We continue our RAC staff introductions with Risa Shoup, our Programming Director. Risa initially became part of Recession Art as Guest Curator for What is the Where? at the Invisible Dog in fall 2010. Risa spent four years as the Programming Director of chashama before she decided to work independently. Currently, she is the residency manager for the BRIC House Fireworks Residency, a state-of-the-art multi-disciplinary artists’ residency set to open in 2013. In 2010 and 2011 Shoup curated two small group shows at the Invisible Dog Art Center in Brooklyn, NY. In July 2011, she opened “Ode Hotel” in the Old Hotel section of The Wassaic Project’s Maxon Mills exhibition space. She is currently exhbiting The Bricoleurs, an exhibition of the work of artists who explore the medium of collage and assemblage, and examine expanding the canon of these processes, co-curated with Christian Fuller at the BRIC Rotunda Gallery. In March 2012, she will curate a site-specific installation by sculptor R. Justin Stewart at the Invisible Dog.
We also asked Risa to tell us about her experience working with RAC. Here’s what she had to say:
RA: What’s been the most rewarding part about working at RAC?
RS: My immediate reaction is: “doing something I haven’t done for a very long time – booking events in all disciplines.” Really, this is an impossible question to answer because there are so many “most rewarding” parts about working at RAC. Nevertheless, I’ve been curating contemporary art and also working with RA for a while now, but it’s been a few years since I’ve produced performing arts and multi-disciplinary events on a regular basis in a regular location, and I’m super excited to be fulfilling that role again. It’s going to increase RA’s, as well as my own, exposure to artists in different disciplines and at different stages of their careers. I really want this to become a laboratory for people farther along in their careers to try new things, and a stage for people closer to the beginning of their careers to put themselves out their for the public to see.
RA: What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced at RAC?
RS: I have a lot going on, so a personal challenge has been finding the time to do everything I want as well as I want. I’ve had to slow myself down and work very methodically, which will probably lead to greater success in the long run, and I’m grateful for that, but I’m also chomping at the bit.
RA: What are you most looking forward to working with RAC?
RS: Well, initially it was the opening. But now that that’s over, I’m really excited for our first few events. We’ve got Volume 1: Brooklyn (a reading series) on Feb 9, and Mike Lala’s Fireside Follies, a video screening of the work of Jordan Rathus and a performance/reading event of the work of a great young writer named Brian Spitulnik in the near future. I have a lot more I want to do: regular screenings of animated shorts, concerts, performance art, and parties! The future looks like a lot of fun.
Don’t miss our next event Volume 1: Brooklyn on February 9th at RAC! To see a full list of events at RAC, please visit our calendar.
For our out-of-town fans, and those that missed our Grand Opening celebration, we’ve posted an online gallery of Megan Berk’s paintings from Weird Party on the Other Side of the Hedge. These images were taken by Megan Berk, Sara Morrison, and Rachel Posner.
If you would like more information about a specific piece, please email Executive Director Emma Katz at emma@recessionartshows.com. Visit RAC till March 11th to see Megan’s incredible work in person.
RAC exists because of the hard work of our innovative and creative staff. We want to introduce you to the people who are making RAC possible, starting with Curator of Printed Matter, Melanie Kress. Melanie is an independent curator, writer, and artist. She is the Co-Founder and Curatorial Director of CONCRETE UTOPIA, a project space in Crown Heights that presents exhibitions and performance, publishes books, and operates a print shop. She is also curating Recession Art’s 2012 Spring group show, Everything is Index, Nothing is History.
We sat down with Melanie and asked her a few questions about her experience working with RAC. Here’s what she had to say:
RA: What’s been the most rewarding part about working at RAC?
MK: Having the opportunity to exhibit and share work by artists and writers I really love and believe in. It’s a dream to have a permanent space to offer as an opportunity to others — and it has expanded beyond anything I could have expected. Mike Lala (founder of Fireside Follies), our fiction and poetry curator in the bookstore continues to bring in amazing work, as has Dominick Rapone, an artist who helped me find many of the artists whose handmade books can be found in the store. Moving forward, we might also be lucky enough to have Kate Wadkins bring her zine and book collection (formerly located at The Storefront in Bushwick) to our shop — and we keep growing!
RA: What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
MK: Finding enough space for everything and everyone I want to show!
RA: What are you most looking forward to in RAC’s future?
MK: Moving forward, we will begin to highlight individual artists whose work we carry in the store, and I am excited to be able to focus in on each one of them on a more significant scale. I’m also looking forward to bringing in new collaborators and artists down the road — with this new space, the possibilities have really opened up. It’s like when you get your first apartment — after all the painting and furniture purchasing, the first thing to do is invite everyone over for dinner! (Speaking of which, second on my list are family dinners at culturefix.)
Visit RAC at 9 Clinton Street, Tuesday through Sunday to see Melanie’s latest print and book picks and take home affordable art you love!
Submissions are now open for Recession Art’s Spring 2012 group show, Everything is Index, Nothing is History. We are accepting submissions of artwork in all media at recessionartshows.com/submit.
Everything is Index is an exhibition about writing and interpreting history, specifically constrasting histories written through language with histories inscribed on the physical world. An “index” may be a footprint, a scar, a photograph – a document pointing to a moment in time. Everything is Index is an exhibition about how we experience the world as an accumulation of physical traces. Of special interest are works that engage in alternative modes of writing, framing, and interpreting history, and works that question how we determine truth and veracity. Artists are encouraged to address topics such as archive, information systems, story telling, the natural sciences, and photography.
The deadline for submissions is March 2nd, Artists will be notified of acceptance by April 6th. Visit recessionartshows.com/submit to read the complete show description, terms and conditions, and to access the application.
In just a few days, Recession Art will open RAC, our home on the Lower East Side. Our vision of RAC is a triple-threat space: part gallery, part performance venue, and part store. This week, we’ve been hard at work on the store and want to give you a preview of what to expect at the Grand Opening on Saturday January 21st.
Theresa Marchetta, "Untitled," from Plastic Print series
The store will be a way to support emerging artists and aspiring collectors. It will be a gathering place for a community that appreciates contemporary art and shares our desire to create an alternative to the traditional art market. It is our hope that the store will house an eclectic collection of books, original pieces, works by our featured artists, and a nook where we can share coffee and conversation.
With the help of Materials for the Arts, we are planning the layout for the Recession Art bookstore that will operate out of the RAC gallery. Through them, we picked up a pedestal to display sculptures and a portfolio to showcase smaller works and prints. In addition, we acquired paint to give the store a fresh look and a bookcase to house a unique collection of handmade books and exhibition catalogs.
Designing the store is a bit like curating a show: an art form in itself. Our Printed Matter Curator Melanie Kress has been consulting with the rest of the Recession Art team on the best way to display the many beautiful art books and prints she has acquired for the store. From the basics of planning the layout of the shelves to organizing and selecting the art and publications, the process requires a clear vision and attention to the Recession Art mission.
Paloma Crousillat, "Untitled," from 101 Telescopes series
It has been thrilling to see so much affordable art start to roll into the store. RA alumna Paloma Crousillat dropped off drawings from her 101 Telescope series, Theresa Marchetta delivered works from her Plastic Print series, and postcards of work by Kuzana Ogg have been recently delivered. Perhaps most exciting for the RA team has been putting the finishing touches on the 2012 Featured Artist catalog, which will be available to the public on January 21st.
We can’t wait to show you RAC’s affordable art at the Grand Opening, January 21st 6 pm to midnight. We look forward to seeing you at our new location at 9 Clinton Street on the LES!
