Follow (this advice) Friday

"Just make stuff.  Just quit your job or whatever you hate doing, and make stuff, damnit.” Amos Kennedy

Memorial Day

I wrote a post in 2008 likening the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration to the southern tradition of Decoration Day (now known as Memorial Day). My friend Bobbye was the first person to tell me about Decoration Day and she shared the history of the tradition  from the cleaning of the graves to the church services and dinner of the ground:

"The families arrived early Sunday morning to place the flowers on the graves before Church services began. The Mother was a walking 'oral Historian' and she could identify every grave. Many of the Mothers would bring baskets of flowers from their gardens. She and the children would place flowers on forgotten graves .Then the whole family would file into the church building and fill up a whole row. Sometimes, there would be as many as five generations on a given row. Flowers would be given to the oldest mother and the youngest mother in attendance. Also, there were flowers for the mother that had the most children and for the mother that had the most children in attendance with her."

So much of this has changed but Bobbye remains my personal oral historian for her own family history, the state of Alabama and the entire south.

Thank you.

Q&A with Alabama Designer Robert Rausch

Clio-award winning designer, art director and photographer Robert Rausch lived and worked in Paris, New York and Los Angeles before heading back home to The Shoals, in the northwest corner of Alabama, to open GAS - Design Center.  There he completes a sort of creative trifecta with fellow Shoals natives Natalie Chanin and Billy Reid.

A huge proponent of “Slow Design,” Rausch spoke with Southernist about his design philosophy, high design coming out of the south, and the challenges of working from Alabama.

What are some of the struggles you've had because you are based there vs. when you were based in New York or L.A.?

I think in a bigger city there is more work to be had and there is a trust that people have for you as a designer.

Working from a small town, the first question people wonder is “if you’re such a good designer why are you living in a small town in Alabama/” It’s not something they come out and ask but it’s an underlying thing they think until they work with you and then they realize it's a lifestyle choice and not a setback. Most of our clients see it as an asset. They feel like we give them something fresh that the designers in the bigger cities can’t give them.

You talk a lot about “slow design.” Can you explain what that is?

Slow Design approaches design from a holistic (individuals, society, and environment) view, with consideration to the social factors as well as the short and long term impacts of the design and materials used. We use the Slow Design as a way to rethink not only the design but the needs of the client.

Traditionally Slow Design has these six components (defined by the slow lab project) 

1. Reveal:  Slow design reveals spaces and experiences in everyday life that are often missed or forgotten, including the materials and processes that can easily be overlooked in an artifact’s existence or creation.

2. Expand: Slow design considers the real and potential “expressions” of artifacts and environments beyond their perceived functionality, physical attributes and lifespans.

3. Reflect: Slowly-designed artifacts and environments induce contemplation and ‘reflective consumption.’ 

4. Engage: Slow design processes are “open source” and collaborative, relying on sharing, co-operation and transparency of information so that designs may continue to evolve into the future.

5. Participate: Slow design encourages people to become active participants in the design process, embracing ideas of conviviality and exchange to foster social accountability and enhance communities.

6. Evolve: Slow design recognizes that richer experiences can emerge from the dynamic maturation of artifacts and environments over time. Looking beyond the needs and circumstances of the present day, Slow Design processes and outcomes become agents of both preservation and transformation.

Who else in the south is doing notable design work and what is it about their work that you find unique or appealing:

From crafting to farming, Southern tradition cultivates beauty. Good design stimulates intellect and elevates the lives that exist around it. Here are a few examples of Southern High Design:

Belle Chevre: This goat cheese from rural Alabama is sold in Beverly Hills and Dean & Deluca in New York City. Tasia Malakasis is the face of this passionate company. Tasia has so much vision for her cheeses. Not only are the cheeses innovative (she has a whole line of breakfast cheeses) but the packaging is hip, with an appeal to a younger demographic. Her goal is to sell cheese back to the French and she will do it. For a small town Alabama Cheese she is already sold on the east and west coast of the U.S. 

Knobstoppers & Cake Vintage: Featuring paper goods and accessories for the table that are sold at retailers such as Anthropologie, West Elm, and Williams-Sonoma. They have a traditional classic stye and design. They have unique table papers for food. Classic designs used in contemporary ways. So their innovation is more with reuse than unique design.

Bella Cucina: The pleasures of dining with Bella Cucina's foods as well as their ceramics, linens and home goods are a luxury you can take home with you- or enjoy at their shopping and dining location, Porta Via in Atlanta, GA. It's hard to beat Italy when it comes to food. Smith has done a killer job with the design and his wife has done an incredible job with the food. Just look at the packaging and it evokes what is on the inside and what the whole company is about. Simple, detailed, chic.

Wesley Baker of Baker Binding: Based in Anniston, Alabama, Wesley Baker handcrafts books with quality practices and materials. It's no wonder that his clients include the famous luxury brand Asprey in London.  The craftsmanship of Wes is amazing. I love working with him and on every project he puts so much time into the smallest detail. It’s nice to have that in today’s world where you have to go with the standard. When you work with Wes there are no standards. It's all custom.

****

Rausch's photography can be seen in The New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Garden and Gun, Southern Living, Ladies Home Journal, and Veranda Magazine, just to name a few. His design work can be seen at Anthropologie, Hilton Hotels, Whole Foods, Ted Montana Grill, The Waldorf Astoria, and Billy Reid.

Robert's devotion to Slow Design is evident in his work and the clients his work attracts.

He works out of a magnificently converted historic building in downtown Tuscumbia and he lives on a small farm with his wife and four children.

Living La Doo Vida

A few weeks ago The New York Times ran an op-ed from a woman who, like so many others, was lamenting over something to do with the change in Burning Man and its new ticket/lottery policy. The thing that stuck out for me was that she needed to go to this event to be a person that she could not be the other 362 days of the year. She needed permission to be the type of person who could engage with other people for no other reason than they were sharing an experience. She chose to participate by riding her bike around The Playa and handing out Chinese fish kites. I wondered: why can’t she do this all this time?? 

Doo-Nanny, dubbed by some to be the “Burning Man of the south,” allows folks the same freedom (come, see, share, create, be, doo). And for some, again, this once of year gathering is the only time they can really explore another side of themselves. But there are others who live the Doo-life 365 days of the year and I wondered what lessons they might share with the rest of us on how to incorporate more creativity into our everyday lives.

First up: the Laster Family (Mr. Charles M., his wife Grace Kelly, and their daughter Ruby Elvis Rose). “We doo- live this everyday. . .”

 

 5 Tips for Living the Doo-Life:

1. creative-financing/ FAITH- the doo -dream, work hard at everything, expect nothing . gifts come to you .... not money . but shared moments . some spare bucks thrown in... ,

birds find seeds . so do we. jesus by c.m.l.

2. doing -the doo - is kinda like the hillbilly way of the doo it yourself repair kit for life. ...barn raising ... people pitch in . lead by example.

3.creative-resources- well, this is a curse and a blessing . live off the waste . and turn back the clock at the same time. we find our materials in junk piles , yard sales and gifts from people who see us drive an art car ...and think. they might need this , and we doo.

 

4. Live and Drive Art. - the "Inner Galactic Shack-o-LLacc " opens doors helps you meet folks . that doo. like wise thinkers , freaks who seek understanding of what this is. we draw in all types with the art car . this is our daily driver ... and you can put alot of stuff on the top.

5, the Krewes-community- it’s the people who you meet by being you . it’s LOVE . understanding . a gathering of souls who all share. It’s" the Hillbilly burning man" with slight adjustments. southern hospitality... music, rain...eats . art and movies . but all LO-fI - RUSTIC , charm . real. ....we built our shack out of junk I found in the woods of wonder.

And on raising a creative child:

Ruby Elvis Rose is a natural. I think living the doo lifestyle has taught her how to find purpose in all things. she is always inventing . and she sees us surrounded by like minded doo folk. and just does. anything....etc. also, ... she wants to get rid of all he roads and paper money.

she out arts us.... she has written several books already and illustrated them. she spent her own money from doo-ing portraits on art supplies yesterday. and took us to Disney World Last Year .

#####

CM and Grace Kelly Laster, and their five year old daughter Ruby Elvis Rose are a family of artists from Kentucky. They travel the country in their third artcar, the Inner Galactic Shack-a-llac, participating in parades, and showing and selling their art in museums and galleries nationally and internationally. Their work is in the permanent collections of the American Visionary Art Museum, The House of Blues, The Bill Clinton Presidential Library, and the Library of Congress Folk Life Center . Currently they each have an Abraham Lincoln art piece At the Historical Society of Washington D.C.in traveling exhibit, Portraying Lincoln. Their art work reflects a variety of themes, particularly visions, dreams, music icons, historical figures , the rural south and the natural world. (source)

The Lasters are currently on the road . ARTSCAPE in Baltimore and Dynamic Arts Gallerie @French Broad River, Fest . shacks, movies music and art. So, be on the lookout and spread LOVE. 

(all photos courtesy of The Lasters)

Artist Lonnie Holley on view in NYC thru 4/28

Lifting Me Over, image courtesy the artist and Jeff Bailey Gallery, New York

Jeff Bailey Gallery in Chelsea is exhibiting the work of Alabama artist Lonnie Holley again, this time in a group show entitled Pitch, with two other artists, Fabienne Lasserre and Halsey Rodman. Mr. Bailey was gracious enough to speak with Southernist via email about Mr. Holley's work and the place of Southern artists in our city.

How did you first become familiar with Mr. Holley’s work?

I have known of Lonnie's work since the 1990s. I am originally from Birmingham, AL, where Lonnie is from.  His work is part of the Birmingham Museum of Art's collection, and he is well known in the Birmingham community. His work is also part of the Folk Art Museum's collection here in New York and other museums throughout the country.

What about his work made you want to represent him?

The work is both original and compelling. Lonnie transforms found materials into assemblages and sculptures that evoke everyday life.

Where does Mr. Holley’s work fit in with current offerings in contemporary art?

Many artists make assemblages and sculpture. What is important is to make work that is unique.

In what ways does the work of each of the three artists in the current show relate to each other (if at all)?

Each artist combines disparate materials in innovative ways, resulting in works that hover between painting, drawing and sculpture. 

How has Mr. Holley’s work (both in this show and his solo show in 2010) been received by the New York art audience?

It has been very well received, both critically and commercially.  Time Out New York and The New Yorker reviewed his solo show [in 2010] and the work has been acquired by both contemporary and folk art/outsider art collectors and by the The Progressive Art Collection.

What, if any, challenges are there in representing a Southern artist in New York City?

I don't think the challenges are any different in representing a Southern artist or one that is from any other part of the country. 

My impression is that Southern writers have reached a level of respect/acceptance beyond the region faster than other types of arts and culture being produced. What is your response to that?

That might be explained by the larger audiences that literature and music inherently have, compared to the visual arts. 

Has art made by Southerners had a harder time being seen as being beyond folk, craft or outsider? 

I would say no.  There are and have been many successful non outsider artists from the South, although the older ones usually left in early adulthood, like Robert Rauschenberg, and moved to New York.  The photographer William Eggleston has had great success and I believe he still lives in Tennessee. I show two other artists from the South, Amy Pleasant (Birmingham) and Jim Richard (New Orleans) and they have strong careers, although they are not yet well known. It's not as important for an artist to move to New York as it used to be. 


Pitch is on view at Jeff Bailey Gallery through April 28.