20: Tessa Windt
This summer marked a decade since Tessa Windt made the jump to the United States from Canada. Four states later, she's glad to finally catch her breath in Arizona.
Windt says "In some ways I'm an old-fashioned artist who needs a studio, a concrete space to move materials and ideas around in - but I've also begun to work more and more with people, initiating participatory projects." She values these projects particularly for the ways they can break down isolation and connect people to one another through collective making.
Read more about Windt and her work after the jump...
1. List five things on your inspiration wall (real or imaginary):
Only five? I may have to cheat a little here:
1. Paintings by Ellsworth Kelly and Frank Stella (plus writing on Stella by Michael Fried)
2. Lee Miller photographs of World War II and Roland Penrose photographs of Lee Miller draped in camouflage net
3. The Great Lakes' stoic ancient presence
4. Marcel Proust's dense visceral and visual descriptions of minutiae
5. New discovery! Franz Erhard Walther
2. What was your last big project?
In the last couple of years I've been working more on participatory projects including Rainbow Sightings, an online archive of images of rainbows, and most recently, Parcel Post, a six-site community-based project in which 60 older adults living across the state of North Carolina collaborated on 60 artworks.
Earlier this year I had my first chance to show my work in Phoenix at the ASU Art Museum Street Party. It was a great way to begin to meet the art community here in town and to have my work there to facilitate the introduction.
And most recently (as in last week) I wrapped up work on some new pieces in the studio
3. What's your next big project?
In 2011, I'll be doing my first outdoor installation at Field Work, a rural exhibition space in Ontario. I'm excited about the shift in scale and the opportunity to articulate ideas and push material and form in a new context.
4. Why do you do what you do?
Doing is always multiple and layered. I make by arranging and re-arranging. I want the potential that what I am making could be otherwise, to always be there. Even when something is "finished" in a way the suggestion is that it is paused.
The other side of doing, for me, is always looking. My studio work in the last few years has become more and more of a response to looking at the paintings of late Modernism, of the late '50s and '60s. Doing, redoing and looking becomes a modality, or an ongoing conversation.
On the other hand when I work with people, the focus is on using the doing to connect people to one another.
5. What's something you want Phoenix to know about you?
Since moving to Phoenix I've developed a great reverence for backyard lemons. They truly are one of the special pleasures of life. Who knew floating yellow polka dots and mountains of yellow globes really do come from trees?
(and if you're game, what's something you don't want Phoenix to know about you?)
I suppose I may as well reveal that there's a wish-fulfilling lemon tree in my backyard.
The Creatives, so far:
100. Fausto Fernandez
99. Brian Boner
98. Carol Panaro-Smith
97. Jane Reddin
96. Adam Dumper
95. Mayme Kratz
94. Daniel Tantalean
93. Yuri Artibise
92. Lisa Starry
91. Paul Hoeprich
90. Betsy Schneider
89. Mary Shindell
88: Gabriel Utasi
87: Tiffany Egbert
86. Angela Cazel Jahn
85. Dayvid LeMmon
84. Beatrice Moore
83. Michelle J. Martinez
82. Carrie Bloomston
81. Paul Porter
80. Rachel Bess
79. Karolina Sussland
78. Aaron Abbott
77. Mary Lucking
76. Erin Sotak
75. Greg Esser
74. Matthew Mosher
73. Mark Klett
72. Tony Carrillo
71. Paul Morris
70. Joe Pagac
69. Alison King
68. JJ Horner
67. Kim Porter
66. Marco Rosichelli
65. Heather Hales
64. Amy Lamp
63. Kevin Vaughan-Brubaker
62. Lindy Drew
61. Robbie Pfeffer
60. Neil Borowicz
59. Lynn Fisher
58. Tanner Woodford
57. David Tinapple
56. Casebeer
55. Tom Leveen
54. Patti Parsons
53. Tedd McDonah
52. Mike Maas
51. Chris Todd
50. Monica Aissa Martinez
49. Stefan Shepherd
48. Jenny Poon
47. Matt Moore
46. Andrea Hanley
45. Julie Hampton
44. Ted Decker
43. Saskia Jorda
42. Michael Bergfalk
41. Scott Baxter
40. Carrie Marill
39. Kobina Banning
38. Suzanne Falk
37. Jon Haddock
36. Kade Twist
35. Cindy Dach
34. John Wagner
33. Roy Wasson Valle
32. Sue Chenoweth
31. Patricia Colleen Murphy
30. David Quan
29. Lesli Yazzie
28. Nathan Feller
27. Cassandra Coblentz
26. Matt Dickson
25. Tara Logsdon
24. Gennaro Garcia
23. Tiphanie Brooke
22. Dan Semenchuk
21. James Angel
