Viewing entries in
Call + Response

June 2012

June 2012

CALL + RESPONSE 2012

Hamiltonian Gallery is pleased to present the third edition of Call + Response, a collaborative exhibition between writers and artists. This exhibition will run from June 2nd – June 16th, 2012.

Call + Response is an annual art show pairing writers and artists to create new works with a twist. Five writers each contribute a call-a short piece of fiction or poetry-and five artists each create a new installation piece in response to one call. For the first time, this year’s writers will view the artworks prior to the show’s opening and respond in some way, possibly through creation, revision, or reflection, to the responses.

The pairings (writer + artist):

Kyle Dargan (poetry) and Mia Feuer (sculpture)

Michael Kimball (fiction) and Trevor Young (painting)

Reb Livingston (poetry) and Matthew Mann (painting)

Danielle Evans (fiction) and Lisa Marie Thalhammer (painting)  

Amber Sparks (fiction) and YAY Team (video)

Call + Response is co-curated by William John Bert and Kira Wisniewski. 

Join us for the opening of Call + Response on June 2, 2012, from 7-9 p.m., at Hamiltonian Gallery, 1353 U St. NW. Drinks courtesy of Chocolate City Beer. It will be preceded by a panel discussion with the artists and writers starting at 6 p.m.

 

click here to download a copy of the press release

June 2- June 16, 2012

Opening Reception:
Saturday, June 2
7-9 pm

Panel Discussion:
Saturday, June 2
6 pm

Hamiltonian Artists:
Matthew Mann

April 2011

April 2011

Call + Response | Textures

Call + Response, the art exhibition that pairs writers and artists, is returning to Hamiltonian Gallery for a second installment opening April 16, 2011. For this new show, named Call + Response: Textures, four writers and four visual artists have paired to create artworks that resonate with each other. 

Call + Response: Textures builds again on the theme of "call and response," a succession of two distinct phrases played by different musicians in which the second phrase comments on or responds to the first. In each pairing, the writer provides the "call" in the form of a new, intense piece of short fiction or poetry. The visual artist creates the "response" by creating an installation in the gallery. The result is paired works that resonate with each other, building a bridge between two distinct but fertile communities. Displayed together, the works benefit from their proximity and invite the viewer to observe and appreciate connections or disjunctions. 

The pairings (writer + artist): 

1. Stuart Dybek + TM Sisters

2. Naomi Ayala + Amanda Burnham

3. Reese Okyong Kwon + Maggie Michael

4. Srikanth Reddy + Jon Bobby Benjamin

Building on the success of last year's Call + Response, curators William John Bert and Kira Wisniewski have partnered again with Hamiltonian Gallery. They increased the palette size, giving writers a longer word count and inviting the artists to create large installations. "We are delighted to be working with Hamiltonian Gallery again and especially with this extremely talented roster of individuals," says Wisniewski. 

"The first show created so many lasting connections for the participants that we knew we had to do this again," says Bert. "Because we brought in a whole new set of writers and artists and gave them each more space in which to create, I can't wait to see how the results turn out." 

"Writers and visual artists draw inspiration for their works from the same things and implement similar artistic processes. The connection between the two art forms is innate and we are thrilled to be able to provide a platform for collaboration," says Hamiltonian Gallery Director Jacqueline Ionita.

 

click here to download a copy of the press release

Opening Reception:
Saturday, April 16
7-9pm

Hamiltonian Artists:
Jon Bobby Benjamin

January 2010

January 2010

 

Call + Response | Images Answer Language

Curator's Note:

It’s common to hear complaints that there aren’t really any artists and writers in Washington, DC. We’ve heard it; we’ve even, perhaps, said it, back in those days of 2007 after we’d just moved here, Kira in September, William in December. But is it true?In June 2009, we both attended the opening at Civilian Arts Project of a show of rock concert posters created by artists from all over the East Coast. The crowd was large, friendly, and animated; the posters were sharp and imaginative and a thrill to look at; the atmosphere crackled with possibility and experimentation. At some point during the night, we said to each other, Let’s do this. Let’s make an art show of our own. Kira had done it before, once, in Miami, and a notion to pair writers and artists had been kicking around in William’s head for years. Other than that, we would work from scratch.

What started as an idea buoyed only by an attitude of Hey! Let’s curate an art show! is now, sixth months later, a reality. Sixteen writers and sixteen visual artists from Washington, DC, and beyond have paired to create artworks that resonate with each other in natural or strange but always exciting ways. For each pairing, the writer has provided the call and the visual artist has created the response. Call + Response’s participants have, as we hoped, given a new twist to the term the show is named for, traditionally referring to musicians playing off of each other. We believe the resulting paired works help to build a bridge between two distinct, fertile, and very much alive communities.

Artists and writers do live here. Many people wiser than us, with more years in the District, already knew it, but we had to come to it anew, in our own way. On the surface DC may seem to be more a bubbling cauldron of bureaucracy than 9 creativity, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing going on that a deeper look can’t reveal. In the process of pulling together artists and writers, we tapped a rich vein of creativity that could supply many more shows like this one. This show simply wouldn’t have been possible without generative grounds for creation. 

Beyond the thrill of bringing Call + Response to life, we hope that the show expands the dialogue between two creative communities right here in our backyard and beyond. (And we hope that you enjoy it!)

Start a conversation. Create something. Make it happen.

Curators: William John Bert, Kira Wisniewski

January 23-February 13, 2010