whimsical musewhimsical muse is delightful indeed. charlie kearns’s video piece offers a narrative...

Whimsical Muse

The Drawthrough Collectionby Scott Robertson

v16

Manifest16 (revision) 12/9/06 11:02 PM

Whimsical Muse



Executive Director

Jason Franz

Board of Directors

Katherine DintenfassJason FranzElizabeth KauffmanBrigid O’Kane

Associate Directors

Kristin CullenKevin Muente

Junior Board

Trevor PonderJeffrey Salter

Interns

Lynda CampKate HolterhoffKarina Meza

Mission Statement:

Manifest enhances the role of art and design insociety by cultivating and focusing the transforma-tive power of creativity in the visual arts. Manifestbenefits people in the global and local community,including professionals, students, and the public, bycreating quality-centered experiences focused oncontemporary visual arts and related activities in thecontext of creative exploration.


MANIFEST is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

vol 16


Support provided by:

MANIFEST VOLUME SIXTEEN

© 2006 MANIFEST PRESS

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced inany way without written permission from the publisher. All rights in

each work of art reproduced herein are retained by the artist.

Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center2727 Woodburn Avenue, P.O. Box 6218, Cincinnati, OH 45206

(513) 861-3638

First Printing - December 2006, edition of 75Designed by Jason Franz

Printed by PrintPelican.com

Cover details: Scott Robertson, Open Wheel Car;

Daniel O’Connor, We Are Tentmakers By Trade


Whimsical Muse



for Alexandra...

Whimsical Muse


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Curato

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Art and design are vehicles for bold social commentary, political activism, and deep personal phi-losophy. But creative visual works can also provide for levity, playfulness, and innocent joy. Theancient Greek idea of catharsis involved both tragedy AND comedy. Therefore with WhimsicalMuse Manifest Gallery presents a collection of works that embody the lighter side of creativity.

The international call for entries for Whimsical Muse resulted in over 180 submissions from 18states and 2 Canadian provinces.

The fourteen works presented here represent the impressive consistency of Manifest’s jury andcuratorial process which somehow always manages to boil innumerable exhibit possibilities downto one very cohesive and surprisingly interrelated collection of excellent works.

Whimsical Muse is delightful indeed. Charlie Kearns’s video piece offers a narrative glimpse intoa young boy’s afternoon, which could be the events leading up to a visit to the exhibit itself.Stacey Holloway’s mechanical doll Sally chases a firefly around the gallery in an endless and bit-tersweet circle. Joining Sally are the characters in works by Beth Edwards and Ruth Marks who,although motionless appear to be animated by the primal and innocent existence with which theyhave been endowed. Toy-like works by Rhonda Gushee, Wendy DesChene, and Shane Harris lenda purpose to the excitement. And Wynter Whiteside’s large pair of centerpiece cakes, along withDaniel O’Connor’s patchwork pup tent and Gabrielle Mayer’s unmistakable icon of childhood fri-volity, round out the festive context, setting the stage for wild things to happen. With MargotCormier Splane’s zoological scenarios, and Christine Marie Davis’s surrealistic furry desserts, theworld of Whimsical Muse is complete, and completely untamed.

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curated by Brigid O’Kane


Scott Robertson is a notable Los Angeles based concept designer who has taught at Art Center College ofDesign in Pasadena, California since 1995, and Art Center Europe in Switzerland for nearly two years. He is thefounder of Design Studio Press, which has a mission of design, drawing, and rendering education. Robertsonalso currently works as a design consultant for the entertainment, sporting goods, and transportation industrywith a past client list that includes Mattel Toys, Nike, Universal Studios, Fiat, and the feature film The MinorityReport.

Manifest presents this exhibit in fulfillment of its Drawing Center mission whereby that fundamental disciplineis promoted, featured, and explored, and to serve as a resource for those interested in a career in the creativevisual arts. The display of these drawings and the accompanying lecture gives artists and designers a rare oppor-tunity to learn from one of the very best concept designers and teachers working in the field today. With this,Manifest offers a chance to learn about different approaches to drawing as well as the objectives that can beachieved through the practice of this art form.

Robertson's drawings are a marvel of precision and accurate freehand technical drawing, yet at the same timethey are creative intuitive expressions of design concepts. The contrast between the technical and intuitive isjust one of the features that makes these drawings so attractive and compelling. This selection of drawingsdemonstrates an applied skill, which is fun and imaginative while at the same time purposeful, directed, anddescriptive.

Drawing is one of the most valuable skills a designer or artist can develop as a means of visual communication.The drawing process is the most direct way to research, develop, communicate, and present design concepts.For the creative individual drawing advances a focused visual discipline, and broadens the understanding ofform, volume, and the aesthetic qualities of three-dimensional forms depicted on a two-dimensional surface.

The Drawthrough Collection by Scott Robertson presents several kinds of drawn design approaches, includingfast and intuitive gesture sketches, side-view concept drawings, and extreme perspectives. Thus the exhibitspans the spectrum of drawing applied to the design process.

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2727 woodburn avenue cincinnati, ohio 45206513 861 3638www.manifestgallery.org

MANIFESTCREATIVE RESEARCH GALLERY AND DRAWING CENTER


whimsical musewhimsical muse is delightful indeed. charlie kearns’s video piece offers a narrative...

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