In Progress Image. 2021
Courtesy of the Artist
Kristin Tollefson
Both Ways
January 8 to February 20
VIRTUAL ARTIST TALK:
January 15, 2021
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WINTER HOURS:
Friday and Saturday
Noon-4pm
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
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In Both Ways, Tollefson explores how a tactile world rich with intimacy can be cultivated in this time of separation. A sinuous garland made from natural materials such as wood, metal and felt curves throughout the gallery, a manifestation of an accumulation of sculptural gestures made by many hands. Through this work, Tollefson reflects on the limitations and expansiveness of human connection in a changing and fractured world.
“…(S)ometimes the transactions between small and large multiply, have repercussions… Macrocosm and microcosm are correlated,” suggests Gaston Bachelard in The Poetics of Space. The intimate acts of making and of wearing art describe this duality: cupped in the hand, warmed by contact with skin, and yet communicating to the world beyond the maker or wearer, even across vast distances.
I envision a compilation of simple sculptural gestures, each constructed as individual elements to be touched and worn, accumulating in a sinuous garland reminiscent of a growing vine, that curves through the gallery, encircling the space. The modular components — made of metal and embellished with wood, glass and felt — offer up potential for tactile discovery and interplay that can only happen in real life. To this end, two pathways to touch are integral to this project: the collaboration of many hands in the assembly of parts, and the reflective aspect of adornment. An exchange of manual labor and documentation of this work being held and worn will comprise a narrative of photographs shared on a dedicated Instagram feed (@bothwaysproject) and in the gallery along with the finished work. Intimate acts of touch unfold on parallel planes, embodying the limitations and expansiveness of human connection in a changing and fractured world.”
“…(S)ometimes the transactions between small and large multiply, have repercussions… Macrocosm and microcosm are correlated,” suggests Gaston Bachelard in The Poetics of Space. The intimate acts of making and of wearing art describe this duality: cupped in the hand, warmed by contact with skin, and yet communicating to the world beyond the maker or wearer, even across vast distances.
I envision a compilation of simple sculptural gestures, each constructed as individual elements to be touched and worn, accumulating in a sinuous garland reminiscent of a growing vine, that curves through the gallery, encircling the space. The modular components — made of metal and embellished with wood, glass and felt — offer up potential for tactile discovery and interplay that can only happen in real life. To this end, two pathways to touch are integral to this project: the collaboration of many hands in the assembly of parts, and the reflective aspect of adornment. An exchange of manual labor and documentation of this work being held and worn will comprise a narrative of photographs shared on a dedicated Instagram feed (@bothwaysproject) and in the gallery along with the finished work. Intimate acts of touch unfold on parallel planes, embodying the limitations and expansiveness of human connection in a changing and fractured world.”
Tollefson has been working with members of the senior community on Bainbridge Island to bring this interdependent process to life. Island Volunteer Caregivers (IVC) have distributed kits of parts to islanders who will fabricate individual elements of the garland; these will be collecting and assembled to become an integrated whole. The acts of distributing, making and collaborating counter the isolation that particularly impacts many vulnerable members of our society, and values their rich, sensual lives. These personal creative acts are translated into a narrative that both embodies and represents growth, adaptability and the power of community.
Kristin Tollefson holds an MFA in Metalsmithing from Cranbrook Academy of Art, and a BA in Art History and Sociology/Anthropology from Carleton College. She has received awards from the American- Scandinavian and Fulbright Foundations and Americans for the Arts, and residencies including Jentel (WY), Listagil í Akureyri (Iceland), and La Wayaka Current: Atacama Desert (Chile).
Tollefson lives on Bainbridge Island, where she works as Director of Education and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advancement for the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.
http://www.kltollefson.com/
Dedicated Artist Instagram feed for exhibition (@bothwaysproject)
Tollefson lives on Bainbridge Island, where she works as Director of Education and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advancement for the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.
http://www.kltollefson.com/
Dedicated Artist Instagram feed for exhibition (@bothwaysproject)
ARTIST TALK:
A virtual conversation with Kristin Tollefson and Emeritus Co-Founder, Mary Coss
Intro with METHOD Co-Founder Paul D. McKee
January 15, 2021, Seattle, WA.
© METHOD 2021
A virtual conversation with Kristin Tollefson and Emeritus Co-Founder, Mary Coss
Intro with METHOD Co-Founder Paul D. McKee
January 15, 2021, Seattle, WA.
© METHOD 2021