Friday, March 21, 2014

STACKS

Flyer design by Brooke Vander Gronden


UOO presented our March show STACKS, an exhibition that displayed a collection of paintings by Chris Reynolds and Jennifer Montague that made up a stacked installation hanging down at various heights through out the space. We had an experimental, electro-funk sound performance by Micah Wager and Terra Lockhart of Phosphor Elephants and our guests enjoyed mini Torch burger by one of Flint's favorites, the Torch Bar and Grill, grilled to perfection by Thomas Martin.

Install: Stewart//Montague
Paint: Chris Reynolds and Jennifer Montague
Sounds: Micah Wager and Terra Lockhart (Phosphor Elephants)
Tastes: Thomas Martin (Torch Bar and Grill)





STRING


                                                               Flyer image by Kelli Donely

UOO's February show STRING, highlighted the everyday use of the material. Yarn, twine, rope, extension cords and other types of string were used to fashion a collaborative installation by Stewart//Montague with Lindsay Decker and Cameron Winn. Winn also did an interactive piece with his colorful, hand-wrapped dreads and Decker, who showed a collection of her photos Everyday Dreads, which revealed the process and early stages of Winn's dreads. Brooke Vander Gronden, a graphic design and AFA student at Mott Community College, displayed a red patterned string installation in a corner that covered the ceiling to lower walls with lighting that casted a mimicking shadow. Culinary artist, Lekha Rock, served a brilliant explosion of color featuring tantalizing tandoori chicken with a bright bespeckled chutney, a rainbow of fruit atop white chocolate and green tea tarts, a bell pepper menagerie with an edamame hummus and a lemon zest garnish. The featured sound performance, described as experimental pop, was put on by Tyler Rigdon, a resident of the Stone Street artist residency. Along the lines of David Bowie's Low or Kraftwerk's Trans Europe Express, Rigdon ran his vocals through a reverb pedal and used a Korg synthesizer. 

New this month was a separate transformation installation by Samantha Maxson. Using only cardboard and a burst of orange lighting, Maxson took over a room in the house of her choosing with a piece called Stop Making Sense based on a short story she wrote about Calvin and his giant orange.


Install: Stewart//Montague, Cameron Winn and Lindsay Decker
Strings: Brooke Vander Gronden
Sounds: Tyler Rigdon

Images: Lindsay Decker with Everyday Dreads
Tastes: Lekha Rock
Transform: Samantha Maxson




Photo by Dustin M Price
Photo by Lindsay Decker
Photo by Cinthia Montague
Photo by Dustin M Price
Photo by Lindsay Decker
Photo by Stephen Zacks 









Produced in affiliation with:





Stone Street Residency provides free or low-cost housing to artists, designers, community leaders, teachers, and others to pursue short-term projects in Flint, Michigan. Residents get the chance to work with artists, architects, planners, journalists, activists, teachers from Flint and around the country who are rethinking and reinventing the way we share resources, activate abandoned spaces, strengthen neighborhoods, and make art.