by Jared Hart
Come into the studio to check out Ignite’s new collaboration and art trade station–leave some art and take some art!
A couple of years ago I moved to Fishers from Atlanta. One thing I miss about Atlanta is the amount of support and sharing within the art scene. Since 2003 Atlanta artist Evereman, aka Jay Wiggins, has been dropping his trademark image all over Atlanta. Leaving many pieces hidden around the city as a gift for whoever finds it. In an interview for an Atlanta news article, Evereman stated “For me, I’ve never thought of it as free. I’ve always thought of it as gift art in terms of, it’s not free. People’s time is worth something. Materials cost something.”
Because of these gifts, many people consider Evereman to be the founder of the Free Art Friday Atlanta (FAFATL) movement. With this movement, makers of all skill levels will leave something they created sitting around (sometimes hidden) throughout the city. They would then post on social media, using the #FAFATL hashtag, announcing they have dropped some free art for the first person to find it. The overall goal of this movement is to get people excited about artwork in hopes that they may create and share something of their own.
Although there is some sharing in our area using the #FAFINDY hashtag, the level of participation is extremely small and not very well known by the public. In hopes to expand the level of art sharing, we have dedicated one of the pillars in Ignite Studio for sharing artwork with others as well as collaborating with other artists.
Random Acts of Art – Take One Leave One
This side of the pillar is for patrons to place artwork they would like to leave as a gift for someone. The cork board can be used to pin up artwork while the bins are for 3D artworks or anything you would not want to pin a hole in. If a patron sees something they like on this side of the pillar they are welcome to take it home with them. Make something with any of our Ignite Kits, and leave it for a lucky stranger to find.
Help Me Finish What I Started – Lets Collaborate
Have you ever opened an Ignite kit and pulled out that blank sheet of paper and realized you have no idea what you want to do? That is always one of my biggest struggles as a maker, but makers may also come to a halt because they don’t know how they want to proceed even after starting. This side of the board is for people who may find themselves in these tough spots or would just like to collaborate with other artists.
Collaborating on artwork can help to boost creative thinking and productivity. Everyone has different thoughts and feelings when seeing artwork and giving this fresh starting position can help makers continue creating instead of overanalyzing.
If you come to stopping point with your work and would like to give someone else an opportunity to add something to your work, pin it on this side of the board for someone else to work on. They may see it and take it home after working on it, but maybe they will just add a little something that will spark your imagination to continue it the next time you visit us.
I hope this inspires you to create and share, not just here at Ignite, but all around your area! If you share your art on our column, be sure to post it in our Ignite Community Discussion Board using #FAINDY. Happy Making!
