laboratory for creative concepts
Footprints on Montague
Exhibition curated by FiveMyles and KODA
On view: November 1, 2020 - January 7, 2021
157 Montague St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Jess Frederick, Madi Dangerously, Ann Rosen, Nina Meledandri, Tatiana Arocha, Hidemi Takagi
Click each image below to learn even more about the artists.
An outdoor art exhibition of work by six artists will be seen on the fence surrounding St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn Heights. This collaboration with FiveMyles and KODA represents a shift from indoor to outdoor events for the Forum @ St. Ann’s and is the first new project in its arts and culture series since the pandemic. The exhibit will enhance the neighborhood landscape and engage community members and passersby on a busy commercial street in Downtown Brooklyn.
The paintings, drawings and photographs are printed on 8 ft W x 2.5 ft H vinyl banners that are attached to the individual sections of the metal fence surrounding the church on Montague Street in Brooklyn. The Footprints on Montague exhibition aims to give the passing public moments of pleasure and emotional retreat in the midst of the busyness and noise of city life. Inspiring the viewers to reflect upon their individual experience, their place in the community, and on this planet. The installations show drawings of subway scenes, words for thought, prints made from the marriage of painting and photography, photographic portraits of the people we are, and an installation of digitally collaged, and cut out, migratory birds mounted directly on the fence.
The Rev. Canon John Denaro, rector of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, said, “(...) Footsteps on Montague will lift the spirits of our neighbors and amplify the commitment of our historic church to foster artistic expression when it is so deeply needed. It is an investment in the hope of art to carry us through this dark and challenging time.”
Jess Frederick, Subway girl, 2012. Ink and graphite on paper.
From Brooklyn to the Bronx, bankers, and janitors, young and old—almost everyone rides the subways. These drawings and gestures have captured intimate portraits and unexpected beauty seen in New York's community of strangers.
Madi Dangerously, It’s a great day to be alive, 2020. Spoken word.
It's a great day to be alive / so LIVE, / like you are living...
It's a great day to be alive so live, like you are LIVING...
It's a great day to be ALIVE / so live like you are LIVING...
it's a great day to be ALIVE / ASK yourself
HOW,
AM I
LIVING?
Ann Rosen, Diandra, 2020; "This pandemic world is a wake up call for all. It highlights the disparity between the haves and the have nots.". Archival digital black and white photography, 8" x 8".
When the quarantine hit, Rosen’s initial response as an artist, was to pull out her 1969 Rolleiflex camera and start shooting with black and white film, creating the Carry On: A Pandemic Diary series. Using an old close up lens, she was thrilled to discover she could shoot images of people safely, without masks. She took pictures of those who surrounded her— her husband, colleagues, neighbors, a few visitors and dance pals. She asked everyone she photographed to respond to this question, “What do you think of this pandemic world?” The responses ranged from despair over the loss of a loved one to anger over police brutality, and to how life was slower and more soulful.
Tatiana Arocha, Perpetual Flight, 2016. Paper wheat-pasted on to MDF and hand-painted with gold acrylic, dimensions variable.
Site-specific installation inspired by the phenomenon of vagrancy among migratory birds, which occurs when they are blown off course and come to land in places far from their natural flight paths. Increasingly erratic weather patterns caused by global warming contribute to the number of vagrants. Perpetual Flight intends to highlight this predicament and convey a sense of urgency to viewers by bringing to the streets of New York City a vast flock of foreign birds, which would never be seen were it not for their getting lost, blown away by climate change.
Nina Meledandri, Arch, 2020. Digital image of object: abaca & twigs, 8" x 9" x 3".
Nina Meledandri’s works speak to her love of nature, bringing a breath of fresh air to urban life through a combination of hand made paper and pressed botanicals. She often presents her works sequentially, as she finds that a powerful impact resides in the haunting, tiny, almost subliminal space "somewhere in between" the component images that have now become one.
Hidemi Takagi, Cheryl, 2018. Digital C Print, 12” x 18”.
The Bed-Stuy Social ‘Photo’ Club presents the artist’s neighbors in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, historically home to African American and Caribbean communities. The area has been under threat from gentrification and real estate development. Takagi created a pop-up photo studio in her front yard, and offered free portraits with selected props, and add-ons to create something unique. She wanted to treat The members of the community, like the superstars they are.