Artpark Idea series looks at past, present and future of visual arts
Mar. 9—LEWISTON — Beginning March 19, Artpark will launch its Idea Series — speaking with artists, architects and former resident artists to understand how the past presents the future for the world of visual arts.
These conversations will be held every Friday through April 23 via Zoom, with a different artist or artists speaking each week. Attendees will be able to engage with the artists live, with ticket proceeds benefiting the Artpark Live campaign.
Sonia Clark, president of Artpark, will be cohosting with Dr. Anthony Bannon, a member of the Board of Directors for Artpark. The idea for this series has been a long time coming, Clark said.
"Part of it was the creation of a master plan for developing visual arts going forward, also to look at funding," Clark said. "Part of that of course is reconnecting with our legacy artists and recognizing the importance of residencies for Artpark is not just an art institution, it's a place. This series of conversations ... it opens our doors a little more to the kind of programming that we can deliver to our audiences."
She added this year, Artpark is looking to focus on engaging with the community, through other means, not only in-person events, typically held in the summer.
Florian Idenburg and Omar Khan, are the first two artists who will be speaking with Clark and Bannon. Idenburg is a founding partner in the design and architecture firm SO-IL. Khan is a professor and head of the School of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University. Both were termed Artpark architects in 2020 and Artpark artists in 2021. Bannon said beginning the series with these two artists is a great set up for a sublime series of conversations on visual art.
"...I know him (Omar Khan) a little and I admire his work very much," Bannon said. "These two guys, in architecture and design, are at the front of the class. They really are leading the thought process in architecture and have quickly, as young men, made an ascendancy to leadership. They're both master planners, which I bet you've seen for Artpark, is a truly amazing, practical and philosophical document; the likes of which in my name years in the arts as a reporter and as a director of great museums. I don't remember seeing or creating a document so strong as what these two men have. They're like the topic sentences for everybody that follows."
Other artists in the series include Mary Miss, who was an artist at Artpark in 1976, will be in conversation with Clark and Bannon on March 26. Miss has been working on a way to mix works of art with concern for the environment, resulting in the upcoming Artpark Laboratory. This will allow artists opportunities at Artpark to strategize about ways to further environmental awareness, literacy and sustainable development. Robert Booth and Diane Bertolo, both artists at Artpark in 1983 will be featured on April 2. Though they didn't work together at Artpark, they will be comparing experiences during their conversation.
Owen Morrel, an artist at Artpark in 1980, will be speaking to his public art installations across the wold and his work across different mediums on April 9. Evan Lewis, a sculptor, painter and an on/off Artpark artist in the late-1980s to early 1990s, will be speaking on the kinetic wind powered art leading him to work with metals on April 16. Closing out the series will be Philip Burke, speaking on April 23, about his paintings that have graced the pages of Time, Newsweek, Vanity Fair, etc.
While she is unable to participate, Agnes Denes, an Artpark artist from 1977-1979 is inviting those who attend the Idea Series to participate in her latest project, a time capsule to be opened in 3020. Tickets for the series can be purchased for series are available by subscription with a minimum donation of $30, or may be purchased individually for a minimum donation of $5 each.
