Dwight Projects
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 08:32AM Project Details:
Over a decade ago I had an idea to become more proactive about how Art is disseminated into society. Growing increasingly uninterested in "pedestal work" and/or the art market in general, I looked at other media and how they utilized broadcasting as a way to bring their work to the people. With this in mind, I chose the cup as a highly functional and elegant object as the gift that I would give to people.. a surprise waiting on their doorstep.
The cups are hand-made in Fargo, ND as part of my continuing studio practice. The cups are delivered by hand out of the back of my blaze orange Honda Element. Each cup is in a box which is delivered with the top lid open, exposing the cup which is cradled in paper. On the top of a box is a sticker that simply reads "Hello" and on the interior is a message to the person who finds the cup.
I make my living as an educator, and therefore this is an opportunity for me to plant seeds in communities for other potters to harvest. I also want to make a simple connection with folks and challenge the way that they would typically encounter art or craft. Eddie Dominquez, a dear friend, said it best "Michael, you just want to be Santa".
I am the guy in the grocery store who will find a way to meet the person in front of them. I just simply love people. This project gives me the opportunity to say hello through my work, and not have to wait for them to "bump into" my work in traditional venues such as a gallery or museum. With that in mind I am ultimately interested in who finally owns what I make and I am taking the destiny of my cups into my own hands.
I chose Dwight, NE and Dwight, ND because I am interested in the "village" culture of communities that are hanging on to the tradition of the small town. Everyone-knows-everyone in towns like the Dwights, for better or worse they are a close network. In large cities folks speak to the sense or lack thereof of "neighborhood" in the areas they live. In towns like Dwight, the city becomes the neighborhood. I am interested in this dynamic, and how my work can intersect with the lives of the people in these communities.