Artscope 2.0

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Artscope 2.0

July 2018

Artist Interview :

Susan Kemenyffy

"Gardens are my religion."

Artist and guest curator Susan Kemenyffy talks about Archiving Ephemeral Beauty , a new exhibition at the Erie Art Museum. Susan spent the last eight years documenting gardens all over Northwestern PA for the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens, including her own 40-acre garden: Raku Place.

-The title is Archiving Ephemeral Beauty , why is it important to archive these spaces?

Civilization is built on memory and we need to build memory for those who come after us. Archiving is the essence of what a society is because it is how a community knows what came before, what worked, and what didn’t, as well as what needs to change.

-What role does gardening play in your own life? Why do you feel gardening is important?

We all need to calm down, we all need to de-stress and you’re not supposed to be thinking about anything when you’re gardening. You just absorb. You just do the work that needs to be done, you’re out in the fresh air, you’re listening sort of subconsciously to what’s around you whether it’s water, wildlife, or a gentle breeze. When you come back things are much calmer.

-How did your garden come to be?

Raku Place is about creating something from nothing. My husband Steven and I started changing the environment around us. Initially we were creating something for ourselves to keep us sane, but others found solace in it and enjoyed it.

Steven’s gardening is much more active than mine. He created a mountain, built ponds and pools, teahouses, and bridges. His connection comes from the physical challenge of shaping the land. Steven creates the shape, and I decorate it. I work with the shape that I am given. That’s the way our planting is done.

-What does Raku Place say when you walk through it?

Gardens are about ideas. At Raku Place it’s about how all of us are bifurcated. One side of us is narcissistic and self-centered, which is necessary to be a strong-willed, independent person. The other side longs for community. Ultimately, we must achieve a balance and Raku Place helps you do that.

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Good Reads: Art as Therapy

Our encounters with art do not always go as well as we may want them to. We are likely to leave highly respected museums and exhibitions feeling underwhelmed, or even bewildered and inadequate, wondering why the transformational experience we anticipated did not occur. It is natural to blame oneself, to assume that the problem must come down to a failure of knowledge or capacity for feeling.

Art as Therapy by Alian de Botton and John Armstrong argues that the problem is not primarily located in the individual. It lies in the way art is taught, sold and presented by the art establishment. Since the beginning of the 20 century, our relationship with art has been weakened by a profound institutional reluctance to address what is art for. What makes Art as Therapy such a good read is that Botton and Armstrong address this question in plain terms. They approach art as a tool and explore what kind of tool it is—and what good it can do for us.

Find it here

Through My Eyes

by Josh Helmer

Starting in September

Let us show you that you belong

Joseph M. Plvcan

Red House

I’ve always responded to bright colors. I find them soothing. My attraction to this painting, however, goes beyond just its color. That house reminds me of the house I grew up in. Its size, shape, and angles are all too familiar. The painting offers me an objective look back at 104 West Gansevoort Street in Little Falls, NY. It’s both familiar and unfamiliar. I am home, but also away.

First-time memberships are $15 onsite all summer. From now on membership means more. More to see, more to talk about, more to be a part of.

Here’s a Taste of What’s to Come Starting in September:

• Extended hours on Thursday

and Friday Nights

• Local artist speaker series

• Talks such as Unconfusing

Confusing Art and

Art of History in an Hour

• Behind the scenes collection

tours – handle art by Goya,

Daumier, and others

• Member Meet & Greets

• Members Only Thanksgiving

Dinner – after all we’re family

• The feeling of being part of the

coolest cultural organization in

Erie.

Can't Miss

• Highmark Mid-Day Art Break , every Wednesday from noon - 1 p.m.

• Family Art Day , July 8: Hands on art making activities for all from 2 – 4 p.m.

• Gallery Night , July 13: The Erie Art Museum, along with local galleries, open their doors from 7 – 10 p.m. Each gallery offers its own exhibitions, entertainment, and refreshments.

• The Erie Art Museum has turned over the production of the Blues & Jazz Festival to Erie Arts & Culture. Find more at erieartsandculture.org

• Let us know what you think of Artscope 2.0 email [email protected]

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