I wanted to share with you a picture of some of the pillows I sewed to look like books for the library cart.
Along with the pillows I made a silkscreen in the same manner I’ve discussed before on the blog. The design was inspired by a page from a book in the elsewhere library that I have re-located to live on the cart and be read by kids visiting the museum.
I printed the design on some of the book pillows as either pages or covers.
While I was at it I also printed a tote-bag:
Below are some close-ups of the puppets I made as part of my library cart. I asked the staff at elsewhere if they were an animal, what would it be and then made an animal-puppet version of them. The results were: a badger, a duck, a turtle, a mouse, an owl and a one-eyed brontosaurus:
Here is the sewing workshop at elsewhere, where I spent a lot of time. Can you find me in the picture?
This is the newly painted cart with my sewn puppet-theatre curtains:
and here are the puppets I made sitting on the newly-sewn bench cushion. We have a mouse, a duck, a turtle, an owl, a badger and a one-eyed brontosaurus – in that order.
Here are some pictures from my first week at elsewhere: my artist talk and project proposal – in that order.
It was a wonderful five weeks in Greensboro, NC!
I got caught up in the flow and didn’t post as much as I anticipated so I think I’ll take this week to share little snippets from my residency.
Let’s start with a few pics of a mural Zada Tagli was working on at the Greensboro IRC (The Interactive Resource Center: assists people who are homeless, recently homeless or facing homelessness reconnect with their own lives and with the community at large.)
Here are some images from the first day of work on the mural – the day that I worked with her.
Today I re-covered the cushion for the cart bench. The cart has already been re-painted and the new removable cushion cover now matches my new scheme (which you will see soon).
This is the lovely sunny room I was working in:
And this was my view most of the day:
Thank you to Lauren for all her help measuring and scheming.
Hi folks!
This past week at Elsewhere whizzed by! My project is a re-invention of the library cart! This little nook on wheels is a part of a “traveling menagerie” (see here). But its home is in the ceiling-high living library of elsewhere. It has a puppet theatre, shelves for books and a bench with cushions for lounging. A seriously day-dream gem of a spot!
Here are some pictures of the cart before I began my work:
So, I’m imagining Elsewhere as an indoor park, which it really is in so many ways. I’m drawing upon my past as a park guide, interpreter and naturalist and drawing upon the wild aspects in elsewhere to make this space sing.
My first step was to strip it of the miscellaneous fabric and pictures that were haphazardly fastened to it, fill its nicks with putty and sand it down with help from the building curator, tool-wielding diva extraordinaire Jen.
This is where I have to take a moment to tell you I’m wearing an inside-out Bruce Springsteen t-shirt that I bought at his recent concert in Greensboro. That’s right folks. I saw the boss in concert and my life is now complete. (Mother, my shirt is inside out on purpose, to protect it from getting paint on it of course.)
Meanwhile I’m collecting books and items from elsewhere’s collection for display and contextualization on my cart.
It’s been a great week and I’m happy to say It only got better when I came to use the internet at the Green Bean coffee shop. Here I discovered they have bear claw pastries – quite a favorite treat of mine from Saturdays at the farmers’ Market growing up.
Have a happy Monday everyone!
I’ve begun my five week artist residency at Elsewhere in Greensboro, NC!
The day after I arrived was March Fourteenth (3.14) and so it was Pi day and we were served pies. Tables were appropriately decorated with paper mache pies.
Everyone signs up to be in charge of a dinner in pairs or threes. Following pi night, myself and two others prepared a traditional polish meal complete with poppy-seed cake and miniature polish flags to garnish the pierogis.
A typical kitchen scene at elsewhere:
Other things you will see around elsewhere…
a heart made of shoes on the ceiling:
an evening public talk held at the storefront with the windows open to the fresh night air so passers-by can listen in, (check out current elsewhere events calendar here)
Jordan having a moment with a plush toy:
the elsewhere bike surrey:
elsewherians in the bike surrey:
Stay tuned for more explorations and discoveries at elsewhere, as well as progress updates on my project.
JESSIE DODINGTON ART 