500th post::andee rudloff
Andee as interviewed by Jodi Reeves, the crafty chick & blogger
i could not think of a better way to mark a milestone than with an interview with andee. she has been a great inspiration and encourager in my path of finding my creative self. though we don't get to spend a great deal of time together, due to us both being crazy busy women. what little time we do i cherish - whether it is just an exchange of an email or the exchange of magazines. she is a staple in the nashville arts community and my friend. i'm so lucky!
so now here's ANDEE...
First tell us a little about your self - a little bio, also when or how did you start creating?
I am a professional artist living and working mostly in Tennessee and Kentucky. I specialize in murals and painting, but also teach, coordinate art exhibitions and events around the region and curate shows at my gallery, the Morris Alley Studio (aka "The Pie House"). I also serve as the Community Relations Manager at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.
Creating has always been something I do. I became an artist when creating was mostly ALL i do.
Are you a self taught artist and/or did you go to college for art?
(i think most artists all have some "self taught in them.)
I think of course exploring is in my soul, so I taught myself the uncanny ability to take risks. In art school, which like therapy, I was told to dig a little deeper into why I create and what I create. All of this reminded me that what you create needs to be truthful or project truth...otherwise, it feels empty to me.
Your full-time job is working for the Frist, what is it like to work there and also have your own art career?
exhausting sometimes. I enjoy being a part of what the Frist Center brings to Nashville and the region. I also enjoy working as an artist and curator. I love creating and I hope to also improve the professional opportunities for artists in the area.
You wear so many different creative hats, which one or do you have a favorite?
I like the crazy schedule and the varied situations. I find encouragement in each and every opportunity.
What is your favorite thing that you have created?
Wow...this is too hard, as each time I create I learn something. I am really excited about a future project Baltimore artist Lindsey Bailey and I are working on. Lindsey and I had a proposal accepted to the National Art Educators Association Conference in the Spring of 2010. Our plan is HUGE, but thankfully we both have experience in energizing community to create art, so I think we will have a lot of fun! Today, I worked a collage project today with Nashville artist Emily Harper Beard. Now I am getting ready to pick up a paint brush at 11:23p.m...the night is young.
What inspires you to create?
A few things lead me to the creative waters...
When I think of something I have not seen before.
When I have the opportunity to work with other creative people.
I have unique objects sitting around me. Everything from art by some of my favorite artists to quirky collectables and these things make me want to be creative.
What is your opinion of the nashville arts and crafts scene?
It is an exciting time to be an artist in Nashville...It is a growing cultural community...which excites me:)
Do you think there is anything lacking or see other metro areas our size having that we don't?
I wish Nashville supported its local artists and crafters a little bit more. I wonder what could happen if Nashville artists could focus on one job instead of the juggling act most creative people have to do DAILY.
Do you think there is a difference between art and craft? and if so what?
In my work I have consistently attempted to combine sign painting techniques with vernacular influences...I am combining craft and art. As a native of Kentucky I have respect for work made by hand and guided by the heart and eye. As an educated artist I understand the importance of my mind in the process. To state my approach -- the hand, the eye, the heart and the mind=TRUTH.
Do you think an artist or crafter needs a niche?
Nope...I value risk more than anything. I do see where buyers find comfort in predictability and understand that I might not ever be a BIG SELLER, as I tend to be unpredictable.
(me too sister)
And the easiest questions, where can we find you creations?
Currently, my work is on view at The Presbyterian Chuch in downtown Bowling Green, KY; Studio East in Nashville, TN; Plowhaus Artist Cooperative in the Arcade in downtown Nashville, TN; the Nashville Ballet in Nashville, TN; Magpie Etc in Nashville, TN; as well as many homes and businesses through the Kentucky and Tennessee.
thanks again Andee for helping me mark this milestone!
isn't she fab...now let's eat cake!
Direct link to the blog: http://www.thecreativejar.com/2009/10/500th-postlocal-findinterviewandee.html
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Blend Studio hosts Seeing Ourselves
Blend Studio to Host Safe Haven Family Shelter Art Exhibit
Seeing Ourselves: Photographs of Safe Haven to be displayed in Nashville's Downtown Arcade
Image taken from the workshop on April 30th, 2008, shows a Safe Haven youth resident planning a photograph with Andee Rudloff.
Safe Haven Family Shelter proudly announces Seeing Ourselves: Photographs of Safe Haven, will be displayed at Blend Studio. The exhibit will be displayed through October 31st, 2009. Artist talk on Saturday, October 10th from 1 pm to 3pm.
Blend Studio, a local art studio, opened its doors in June of 2009. The main focus of the gallery is to organize community-based, contemporary art exhibits and to provide a space and opportunity for artists to impact the community. "The Seeing Ourselves exhibit is a step forward to develop a dialogue about issues, dealing with homeless families," stated co-owner of Blend Studio, Ben Vitualla. "By hosting the exhibit in the Downtown area of the Arcade during the popular First Saturday Gallery Crawl, we hope that this project will gain new audiences and raise awareness about the impact of Safe Haven in homeless families' lives."
In April of 2008, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts partnered with Safe Haven Family Shelter to provide cultural enrichment through a community art program offered to its residents. Nashville-based photographer Allen Clark and the Frist Center's outreach educators led a two-week photography workshop for participants, who ranged from age three to 65 years, to learn about composition, visual storytelling and photographic techniques. On the final day of the workshop, each resident was provided with a Holga 120N camera and were invited to create and capture the compositions they had planned.
"The photographs selected for Seeing Ourselves represent life patterns and happenings that are experienced by people living in a variety of circumstances,' said Andee Rudloff, community relations manager at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts and curator of the exhibition. "Instead of simply documenting the conditions of homelessness, the images remind us that we all share common hopes dreams and goals."
Blend Studio is located at 79 Arcade, Nashville, TN, 37219. Hours of operation: Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., First Saturdays 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and by appointment only. Visit Blend studio online at http://blendstudio.wordpress.com
Safe Haven Family Shelter empowers homeless families with children to live independently through social, financial and faith-based guidance. Safe Haven is the only shelter program of its kind in Middle Tennessee that serves homeless families as a whole unit, with a comprehensive approach to address the underlying causes of homelessness and help each family regain self-sufficiency. Safe Haven Family Shelter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has served the community for over 25 years. For more information, please visit www.safehaven.org.
SUPPORTED BY:
Safe Haven Family Shelter
The William N. Rollins Fund for the Arts of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission
Tennessee Arts Commission
Frist Center for the Visual Arts
RESOURCE GUIDE
active links coming soon!
NATIONAL
Center for Community Change
National Coalition for the Homeless
National Healthcare for the Homeless Council
National Low Income Housing Coalition
LOCAL
Affordable Housing Resources, Inc.
Campus for Human Development
Downtown Clinic and Service Center
Hospital Hospitality House of Nashville
Metropolitan Homeless Commission
Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity
Nashville Homeless Power Project
Nashville Peace and Justice Center
Nashville Rescue Mission
Oasis Center
Renewal House
Safe Haven Family Shelter
Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
Tennessee Justice Center
Urban Housing Solutions, Inc.
Woodbine Community Organization
Metro United Way Hotline: dial 211
Thursday, October 01, 2009
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