Fall 2016
Mesa Arts Center, Creative Aging Engagement Program
Project commissioned by the Mesa Arts Center
With participants from New Frontiers Life-Long Learning, Mesa Community College

Various fabrics and nets, Styrofoam, bamboo, wood, rope, twine, cords, cardboard, PVC pipes, rubber hoses, paint, paper mache

How does the act of physically combining forms with one another create not only a new sculptural object but also a ripple effect of new discoveries, connections and intersections?  Participants in this project investigate how sculptural form changes as separate objects become one, how relationships between parts change how we read the whole, and how disparate pieces become unified visually, structurally and conceptually.  Participants begin by selecting 2-3 forms from among a set of 6-8 options. These options are made of multiple materials and include 
basic foundational forms such as planes, blocks, sticks and tubes. The foundation set presents organic and geometric, light and heavy, long and short, large and small possibilities. Over the course of 8 weeks, we alter these forms, combine them with one another, wrap portions of the newly joined objects and use color, material and layering to unify them.