I use the collective decision making model from the 1990’s community playground project, Kidsville, in (Duncanville) Dallas, Texas. That was a City driven collective build for a citizen-designed playground that excelled beyond the normal. It was tasked out from the community and then constructed over five (5) days by that community. Depending on how many participants, up to 25, sign up I could see two groups of 12 fleshing out the redesign of the assemblage piece. The trick is to time-manage agreement and decision making. That is a manageable feat, but there is also the possibility that we could miss the agreement points and leave things the way that they are in the created art.
This is a two hour hands on workshop with Jas Mardis where the collective audience will first hear the Artist discuss six (6) aspects of creating the assemblage statuary titled, “You’re On My Last Nerve” from his series_, “Just A Crown: 40 Crowns Worn By Black Women During Their Lifetime”_. Jas Mardis will give a complete breakdown from inspiration and materials-to-technique, design, cultural and emotional considerations in constructing the art piece. (30 minutes with questions)
The second part of this workshop will be the recasting of the same piece using the decisions and creative choices from the collective group. The group will have various materials, armature, beading, imagery and tie down options to rebuild or retell the narrative of the subject. There will be other elements available to the collective group in making immediate decisions and concessions on the social issues of inclusion, exclusion, social care and responsibility.
The Assemblage Art has six elements for the Collective to make decisions about in recasting it.
1. What role does the armature’s shape and base play in telling the story or casting a visual landscape for the viewer? (Round=continuing-vs-Square=defined limits. Flat base-vs-Raised base)
2. What does the texture or condition of the armature add in telling the story of the piece? (hammered: rough and worn; smooth: easy & accepted; or decorative: accommodating)
3. Which image conveys the message being projected on the subject matter? (3 images offered)
4. What bead, stone or jewel conveys the aspects of “holding on” and “nurturing” best? (strung beads, loose beads, rocks, precious stones, glass, jewels,
5. Attaching and securing the combined elements that create the piece.
(wire, leather, string, clasps. How tightly or loosely to connect and what does that convey?)
6. Title: How does changing the assemblage affect the title, naming and presentation?
Materials:
- 3-to-5 Armatures: Wood frame. Iron. Square frame
- 3-to-5 Images on paper, wood, leather, glass/plexiglass and/or stone
- 10-20 collections of beads, glass, kitsch items, jewelry etc.
- Various media used to attach and bond the items
- Various papers and yarns
- Hand tools
- Lettering, writing and stamping options
Step Into The Role of “Artist”
Welcome to a world of limitless possibilities, where the journey is as exhilarating as the destination, and where every moment is an opportunity to make your mark on the canvas of existence. The only limit is the extent of your imagination. In this workshop patrons have access to a living Artist and an immersive art experience of a lifetime.
Jas Mardis is an award winning Writer and Multidisciplinary Visual Artist. Mardis works with leather pyrography portraiture, fabric art quilt making and digital prints. Mardis is an inductee to the Texas Literary Hall of Fame and GRIOT Awards winner from The National Association of Black Journalist. He has also been awarded the Pushcart Prize for poetry and was selected Editor of “KenteCloth: Southwest Voices of the African Diaspora” for the University of North Texas Press/Center for Texas Studies. Jas Mardis fabric art and portraiture has appeared in various exhibitions, both locally, statewide, nationally and abroad. In 2018, Mardis was selected as one of twelve Quilters for, “A Response to Gees Bend” by Swarthmore College.
Jas Mardis is recognized as a dynamic storyteller and orator with assignments for the Dallas Museum of Arts, “Arts and Letters LIVE” series, Morning Edition Radio Commentaries, City of Dallas’, “Neighborhood Touring Program: The Family Story Project”, Dallas Public Library, “20 Minutes With A Living Book”, “Genealogy for Seniors” and “The Family Story Project for Seniors” a collaboration with MET Life Healthcare and the Dallas Public Library.
Jas Mardis 