Here it is, the Windsor is Forever tattoo flash set (in two parts). With the help of those who came out on Monday’s Sketch Night, Jason Sturgill has whittled down the submissions to the most poignant designs and optimized them for our free tattoo day tomorrow. If you submitted a story and were contacted to book an appointment, we’ll see you tomorrow!
FRIDAY MARCH 15: 3 – 5 PM
Art Gallery of Windsor, Border Bookmobile Public Archive and Reading Room, Gallery C, 2nd floor
While it is often presumed that the Windsor-Detroit border is relatively easy to cross, many residents have been unable to visit their neighboring city since strict passport regulations came into effect in 2009. This workshop will be co-hosted with Windsor’s Broken City Lab and the Interminus Research Group to examine the uneven access to passports that impacts both new immigrants and lower income groups in Windsor and Detroit. As both cities have high unemployment rates, significant numbers of residents are unable to visit the other side. This planning workshop will bring together local organizations to work toward assisting passport applications for marginalized groups on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, with the ultimate goal of facilitating a small number of day trips for these new passport holders in 2014. The project will begin during this workshop and will continue over the next year. This is a research based project that will be documented at all stages to outline the significant challenges and hurdles faced by many residents of these border cities.
Last night we held two events in Civic Space at once. On the main level, we held a Tattoo Sketch Night with Jason Sturgill and Dave Kant, in partnership with Arts Council Windsor & Region and leading up to Windsor is Forever. Upstairs we held All Tomorrow’s Problems, a weekly design night hosted by Dan McCafferty and Veronica Samek. Keep next Monday, March 11th in your calendars because at All Tomorrow’s problems, we’ll be working with letraset.
Our Sketch Night was intended to give those interested in Windsor the time, space, and environment to sketch, think, and discuss what Windsor might look like as a tattoo. We spent most of the night researching Windsor imagery from the past and discussing what is iconic in the present. The designs that were made will be refined and used in a flash set for the Free Tattoo Day we’re hosting on Thursday, March 7th. If you submitted a story to our online form before yesterday, you should be hearing from us shortly!
Once everyone started trickling into the space, we had them grab a set at our big table.
Jason then introduced himself and showed a quick video clip of the project he did in Portland called Art is Forever. This is a loose model for our project Windsor is Forever.
Dave Kant of Advanced Tattoo in Windsor then discusses his role in the project and what visitors will be doing for the evening.
Brainstorming involved quite a lot of discussion last night. Most people bounced ideas off of each other before coming up with an idea.
Participants brought a variety of materials to the event, such as tracing paper, previous sketches, and printouts.
Meanwhile, All Tomorrow’s Problems was starting upstairs.
It was a cozy group, but the conversation was on point and the energy level was high.
About a half hour later, we had to bring another table out for another group who showed up. Thanks to ACWR, we had two folding tables at our disposal.
Dave and Steve, two of the tattoo artists who will be working on Thursday to make these designs a little more permanent, worked fiercely to come up with pages of designs.
Some sat by the window and used the ledge as a drawing surface.
After more than an hour, it was clear that people were connecting with their designs.
A few people brought laptops and used them to do visual research on the fly.
Back upstairs, conversations ensued during Monday night’s All Tomorrow’s Problems (ATP) design night.
Most people brought notebooks to All Tomorrow’s Problems and either referenced past meetings or added new points of discussion.
Jason was equipped with books and his laptop to inspire his designs. He will probably be using a mix of digital and traditional design tools.
One of the most deeply-rooted design ideas was Steve’s rendition of the “feather hat”.
Dave creates a sheet of designs inspired by our economy and details of the past.
Here is a drawing of a local insect done in graphite, the Mayfly.
This participant brought a large locomotive photo to reference for his design.
The rose creeped into a couple of the designs. Most would consider them to be highly symbolic of Windsor.
Lastly, we have a line drawing of an early automobile. It’s no secret that Windsor is an automotive city, so this design might be a popular choice.
Thanks to everyone who came out and had fun contributing to the Windsor design flash set and chatting about Windsor! Keep an eye on our blog for more developments on Windsor is Forever.
AGW Symposium
March 8-9
Diversions: Detroit-Windsor Conversations on Borders, Traffic and Circulation
Windsor’s urban character has been closely tied to Detroit’s rise and fall. This symposium seeks to change the conversation about borders in the Windsor-Detroit region through inviting prominent artists and researchers to consider the obstacles and mobilities that have emerged in this urban locale.
Friday, March 8, 10:00 am – 5 pm
10am – 10.30 am : Opening Remarks by Catharine Mastin, Director, Art Gallery of Windsor, followed by conference organizers.
10:30 am – 12 pm: Spheres of Circulation
Moderator: Srimoyee Mitra, Curator of Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of Windsor
Panelists: David J. Taylor, Ali Kazimi, Richard Fung and Natalie Casemajor Loustau
1 pm – 3 pm: Bordered Spaces
Moderator: Lee Rodney, Associate Professor, Media Art Histories & Visual Culture, Director Border Bookmobile Project
Panelists: Janine Marchessult, Justin Langlois, Phil Hofmann and Marcos Ramirez ERRE
3:30 pm – 5 pm: Imagined Geographies
Moderator: Michael Darroch, Assistant Professor, Media Art Histories & Visual Cultures, Director of Interminus Research Group
Panelists: Christopher McNamara, Will Straw, Louis Jacob and Anouk Belanger
Admission to these panel discussions is FREE!
Saturday, March 9 11 am – 5 pm:
Exhibition Tours and Detroit Bus Tour
11 am – 12 pm: Exhibition Tours
Join Srimoyee Mitra for a tour of Border Cultures: Part One (homes, land) and Lee Rodney for a tour of The Border Bookmobile Public Archive and Reading Room. Admission is FREE!
Afternoon: Detroit Bus Tour with Dylan Miner (seats are limited)
Dylan AT Miner is a border-crossing artist, activist, historian, curator and professor.
Admission is $5 for the bus tour; email Nicole McCabe nmccabe@agw.ca for more information.
Complete information on the Diversions Program is available at: http://www.agw.ca/event/583
Art Gallery of Windsor
401 Riverside Drive West
www.agw.ca
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#windsorisforever sketch night results with @jgspdx @davekant
by jstnlngls
via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/WdeG7bJ0JW/
Starting this week, March 4, we’ll be open every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 12pm – 6pm! These hours will continue into the spring, so come by and hang out with us. Also coming up this week:
MONDAY, MARCH 4th – ACWR Sketch Night with Jason Sturgill and Dave Kant
All are welcome to attend and sketch alongside Portland’s Jason Sturgill and Windsor tattoo artist Dave Kant. The goal of the night is to explore Windsor imagery and create the flash sets for the upcoming free tattoo event Windsor is Forever, happening on Thursday, March 7 at CIVIC Space (411 Pelissier). This event is part of Arts Council Windsor & Region‘s Sketch Night Series.
TUESDAY, MARCH 5th – Meet Jason Sturgill
Residents are encouraged to come and meet Jason Sturgill in person from 12pm-6pm on Tuesday, March 5th at CIVIC Space (411 Pelissier). Jason is interested in hearing about your favourite places, objects, and people in this great city!
All Tomorrow’s Problems: the Weekly Design Night for Future-Focused People
We’re hosting another round of All Tomorrow’s Problems (ATP), a weekly Design Night focused on creative and speculative problem solving.We’re going to kick things off by picking up where we left off in 2012, working through the future of local transit and mobility issues, and then moving onto other expansive and localized future-focused issues.ATP focuses on collaborative, Windsor-focused problem solving and project making, informed by weekly discussion and design nights. We’re looking for collaborative critical thinkers, problem solvers, and action-takers with an eye on the future of this city.
BCL’s Visiting Researchers/Designers Dan McCafferty and Veronica Samek will guide a 1–1.5-hour open studio every Monday, which will involve discussions, walks, field trips, rapid prototyping and wrap up with an exhibition, installation or beautiful intervention in the summer of 2013.
Plan to bring the following:
The dates to mark in your calendars:
Didn’t this already happen?
Yes, it did. We had a great response and many inspiring ideas were developed during the first iteration of ATP, from September 2012–December 2012. The Second / Spring installment (February–April 2013) will be focused on turning all that thinking and inspiration into action and tangible projects. We will focus on making things happen and projects that address our concerns.
You know that the name of this is really similar to All Tomorrow’s Parties, right?
Yes, absolutely. We appreciate the tone of that event and thought it was a nice way to reference doing things at a different scale.
Do I have to be prepared to make art or design anything?
Think of this as a very loosely organized place to discuss and exercise your ideas on a specific topic. We may not actually make something every night, but we will aim to creatively respond to the issue at hand. Ultimately, our thinking and discussions will materialize into something.
Do I have to commit to attending every design night?
We understand schedules change, so you are free to participate as your schedule allows. But YES… plan to attend as much as possible. Let’s make stuff happen. We need you at the table!
Who are these people anyways?
Long-time Windsor-Essex resident, Veronica Samek, first began her career journey unknowingly overseas. After graduating from the University of Windsor, she worked in England where she uncovered a passion for telling the Windsor-Essex story. Shortly thereafter, she returned to studying Journalism Print & New Media at St. Clair College and began helping others find their career paths as the Director of Communications for Workforce WindsorEssex. Through her work with this organization, Veronica is committed to a holistic approach to workforce development, emphasizing the importance of living, working and playing in a region with deep roots and a transformative pallet. Veronica is a member of the United Way GenNext Committee and a founding member of the Awesome Windsor-Essex Foundation.
New to the Windsor area, Dan McCafferty identifies as a Winnipeger, though he has also called Ottawa, Halifax, Toronto, Chicago and Raleigh, “home.” Dan is a multi-disciplinary designer, artist and researcher who teaches Design in the Art and Art History Department at Wayne State University, in Detroit. He co-founded the critical design collective Public Design Unit in 2011 and their first project, Parkdale Versions, was installed at Toronto’s Nuit Blanche. His interests include relational, critical and speculative art and design practices which are participatory, socially engaged and community oriented.