Lawn Art With Neighbors
Published April 20, 2021
View “Work In Progress”, an art installation celebrating the joy of the creative act. It's our first time participating in the L.A.W.N. community-wide physically-distanced art show, taking place in front yards across the area. (more below)
Please do not disturb the residents of the house.
On display from 10am April 23rd to 10pm May 8th 2021 at a volunteer display garden.
When you love a piece of the installation enough own it, visit the Contact & Support page.
About the piece:
Art Title: "W.I.P [Work In Progress]"
W.I.P. is a whimsical mixed-media representation of community creation in the garden; a celebration of the delight found in the process of creating together.
From inception to completion, regardless of medium, every piece has a stage in common, that bit where the work is still blossoming to fruition; the 'Work In Progress'.
The paintings & the yarden landscape that serves as the backdrop are all intentionally incomplete, a reminder that satisfaction & fulfillment that can be found throughout the constructive process. In art, as with life, abundant joy can be found in the process & those we share it with.
Description of image:
A huge bright pink Echinacea flower sculpture made of painted recycled & discarded items sits in the unkempt garden of a white house. A pale green canvas with helpful garden insects on it hangs on the porch in a large white frame. The yard garden has a shovel sticking upright between a pile of dirt and a patch of cleared ground, with a hand cultivator nearby to infer that creative landscaping is happening in tandem with the paintings. In the foreground are art supplies & two easels bearing unfinished paintings of the flower from different perspectives & skill levels. There is an impression that the artists and gardeners have only stepped away for a moment, & will soon return.
Supplies used:
The giant Echinacea flower that serves as the primary subject for the unfinished paintings in the foreground is made from palm-fans, silk flowers, cardboard, a cat5 cable, ribbons, and inflatable balls attached to an old broken patio umbrella with string, ribbon, and zip-ties.
The unfinished artworks in the foreground are made from cardboard and plywood, painted with acrylic paint. They are displayed on easels, and between them stands a table with art supplies, some of which are sitting in an old refrigerator bin. Rinse and brush-storage is reused food cans, and the largest paint bottles are recycled bubble solution packaging. The pallets are made from a paper plate, and a cheap plastic serving platter, respectively.
The unfinished front yarden features a shovel and a hand-cultivator to show work being done there as well.
The framed art hanging on the porch is a discarded frame and some beautiful wallpaper that was part of the idea box the Springfield Art Museum gave us. All but one of the items provided in the box were used for this installation, we even used the box!
The Artist:
All art was imagined and created by one disabled artist, with a little help from their friends. They said "When I heard KSMU mention a pandemic-safe community art event at home, I instantly began brainstorming what I could create with my supplies on hand, but when I looked into the project box from the museum, I realized that I was going to get to go bigger than ever before! This has been an incredibly fun challenge, and I enjoyed the opportunity to participate in a fully inclusive community art activity."
Event:
Learn more about L.A.W.N and view all of the other innovative works by area artists on the interactive map, hy visiting the event site.
L.A.W.N. is a physically-distanced community art festival in Springfield Missouri & surrounding areas that was created in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and continues this year.
Get Involved:
We invite you to stand on the sidewalk and photograph the installation to use as inspiration for your own artistic endeavours. Share your photos and art on Twitter, using the hashtags #WellstripWIP & #LAWNSGF. We're excited to see what you make!