment... and of course that got me thinking. It's something I've been wanting to explore for a while now. A new way of working more quickly and more intuitively. I like to think it's the start of something...

The material I used is a polyethylene foam insulation. I had a roll of it hanging around the work pad all summer at Franconia, so I'm excited to finally put it to use. Cheap, clean, and easy to work with. And every bit as yummy and fleshy as the the toxic variety. Gotta love it.

Installation shot... see my Situation Ossification in the background.

the big white guy... re-vamped

2010-09-08T11:36:00.003-04:00

Last week I re-worked the piece I made for Redux last winter, Situation Ossification, so that it could fit into the CofC student gallery. This meant shaving off some length and width and re-shaping the contour, which proved to be a rather simple task. I worried about compromising the integrity of a site-based piece... perhaps I still do. But I'm glad it gets to have a longer life. And to reach a new audience.

Vessel

2010-08-22T09:36:00.004-04:00

made entirely of steel (found, reclaimed, and purchased)
17' x 31' x 22'
on display at Franconia Sculpture Park for the 2010-2011 season

installation day

2010-08-22T08:42:00.004-04:00

So, it finally happened. After much trouble shooting, we were finally able to get this thing into place. I hadn't realized that I'd created such a monster until it came time to move it. I found, on what I thought was installation day, that my sculpture was too heavy and wide to lift as is with the crane. No worries. That just meant I had to cut it into 2 parts, move them separately, and weld them back into place on-site. So after welding on the last few pieces on the very top (scary and fun), grinding a seam that could tastefully fit back together, and driving into Minneapolis and back to pick up a fancy gas-generated welder, you better believe I was ready for action!

Almost there!

We moved the big part first. Here is Artistic Director John Hock hooking her up for some heavy lifting.

And up we go! It lifted without any problems!

Lowering onto the trailer resulted in some bending and warping, but I didn't sweat, because it wasn't anything I couldn't fix on-site.

Just going for a walk to the far side of the park.

Lowering into place. Time for part 2.

By the time both pieces were on on-site the sun had started to set...

But of course that didn't stop me from welding it back together!

getting there and goofing off

2010-08-14T08:55:00.004-04:00

crane action

2010-07-30T23:30:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week we fired up the crane and attached the top piece of my sculpture. A very exciting event, indeed.

a special thanks to John Hock (artistic director), Bobby Zokaites (park manager), and Tom Streit (fellow intern) for all of their gracious assistance

and the journey continues... only 2 weeks left!

coming along

2010-07-26T19:17:00.003-04:00

Piece by piece, it's coming together. Last week I met a nice man named George who kindly snapped these photos of me working. He stopped by the park on his way up into Canada. A 10 day trip of motorcycling around Lake Superior... check out his quality travel blog HERE for photos.
Now that I've got the basic structure built, my time is spent cutting cutting cutting and welding away.

Working outside has its ups and downs. It gets pretty darn hot out here during the day time. And the nighttime mosquitoes are mildly carnivorous. Rain pours down in unexpected sheets, causing a panicked shuffle to get the high-voltage tools into the barn. But I'll tell you... the landscaped. My God, the landscape makes it all worth it. I can't help but feel more and more that my piece is becoming a part of the landscape. The backdrop of cornfields and cartoon clouds... this is something entirely new to me... and I love it.

Franconia Sculpture Park

2010-07-16T11:58:00.000-04:00

It's been a month. And I still kind of don't even know what to say. I hesitate to try to define my experience out here with words, with the fear that it might cheapen it. Life on the park is rich. Our days are full. Work is hard. But it feels good. In such a short amount of time I've become not only a weed-whacking monster, but a grass-planting manic, a thistle-pulling beast, AND a ladder-climbing acrobat painter. 7 days a week we interns work for the park. We spend the morning doing various tasks, such as those mentioned above, and have the afternoons to work on our own sculptures. My piece is coming along. I arrived with plans and models for 2 ideas, and ditched them 2 days in. I'm much more happy with what I've conjured up.

I spent the first few days constructing this scale model. Though I was committed to the form, I was all over the place as far as materials go. I finally decided just to go with steel. Lots and lots of steel. And I plan to make so that it can be disassembled and moved to another location if the opportunity arises. Once my 1000 linear feet of #3 rebar arrived, I got to bending in no time. I prefer to bend the rod without the use of tools. I feel that by using my body I am able to get the material to do what I want it to do. It's a very physical/spiritual process... not easy to explain.

Roughly 2 weeks into my stay, my professor Jarod and his wife Jennifer stopped by to say hello. It just so happened that they were in town for a wedding, and though they both went to school out here (the University of Minnesota) they had yet to experience Franconia Sculpture Park's new location. It was really great to see them... to show them around the park, to show them what I'm working on. Very cool. Everything about this SURF project seems to be working out just right.

Bubble Project prototype

2010-06-30T00:52:00.007-04:00

All the hard work has finally paid off. The prototypes are complete! Though I've yet to see them in person, I'm thrilled at the fact that we've actually pulled it off. It wasn't an easy process. We decided, in order to save on fabrication costs, that we would build/sculpt the form onto which the bubble tiles would be vacuum formed, rather than using a CNC router.

First we made the form entirely out of plaster. In order to get the smooth, round forms we made plaster molds of rubber play balls of various sizes and cast them in plaster.

Then we sliced the solid plaster form in to 48 1/2" pieces on the bandsaw, traced each onto MDF board, and cut them out.

Once lined up and glued together, we began the tedious sanding process.

So, we left this MDF "tool" with the fabricators at MultiPlastics, and just a week or so later, these babies were ready for pick-up......

Situation Destination

2010-06-13T10:50:00.001-04:00

While I was installing at the library, Becky Melancon, the sweet lady who organizes/coordinates the gallery space, snapped a few in-progress installation shots. Accompanying each photo is cute commentary, which is why rather than re-posting the photos here, I'd like to redirect you to the library's Saul Alexander Gallery Exibit, June 2010 flickr album... CLICK HERE to see more

For those curious as to how this piece came together...

first the steel armature was constructed as one unit
then I added seam lines and cut it apart into 12 pieces
rented a U-HAUL truck to get everything to the library
assembled parts using bailing wire... 2 at a time
covered outer part of structure with plastic cling wrap
using a spray adhesive, covered with pink fiberglass insulation (or "fluff" as I like to call it)

The day after I finished I had to go and patch a humongous hole... looked like someone had shoved their foot right through it. I've also patched several finger poked holes. As frustrating as it is (particularly because I will be gone for the remainder of the exhibition and unable to make any repairs) I can't help but feel glad that folks feel comfortable enough in the space to do as they please. I want it to be approachable and friendly. Not sterile and intimidating like most gallery environments. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that people behave and don't cause any more significant damage in the remaining 2 weeks of the piece's life!

Situation Destination

2010-06-03T21:52:00.007-04:00

I finally finished the piece, and I must admit I'm kind of bummed... bummed that I no longer have an excuse to hang out in the gallery and talk to people and hear their reactions. That's my absolute favorite part of what I do. I've been SO happy these past couple of days. The library is the perfect place for my kind of work. I was initially concerned that it wouldn't get much exposure in the space, but I couldn't be more thrilled about the audience that it's reaching. There have been kids galore... and I really, really, really love kids. My work is very much inspired by them and their unrestrained curiosity and enthusiasm.It's really neat how the space takes on different personalities at different points in the day... at times it will be full of energy, kids running around, rolling around, dancing, etc. At other times it is more subdued and calm... a place to come and read books, to relax, or perhaps even to take a nap (had several kids tell me it made them sleepy.)

went to go get some more materials and came back to find this (!!!)

oh you know, just doing some calculus homework...

Situation Destination... a work in progress

2010-06-03T08:16:00.008-04:00

Installation the past two days has been absolutely fantastic. It's been so rewarding getting to install in such a public space that just happens to be teeming with inquiring minds... I could go on an on... but I'm going to save that for another post ;)

My dad was in town to help me these past few days... while I was entirely engrossed in my work and unaware of his presence he happened to snap a few photos of me hard at work in the studio.

me with my model (ok, I was aware of his presence for this one)

making the very last weld

cutting apart the armature into 12 pieces (so I could get it through the door)

dirty booty...

So... I'm off to the library for one final round! I've just got to add some finishing touches and the piece will be complete!

coming soon... Situation Destination

2010-05-23T00:33:00.007-04:00

On June 1st I will begin installation of my latest large-scale piece. I will be transforming the Saul Alexander Gallery at the Charleston County Public Library downtown, and I couldn't be more excited. This will be the first time that I will have the opportunity to fill an entire space, without regard to other people's work. Granted, it's not a very big space... but it's just right for what I'm going to do. Below is my "statement" that went out in the library's press release for the show...

(scale model for Situation Destination)

Situation Destination, designed for the Charleston County Public Library, both conceptually and structurally, is the fourth piece in my ever-evolving body of large-scale site-specific installations, or “situations.” In my work I am very much concerned with surrounding spaces, and in cultivating, within these spaces, temporary experiences that engage the viewer on multiple levels.

Visually, I like to work with forms that are both interesting and appealing. The soft, undulating shapes tend to be biomorphic in design. Though they may resemble living organisms or forms found in nature, they are, at the same time, intentionally non-representational, leaving the viewer the freedom to make of it what he or she wishes. In contrast with the natural evocations of the form, the structure itself is constructed in a manner reminiscent of 3D computer graphics. Grid-like and rigid, it exposes the contrivance of the manmade, the fabricated environment.

I should note that I greatly dislike the term “viewer,” for my work is not designed simply for viewing. It is to be experienced, through active participation, which is why I much prefer to refer to such individuals as “participants,” “actors,” or just “the public.” So, in this sense, my pieces are physically stimulating, as well as visually, facilitating motion and movement throughout the carefully crafted space.

Several of the pieces that I have previously constructed have dealt with a physical notion of passage and happenstance. This “situation” that I have created for the library is more about destination. The library itself is a destination. You rarely just happen upon a library. Going to the library is a deliberate action, so for this piece I have endeavored to create a space that requires a similar activity. I anticipate that, perhaps initially out of curiosity, the public will make a decided choice to enter the installation, the “Situation Destination.” I like the idea that, if people respond positively upon their first encounter, this piece could also function as a destination to which to return. I see it acting as a haven of sorts. A place for folks to come and read, for children of all ages to come and hide out, a quiet escape, if only for a moment, from the commonplace.

bubble project

2010-05-20T07:58:00.007-04:00

So Jarod and I have been busting our butts trying to get things figured out for this collaboration of ours. We're learning a LOT about what it's like to work with fabricators... so far lots of frustration! We're in this weird limbo between "make or buy," which I learned in my Production and Operations Management class (I'm also a business major) is the most critical decision a manager can make. Well... it's not an easy one by any means!

We've got a budget for materials built into the grant, but since we've yet to get any kind of quote from fabricators, we have absolutely no clue if we can even afford the prototype! For weeks we've been perfecting a version of this digital 3D sketch-up model (pictured above), from which a mold will be cut, using a CNC router. Then, from the mold, we will have a number of plastic tiles vacuum-formed into the shape. The tiles will be aligned and set into a grid system (built by us) to form an undulating blanket of sorts.

Ultimately, we would like to have over 300 tiles made... but that will require further funding, so for our purposes this summer we would like to have at least 4 made by the time of our presentation in August. That's not too much to ask, is it?! Let's hope not! But just in case... we have decided to take matters into out own hands for the time being. Until we get some kind of estimate, we will continue to work on building the mold ourselves. This process involves bouncy balls of varying sizes, plaster galore, and lots and lots of patience. But at least it means we get to make a mess... there's something very satisfying about that...

mm mm MARFA

2010-05-13T22:51:00.009-04:00

I spent this past weekend in one of the most interesting of places... Marfa, TX.
Back in January, my professor, Jarod Charzewski and I applied for a CofC SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research with Faculty) grant. Despite the mounds of paperwork we knew it would entail we simply thought... why not? Our proposal was for what we called a "Collaborative Sculpture Project with Investigation into Minimalism." Both of us work within a fairly minimalist aesthetic, so we thought this a good ground upon which to collaborate. Oh yea... and we got the grant.

Though we spent several weeks pouring over books and vintage art magazine articles on the subject, we knew we couldn't properly "investigate" minimalism without visiting the "hub" of American minimalism itself... Marfa, TX. Back in the 1970's, artist and art critic Donald Judd moved out to west Texas. As Thoreau went to the woods, Judd went to the desert... to live deliberately. He wished to create spaces where his work (along with the work of several buddies among the likes of Dan Flavin and John Chamberlain) could be viewed as it was designed to be viewed... a place where the gap between art, architecture and landscape would be bridged... the result was the Chinati Foundation.

Judd said of Chinati...

"It takes a great deal of time and thought to install work carefully. This should not always be thrown away. Most art is fragile and some should be placed and never moved again. Somewhere a portion of contemporary art has to exist as an example of what the art and its context were meant to be. Somewhere, just as the platinum iridium meter guarantees the tape measure, a strict measure must exist for the art of this time and place."

Judd's aluminum boxes are a perfect example of this notion....

(fantastic photos by Jennifer Charzewski)

I should note that, though I had seen countless pictures in books and online of these "boxes," not until I experienced them in person did I realize what they really were. I was blown away by the fact that I previously had absolutely no idea that they weren't solid cubes. On the exterior, each of the 100 boxes is identical, but the interior of each is entirely unique. And the effect is utterly magnificent... as seen above. The object is only one element in the work as a whole. The architecture and landscape are absolutely critical. The piece simply couldn't exist without them.

And so, to Marfa we went... it was quite the pilgrimage and I believe I'm all the wiser for it (or something like that?) Well... I learned a lot. I saw a lot of great work. Ate a lot of yummy tacos. Met up with a pretty cool dude from Philly. Got a taste of west Texas. And though I could ramble on Marfa for pages and pages, about the breathtaking landscape, the expanse of the starry night sky, the awesome/weirdo Judd estate/kingdom, the absurd amount of hipsters, the blah blah blah.... it's time (literally) for me to get to working on this "collaborative sculpture project" of ours. We've got some neat things in the works... stay tuned...

(Steve experiencing some Dan Flavin)

desend ascend descend again

2010-04-27T08:30:00.007-04:00

Our final assignment in Jarod's 'Public Art' class was to create and construct an "immersive environment" of sorts. I was initially thrilled, because this is the type of sculpture I've been so excited about recently, but I figured it's time for something new.... so in attempts to challenge myself and create a new type of "immersive environment," I have come up with this.

Basically, it's a model for something I'll probably never make. But a girl can dream, right? Perhaps it's entirely ridiculous and overly ambitious, but I'd love to be able to do something like this at Franconia Sculpture Park this summerrrrrr. Who knows?! The actual piece would be constructed of steel rebar and covered in concrete. The soft underbelly would (likely) be carpet padding manipulated in the manner I've done several times in the past, but sprayed with a white paint and protective weatherproof coating. I love the idea that it could be strong enough for people to climb on it... a sort of "stone mountain." Yet it's soft and inviting enough for folks to hang out underneath, have a picnic, whatever.

April 2010

model made of brazed steel wire, rockite, and tissue paper
approximately 2.5' x 2' x 1.5'

Franconia Sculpture Park: Artist Intern

2010-04-19T07:56:00.004-04:00

I've got some super neat things doing down this summer... and this is one of them!! I'll be up in Minnesota from June 15th - August 15th, living and working at the Franconia Sculpture Park. As an Intern Artist, my responsibilities will include working the grounds/park maintenance, assisting the Resident Artists with the fabrication of their work, and creating/constructing a piece of my own for inclusion in Franconia's 2010 exhibition! It's already proving to be a much bigger opportunity than I once realized.

can you find my name?!?!

Situation Orientation

2010-04-11T09:07:00.002-04:00

What an incredible opportunity... to actually get to make this... I think I've probably said that way too many times... but I really mean it. Its so exciting for me to see something like this come to life... especially after all the planning and troubleshooting that goes into it!
Back in February I walked into the Halsey with a notepad, a measuring tape, and a mission... and walked out with a vision. I know it sounds cheesy, but that's truly how it works. I was drawn to this specific space in the gallery and saw this cave-like form. I knew it belonged there. I knew what I was going to make.

Though I knew almost immediately what form this piece would take, the covering material was something to which I was never fully committed. I had various plans... animal intestines being one of them. But not until (at the very last minute) I started experimenting with a roll of cling wrap, at the off-handed suggestion of an on-looking professor did I know exactly how the piece would be finished, and what it all really meant to me.

As I've said before, I tend to start with forms and let the concepts cultivate from there. At first I had great concerns about the transparency of the material... but then I realized that the transparency is what this piece is all about. I've been working with these biomorphic forms (abstract forms that refer to or evoke living organisms), fabricating them in a manner that I believe to be evocative of 3D computer graphics (the sterile grid-like pattern). This form is soft and inviting, but its not at all place to hide, a place to reside (think hibernating bears). The City Paper said of walking through it... "the experience felt both intimate and exposed." Exactly! It's this idea of a false reality, a false sense of security... the transparency (and fragility), both literally and figuratively, of the fabricated "environment." Have I lost you yet?

April 2010

armature made of mig-welded 1/8 inch steel rod
covered with appx. 1200 ft of consumer plastic saran wrap
18' x 10' x 6.5'

Tower of Blobel

2010-04-08T12:25:00.002-04:00

As soon as you walk through the doors of the Halsey, you are confronted with this piece, off-centered on the large white wall that welcomes guests into the gallery. Precarious as it is, this "Tower of Blobel" sits on a rickety cart-like pedestal on wheels, which, in my opinion, completes the piece, both aesthetically and conceptually. It's kind of funny how it happened...
I started constructing the piece atop of this cart (one of many that live in the CofC sculpture studio) because it was a piece that was built upon itself. It was also very fragile and easily dirtied, so it was important that I handle it as little as possible. I'd roll it around on the cart about the studio, over to the plaster station, back to my little corner, back and forth. Now, you'll notice the mess of plaster covering the cart... that wasn't there when I began. Constructing this "tower" proved to be a rather tedious, difficult, messy and horribly frustrating process. As many already know, in order to make each "blob" I filled condoms (yes, condoms) with wet plaster, tied them off like balloons, formed them into the desired shape, and held them in place until they hardened. Well... as the Trojan box warns, condoms aren't 100% effective... they DO break... hence the mess.

My plan was to build a tower of sorts, from the ground up... as high as I could go. But, due to the weakness of the latex, the fragility of the hardened plaster, the precariousness of the stacked blobs... I realized this was never going to happen. It was an unattainable goal. A true "tower of babel" type of experience. I felt on the smallest scale what those Babylonians must have felt on the most enormous scale... this feeling that despite all my efforts, I'm not in control. That there's a force far greater that deserves my respect, my honor, and my humility and without acknowledging that, all efforts are futile.

So, I submitted the piece on this cart for the sake of convenience, with the assumption that if it were selected it would then be moved to a proper white pedestal... but the curator, Mary Jane Jacob, liked the pedestal... thought the piece belonged atop of it. At first I was like, huh? But then I realized how right she was. The cart tells the story... it's evidence of the struggle... it adds to the instability... it completes the tower.... the tower of blobel...

March 2010

13 stacked plaster blobs
approximately 2.5' x 1' x 1'

Young Contemporaries 2010

2010-04-08T08:30:00.001-04:00

Now on view, until April 27th... the two sculptures in the above photo are mine. What an incredible opportunity to get to exhibit in the Halsey's new gallery... SUCH a beautiful space! The opening last Thursday was rather exciting... especially because... um....

WOW... whaaaat? It was incredibly overwhelming. Still is. It's exciting to see people respond positively to my work. To watch people inspecting it, contemplating it, discussing it, experiencing it... that's the best part, I think. It's what keeps me creating.

Stay tuned for more words and images on each piece...
until then, check out the Charleston City Paper's review of the show!

Situation Orientation maquette

2010-04-04T09:48:00.001-04:00

Situation Orientation... a work in progress

2010-04-01T08:06:00.005-04:00

When I proposed this installation, I submitted a complete scale model (images to come) with explicit instructions as to how the piece would be assembled in the gallery space. I built the armature in the CofC sculpture studio and cut it apart into three pieces so that it could fit through the gallery's 8' x 8' doorway... darn doorways, always complicating things! Upon submission, the armature was complete and cut apart... ready for install. Once in the space and reassembled I would then adhere the plastic covering on-site.

What you see here is the reassembled armature, in its space, ready to be wrapped!

After hours upon hours of wrapping... it's nearly complete!

coming soon!

2010-03-22T20:50:00.009-04:00

Get ready... next Thursday, April 1st, from 5-7 PM the 2010 Young Contemporaries exhibition opens at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art. The Young Contemporaries is the College of Charleston's annual juried student exhibition, showcasing the hottest young talent the school has to offer. This year, the show has been curated by School of the Art Institute of Chicago sculpture faculty member (!!) and curator of international fame, Mary Jane Jacob.

CLICK HERE to read a preliminary write-up of the exhibition from the City Paper

Selected works were posted this afternoon, and I am lucky enough to have 2 works included in the show... one of which was a rather risky submission... a large-scale, site-specific installation. But it was chosen, hallelujah! Installation will begin this Wednesday, and I'll be working on-site for the week leading up to the opening.

Here's a sneak peak... a preliminary model... a sketch of sorts. I've since changed some things, such as the covering material. I'll post photos of final model in time...

Lauren Moore: Visiting Artist

2010-03-22T20:30:00.001-04:00

This past Friday I had the pleasure of visiting Professor Tiffany Silverman's Art Appreciation classes at The Citadel. Redux Contemporary Art Center, as part of their educational outreach program, is partnering with Mrs. Silverman to bring in local visiting artists to the classroom in hopes of exposing the students to the world of contemporary art that exists outside of the Citadel's thick, concrete walls.

For those of you not familiar with The Citadel... it is a prestigious military school, known for its strict rules and rowdy boys. Of course this is the stereotypical description, but then again, stereotypes don't come from nowhere! I currently live just blocks from the Citadel campus, and am lucky enough to be serenaded with their crack-of-dawn bugles and midnight revelries. Their fall-time football games and their Friday afternoon parades. A real treat indeed... ;)
Upon telling people that I was going to be the "visiting artist" for an Art Appreciation class at the Citadel, I was greeted with several similar responses. "They teach art there?" Who knew!

So, for my visit, I prepared a powerpoint presentation about my work. Mainly composed of images, it also contained references to several artists that currently influence what I do, and a few key elements about the "type" of sculpture I make (site-specific/installation/etc.).Their professor introduced me as a more "conceptual" artist, for what I assumed was because I do not work in classic materials and my forms are non-representational. I thought that was kind of interesting, especially considering the fact that in one of my very first slides I described my work as "form-driven rather than concept-driven." My "lecture" was preceded by a lecture on sculpture... a very broad overview of what sculpture is and a handful of artists who make it. The students were much more interested in the HOW than the WHY... which is right up my alley. They asked some good questions and I had fun answering them.

Then we jumped right into some fun, hands-on activities. I brought with me three blow torches, some bailing wire, and all the fixings necessary to hold a complete brazing workshop. Brazing (the joining of 2 metal wires with melted brass) is one of the first skills taught in an introductory college sculpture class, and it is a technique that I use extensively in my model-making. I helped each student (24 in each class... 48 total) make at least one successful braze, which anyone can tell you is not in the leas bit an easy task.

I must admit, I had a really great time! This experience has proved to be extremely valuable... having to get up in front of a room full of strangers and talk about my work has gotten me to contemplate and to process what it is I'm doing with this "art" and why. I really enjoy the classroom environment, and can see myself doing more of this in the future, be it as a visiting artist again, an instructor of sorts, or even as a college professor. Who knows!

Thumbkin Maquette

2010-02-09T18:27:00.007-05:00

The CofC sculpture department has been lucky enough to score four $500 public art commissions for its students this semester. A competition will be held among all advanced students who will each submit a public art proposal, complete with budgets, drawings, and 3-D models. My proposal is geared towards the City of North Charleston's commission, for which the parameters are relatively boundless. Since it commands quite a bit of space, I would love for this piece to be able to live among the other large-scale sculptures at Riverfront Park.

This proposed installation is comprised of seven massive concrete thumbs, each depicting various stages of progressive motion. Crawling like an inchworm, the thumb comes to life as an object all its own. He becomes a character in his very own story. To further this concept of personification, the thumbs will be scaled up to human-size. No longer are they appendages, but bodies of their own. Those familiar with the childhood nursery rhyme “Where is Thumbkin?” should know that this song has served as a great source of inspiration for this body work.

February 2010

painted cast plaster thumbs, model grass, wood, wire
approximately 24" wide x 4" tall x 6" deep

Situation Ossification

2010-01-31T21:27:00.008-05:00

I typically start with a shape, a form. Something nearly completely visual. Somewhere along the way the concept hits me... it's like "Ooooohhh, so that's what this piece is all about!" This time around it didn't hit me... I had to go hunt for it, chase after it, wrestle with it. Luckily I pinned it down just in time to get a title to Karen at Redux.

I'll try to spare you the long-winded attempt at an explanation....

os·si·fi·ca·tion (ŏs'ə-fĭ-kā'shən) n.
1. the natural process of bone formation
2. the process of becoming set in a rigidly conventional pattern, as of behavior, habits, or beliefs
3. rigid, unimaginative convention

To me, this piece deals with the issue of growing up. I'm not wanting to make a statement on the issue as much as I am an observation. So, the form is of a fluid nature. It's nothing in particular... but after seeing it up in the space, I liken it to several things often associated with childhood... tears, drool, a runny nose, you get the idea. Yet this substance (whatever it is) has been frozen. The steel armature gives it a certain stiffness, a rigidity, a pattern. It's been hardened... it's been ossified.

January 2010

steel, polypropylene landscaping fabric, light

CLICK HERE for many more photos of the exhibition and the opening

Now Showing!

2010-01-24T18:55:00.005-05:00

The opening was a blast. Everything looked great.
I could get used to this.

stay tuned for an official piece post including many more words and images

coming sooner... (!!!)

2010-01-15T07:38:00.004-05:00

Last Friday was the big move... and it proved to be much easier than anticipated, thanks to all my great helpers. I had nightmares of it bending, ripping, getting caught in tree branches... but luckily not a thing went wrong! We met at 10AM in the sculpture studio on campus, picked the thing up, and walked it down St. Phillips Street several blocks to Redux. It felt like a parade or something... but without the crowds and goofy music.

in the studio... ready for the big move

on the move.... see our reflection?

We made it to Redux!!
(Pictured with Karen Meyers, Executive Director of Redux...)

And just shortly after 12PM, the piece was up and hanging in place above our heads. Kind of freaky how things just seem to work out sometimes...

Just one more week until opening night! Maybe I'll see you there....?

coming soon!

2010-01-01T11:57:00.003-05:00

It's good to be back in Charleston, and perhaps even better to be back in the studio! I spent the first week of winter break, and will now spend the last week, putting together my most exciting, most ambitious piece yet (or so I like to think)! I am so terribly thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of Redux Contemporary Art Center's first show of the new year! 1x1 will feature works by the nine tenured faculty members of CofC's studio art department alongside with works by each professor's student of choice. I will be showing with my very cool sculpture professor, Herb Parker! Congratulations to all my talented colleagues...

Marshall Thomas
Matthew Bowers
Samantha Theall
Sarah Haynes
George Davis
Shelley Smith
Maddie Reyna
Liz Vaughn

With so many artists and so little space, we have each been given a 60" x 60" space in which to display one piece. Somehow, I've managed to bend these parameters... just slightly... ahem. So, yea, the piece I'm working on will be approximately 16' long, 5' wide, and 9' tall... but, of course, only 60" x 60" will protrude into walking space... the rest will remain above the viewer's head. I mean, "art is what you can get away with," right? Warhol wouldn't lie...

here's a little sneak peak... my maquette

Situation Manipulation Maquette

2009-12-06T14:16:00.008-05:00

I've recently stumbled into to fun world of maquette making. More and more I've been finding myself stuck, picture in head, pencil in hand, and absolutely no clue where to begin. I have had the hardest time visualizing, in 2 dimensions, such fluid 3-dimensional things. So I've been left with no other choice than to construct. Using simple brazing techniques (learned in sculpture 1) I'm able to create a mini 3-D version of just about anything. It's great, really... to make a small thing... that I know, one day, will be real... not to mention real big! Here's the maquette for my recent piece, Situation Manipulation.

September 2009

made of brazed steel bailing wire, and newspaper
appx. 7" tall, 20" long, and 15" deep
scaled at 1" = 1'

Statement

2009-12-03T08:25:00.005-05:00

A work in itself... and very much a work in progress. It's hard to write an artist's statement when you're in denial about being an artist. But it's been an extremely beneficial exercise. Makes me wish I was required to write about my work more often. Perhaps it's too playful, not serious enough... but I think it rightly represents how I feel about the things I make and about what art is to me, at least at this point in my life.

December 2009

I like amusement parks almost as much as I like to make things. The creative process is such a roller coaster. After experiencing all the ups and downs and twists and curves of all that goes into creating a finished piece, I often stumble off the so-called ‘ride’ slightly disoriented. Once I recover my equilibrium, I feel that childish urge to squeal, “let’s do it again!” And that’s exactly how I want others to feel after encountering my work. It’s about experience. I like to think that the things I create, especially my architectonic sculptures and installations, will cultivate a child-like enthusiasm in even the grouchiest of folks.

I am so impressed by, and will admit, my work is very much inspired by, children. They embody a sense of wonder and have a compulsive playfulness that is nowhere to be found among the bulk of grown people. At what point did we all become so uptight? Art, for me, is the force that yanks me from my comfortable routine, jerks me around, makes me nauseous, and yet keeps me begging for more. Thus the things I create are an invitation for you, if only for a moment, to loosen up, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.

Situation Manipulation

2009-10-27T19:08:00.005-04:00

My most recent piece. Aiming to get out of my comfort zone, this is what I came up with. It's another tunnel of sorts. Walk through it, bend with it (if you're tall enough, that is). I designed it for this space, the CofC student gallery, which is where it's living for the time being. There's a chance it may get to make appearances elsewhere... keep your fingers crossed! I'm looking forward to using this technique more and more in the very near future.

October 2009

armature made from roughly 280 ft. of arc welded 3/4 in. rebar
covering made from roughly 120 sq. yd. of landscaping fabric (procured from the theater department) hardened with 4 1/2 gallons of polyurethane.

Hand Me a Biscuit!

2009-09-06T14:21:00.000-04:00

I was really drawn to this position of the hand... a neat shape, I think. Decided to cast lots of them and put them all together in an abstract-ish piece. I had a hard time deciding how to display the hands for our class critique, but once I got them back to Atlanta, they quickly found their home on my mom's kitchen table! What a lively centerpiece!

February 2008

6 cast plaster hands (mine, of course!) stained with tea

WALK Gallery Installation

2009-08-20T08:10:00.005-04:00

Just a few weeks ago I was contacted by Max Miller, the fantastic local painter and just extremely nice dude, about being a part of WALK Gallery. WALK is a new Charleston organization that puts art in empty storefronts along Charleston's main shopping street, King St. Their website describes it as "a win:win for all — visibility for local artists, increased visual appeal, interest on the street, and a means to enhance available space." Not a bad idea, huh?

So I was, and still am, beyond thrilled to have this opportunity! I could not have asked for a better space to work with. It's huge! Just how I like it! It will be up until mid-September... and if I'm lucky, perhaps a bit longer...?! So if you find yourself strolling along upper King, keep your eye out for this monster that lives in 501 King! It's not too hard to miss.

August 2009

wooden panels covered in lots of manipulated carpet padding... nearly 10,000 staples were used!
approximately 13 ft wide and 10 ft tall

(this photo was taken before it was entirely finished... I have since closed the central hole in some more... But I think I like it better like this...)

Derivative Discourse

2009-08-08T20:44:00.007-04:00

This piece made an appearance in the The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art's 2008 Young Contemporaries show. I've not been able to put my hands on the photos taken when it was on display... yet. Will work on getting some better ones.

January 2008

(photo taken from above)

made of brazed steel wire and newspaper... roughly 2ft x 2ft x 2ft

Petrified Pertinence

2009-06-25T08:42:00.004-04:00

This was made my freshman year at CofC to satisfy a Sculpture 1 assignment. I was excited to work on the face... had done a series of faces in high school... out of clay. The reductive process was much more challenging than I had anticipated. Nonetheless, I ventured to challenge myself further with a specific expression... one of utter pain and distress.

March 2008

carved out of a solidified plaster and vermiculite mixture

Adit Anew

2009-05-19T09:35:00.005-04:00

Some further adventures with carpet padding... wanted to take it a step further and create a space with the material. Ideally, I would have liked to have lined the walls (and ceiling, of course) of some kind of slightly cramped existing thoroughfare, but suitable spaces were limited. I chose instead to construct my own hallway, designed specifically for a spot in CofC's Simons Center for the Arts. It went at the top of a turning staircase... it was unexpected... unavoidable... exactly what I was going for.

March 2009

As you can see, it's rather large. I am forever indebted to all those who aided in the installation/de-installation of the piece... especially to my incredibly encouraging and ridiculously accommodating professor, Jarod Charzewski. We had the pleasure (??) of installing it once, for our class critique, and then a second time, for the Halsey Gallery's 2009 Young Contemporaries, the annual juried CofC student show.

Read about it here... on the Charleston City Paper's website.

I was thrilled that the piece was going to get to live for another month, the duration of the show, but was unfortunately informed just days after the opening that that wasn't going to be the case. Apparently carpet padding is a highly flammable material... and the placing of my piece was in "direct violation" of the fire code. Imagine that. It was promptly moved.

It was beyond repair. I shed a few tears. But oh well... I'm recovering. At least I got some prize money from the show!

There's a chance you may be seeing a resurrected version of Adit Anew in the near future... will keep you posted...

4ft x 8ft x 8ft tunnel constucted with 2x4's and covered with drywall

Where is Thumbkin? (on the move)

2009-05-15T19:56:00.009-04:00

This is my latest Thumbkin piece. Somewhat of a model for what I would like to do large-scale. Unfortunately it only got to stay up for a day... plaster isn't the most durable of materials, after all. I would have liked to have done them in concrete, but naturally, as a student, I happened to be under time restraints. I do still have the molds, so be on the lookout for baby concrete thumbs!

April 2009

And no, I did not get in trouble for destroying the vines... yet... they grow back, right?

I've been having fun lately with installation sculpture... I'll elaborate on this someday on my other blog.

nearly 50 cast plaster thumbs... ranging from 1 to 3 inches tall

Where is Thumbkin?

2009-04-22T20:05:00.005-04:00

This is the first of my Thumbkin series... I hope to do many more! I was inspired by the childhood song by the same title. It currently resides in the College of Charleston's Sottile Sculpture Garden.

October 2008

made of cast concrete... stands roughly 3ft tall

Confounded Foundations

2009-04-20T07:53:00.003-04:00

This is my first carpet padding piece... The material caught my eye in Home Depot, and I simply had to have it, for I immediately had an image of what I wanted to do with it. I carted 2 big rolls of it around in the the back of my car for the greater part of my senior year of high school, but it wasn't until the end of my 1st year at college that I finally figured out how to make it do what I wanted it to do. I like to think it's the first of many.

April 2008

2ft x 2ft wooden panels covered in manipulated carpet padding

Combination Cultivation (deux)

2009-04-19T13:58:00.002-04:00

This is my most recent sculpture... inspired by the piece in my previous post. It is a chair of sorts- perhaps a bit more like a jungle gym.

April 2009

made from nearly 400ft of arc welded 3/8in steel rods

Combination Cultivation

2009-04-18T00:27:00.000-04:00

This piece is currently on display in the College of Charleston's Student Gallery as part of the 2009 Salon des Refusés.

September 2008

made from nearly 150 ft. of welded 1/4 in. steel pencil rod