2008 Woodie Awards
Unauthorized Art
The Message is Simple, the mediums are anything but.
Milo Shampert'Appel
Issue date: 9/12/07 Section: Culture
- Page 1 of 1
When you're an independent metalworker, glassblower, or unsigned musician, a shared facility makes an expensive medium possible in two ways. The Unauthorized Art foundry gives local artists an efficient workspace and exposure at elaborate parties.
Manager Jon Robertson said the multimedia art facility has been open for six months, renting private studios to local artist and "building a community within a community."
Throughout the facility people are practicing music, making ceramics, jewelry, and shaping glass tubes for neon lights and blowing glass.
Young metalworker Eric Tompkins finishes up an iron short sword, "for display purposes only" Robertson specifies. Workshops are offered in all of the crafts practiced.
Funding comes primarily from workshops, membership fees, and studio rentals but the difference is often made by workspace efficiency.
Local band Afromassive, set to play at Unauthorized Art on Friday, Sept. 14, attributes their productivity to the affordable workspace. "We share a studio with Whoa Mama," percussionist Jesse Jonathon says, "Otherwise we wouldn't be able to do this… This is about coming together."
"Music is the weapon of the future," Fela Kuti once said, the inspiration for Afromassive and the Afro-beat music genre. Kuti is a twentieth century Nigerian musician, political activist, and outlaw.
Afromassive percussionist Jonathon says, "Art is the medicine of the world." It brings people together, as the band has brought on some new members, and they are still looking to make connections with dancers, graphic designers, and filmmakers for multimedia presentations. A delicate touch perhaps, to balance out the grinding metal and banging drums.
There are facilities for casting bronze and aluminum, and fabricating steel. The process starts with sculptors wax pressed into shape by a mold, then dipped into a green gooey ceramic shell then covered in granulated silica about eight times to make a hard shell. The whole thing is then placed into a kiln where the wax is boiled out so metal can be poured in. Once the metal cools the outer shell may be bashed away and you have a metal casting; creating a mask, a baby grabbing a shark by the nose, or naked soldiers with assault rifles taking the place of a maple leaf.
With everything from a circus and magic show to Afro-beat music and a seven-foot metal spider, Afromassive's bassist Aaron Bortz anticipates one "Big ass party", at a studio supporting local artists.
(This could go under one of the pictures.)
Sept. 14 "The Largest Art Foundry Behind the Redwood Curtain" will host entertainers Shantaram the Magician, Freelove Circus, and music by DJ Knutz, Afrommasive, and Janky Mallets, presenting the work of local artists Lisa Searle and Erin Slattery.
Ms. M's catering provides food and a $2 shuttle bus running from Library circle to the show and back from 9-2 a.m. will be provided. Performances begin at 8:30 p.m., costing $5 at the door, and requiring an age of 18+ for participation.
(These two paragraphs could be in a "fact box" or two,)
Unauthorized Art has a relatively isolated location off West End road, downplaying the risk of noise complaints forcing the authorities to shut down a perfectly good party at 11 at night.
For directions and further information call (408) 835-9553.
Milo Shampert'Appel can be contacted at swagpenguin@yahoo.com
LINKS
Unauthorized Art
Manager Jon Robertson said the multimedia art facility has been open for six months, renting private studios to local artist and "building a community within a community."
Throughout the facility people are practicing music, making ceramics, jewelry, and shaping glass tubes for neon lights and blowing glass.
Young metalworker Eric Tompkins finishes up an iron short sword, "for display purposes only" Robertson specifies. Workshops are offered in all of the crafts practiced.
Funding comes primarily from workshops, membership fees, and studio rentals but the difference is often made by workspace efficiency.
Local band Afromassive, set to play at Unauthorized Art on Friday, Sept. 14, attributes their productivity to the affordable workspace. "We share a studio with Whoa Mama," percussionist Jesse Jonathon says, "Otherwise we wouldn't be able to do this… This is about coming together."
"Music is the weapon of the future," Fela Kuti once said, the inspiration for Afromassive and the Afro-beat music genre. Kuti is a twentieth century Nigerian musician, political activist, and outlaw.
Afromassive percussionist Jonathon says, "Art is the medicine of the world." It brings people together, as the band has brought on some new members, and they are still looking to make connections with dancers, graphic designers, and filmmakers for multimedia presentations. A delicate touch perhaps, to balance out the grinding metal and banging drums.
There are facilities for casting bronze and aluminum, and fabricating steel. The process starts with sculptors wax pressed into shape by a mold, then dipped into a green gooey ceramic shell then covered in granulated silica about eight times to make a hard shell. The whole thing is then placed into a kiln where the wax is boiled out so metal can be poured in. Once the metal cools the outer shell may be bashed away and you have a metal casting; creating a mask, a baby grabbing a shark by the nose, or naked soldiers with assault rifles taking the place of a maple leaf.
With everything from a circus and magic show to Afro-beat music and a seven-foot metal spider, Afromassive's bassist Aaron Bortz anticipates one "Big ass party", at a studio supporting local artists.
(This could go under one of the pictures.)
Sept. 14 "The Largest Art Foundry Behind the Redwood Curtain" will host entertainers Shantaram the Magician, Freelove Circus, and music by DJ Knutz, Afrommasive, and Janky Mallets, presenting the work of local artists Lisa Searle and Erin Slattery.
Ms. M's catering provides food and a $2 shuttle bus running from Library circle to the show and back from 9-2 a.m. will be provided. Performances begin at 8:30 p.m., costing $5 at the door, and requiring an age of 18+ for participation.
(These two paragraphs could be in a "fact box" or two,)
Unauthorized Art has a relatively isolated location off West End road, downplaying the risk of noise complaints forcing the authorities to shut down a perfectly good party at 11 at night.
For directions and further information call (408) 835-9553.
Milo Shampert'Appel can be contacted at swagpenguin@yahoo.com
LINKS
Unauthorized Art
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