'There is no such thing as bad publicity' ...

I was totally shocked to see that the first lady wore 'black widow ...' 

a sculpture that I created in 2008, made out of vcr tape?!?!

No wait, someone photoshopped Melania into my sculpture?!?

this 'article' is on a satirical site called, Opposite Views.

http://oppositeview.com/blog/2017/06/09/melanias-evening-gown-causes-concern-following-comey-testimony/

To read about the real 'black widow ...' (aka the vcr tape dress) and the story behind her creation,

click here:

tbt: the story of 'black widow ...'

'cause this gal has quite a story!! 

http://virginiafitzgerald.blogspot.com/2016/05/tbt-story-of-black-widow.html

and tell me your thoughts?!?! is there no such thing as bad publicity???

I'd love to hear what YOU think. 

 

peace

#tbt: the story of 'black widow ...'

'black widow ...' (vcr tape dress) 

Sculpture: vcr tape, chicken wire, Size: 55 x 64 x 50" (2008)

Lucy Lippard juried this piece into the Women's Caucus for Art: "from the center” 

exhibit at the Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL Jan, 2010. 

  
In honor of 'black widow' being part of David Lee Black's Create your vision photography workshop this Sunday, I wish to share the story of 'black widow ...'

I made 'black widow ...' in 2008 when people were still using VCR tapes. Now when people see 'black widow ...' they ooo and ahhh as if VCR tapes are as old as the rotary phones.

I got the idea when I got a glimpse at the insides of one of those VCR cassette. I saw this shiny, ribbon like material and immediately thought it would make a great dress.  I noted that the VCR tape not only had this shiny black quality but it also moved with any kind of breeze and it was reflective and it also made a beautiful sound when it moved!!! All wonderful qualities to have in a material!!! And to highlight all these I decided to use a chicken wire armature for the bodice and weave the VCR tape into the chicken wire and then create the skirt by hanging endless ribbons of VCR tape.  

Now an interesting happened when I was creating the armature ...first let me share with you that whenever I start any dress I do not have a preconceived idea of the shape of the form but just 'follow' the material and the dress.  As I was working with the chickenwire, molding and twisting it into the bodice, the waist was becoming very small and the breasts were growing?!?! As I continued I realized that this dress was going to speak to the inane expectations that the media, TV, magazines, Hollywood  creates for women!!! That from the youngest age girls/women are told how to look and how to act and a majority of those messages are not healthy (although there has been a movement for more healthy images in the media for girls/women, but honestly it is still pretty nasty out there) 

So as this thought was percolating I felt the need to close off the arm holes of the bodice, as a way of symbolizing how these messages and expectations presented by the media trap and stifle women. 

Once the bodice was finished I covered it with VCR tape in one of my favorite methods, weaving and then created the skirt.  I do not know how many VCR tapes I used (wish I had kept track) and 'no' I didn't use particular movies (another question I am asked).  After creating and showing the dress I did have MANY!! people asking if I wanted there old VCR tapes. It was interesting as I believe I witnessed the ending of the VCR tape era, as the amount of tapes that I was offered was mind-blowing.  I did take many boxes because I do think that this is an awesome material.  

It seems to be weather-proof as well.  In 2012 I did a workshop with the Happy Hollow Elementary School in Wayland, MA where the Students and I created a jellyfish out of VCR tape.  Click here to see a blog post about my visit to the school!! 

A last note about 'black widow ...' is that I feel it also reflects my personal feeling about watching TV can be the death to creativity, imagination and so much more. 

Below is a bit of a blogpost from 2009, when the Starbuck's coffee cups had different quotes on them ...

13 uninterrupted years!!!! lost

This is a quote that came on my Starbuck's cup and I HAD to share.....
The Way I see It #51 ~
"Americans spend an average of 29 hours a week watching television- which means in a typical life span we devote 13 uninterrupted years to our TV sets! the biggest problem with mass media isn't low quality- it's high quantity. Cutting down to just an hour a day would provide extra years of life- for music and family, exercise and reading, conversation and coffee."
--Michael Medved, author of Right Turns & radio talk show host

That is a little over 4 hours a day which equals 13 YEARS!!!!!I am the person who, in college, learned that you spend about a quarter of your life asleep and I tried to stop sleeping - that didn't work...you need sleep, but TV?!?

So that is a bit of the backstory of 'black widow ...' and if you can come to Plymouth today and join a wonderful group of creatives taking pictures in a inspiring space with modeling and musicians!! it is an event NOT TO BE MISSED!!! XXX

Change Event Photo

MAY22

Eleventh in a series of a wonderful growing community of supportive and talented photographers of all skill levels.

We will be photographing at the amazing TreeHouse Studios of Kristin Hughes-Craig located at 84 Court Street,Plymouth, Massachusett with professional lighting, backdrops and a projection screen! 

We will be photographing the lovely model Capri Lanning-Cafaro. Capri will be interacting with artist Virginia Fitzgerald's hauntingly beautiful dress sculpture, "black widow . . ."

There will also be plenty of helpful guidance and suggestions to enhance your passion for artful photography.

Feel free to invite your friends or share this invite!

What to bring: 
Camera (All kinds of cameras are welcome)
Your creativity
Optional: Examples of work for peer review

Cost: $50

Parking is street and parking lot on side of building. Also there is a public parking lot behind Plymouth Memorial Hall across the street.

We will meet at 10:30 am for meet and greet (refreshments provided).

This just in . . .
The wildly talented @Steven Lanning-Cafaro will be playing classical and flamingo acoustic guitar for this special event!

a Quick Peek at 8 Visions

Here are a few 'quick' shots of my pieces in the 8 Visions show at the Attleboro Arts Museum. 

'black widow' greets you at the door

My camera has a funny time with the lighting in the space so the color is off a bit - something I 'should' be able to fix. . . but alas. For now here is a little taste of the show.

'happily ever after'

The opening reception was a lovely evening - the museum's staff is so wonderful.  And it was such a treat to be able to show a group of my dresses in such a beautiful space and to debut a few pieces.  

'dear jeff' 

One of the pieces shown for the first time is 'dear jeff'.  Last night was especially special because Jeff Gonski, the man who commissioned 'dear jeff',  came to the opening.  

'dear jeff' is a sculpture made from the letters and correspondences that Jeff received from his then girl friend/ fiance and all the cards of sympathy and condolences that he received after he lost his fiance in the events of 9/11.  

This is a hugely emotional dress and this was proven last night as I watched as different people responded to the dress. I am truly thankful to Jeff for giving me the opportunity to work with these memories and for his bravery to share his memories with the world.

'kid gloves'

Also it was nice to be back talking to the gallery visitors about why I do dresses and why I chose the materials that I do, and all those fun questions.  

On that note, the gallery talk for this show - on Sept. 8th 2-4pm.

'lilith in blue'

And an extra perk of last night was that the two final jurors were at the opening as well ~ Seth Rainville,  curator at the New Bedford Art Museum and Bob Totaro, Director of J. Todd Galleries in Wellesley, MA. It was such a pleasure to meet them and talk to them about the jurying process.

'new york diner' dress 

 So this is a quick perusal of my part of 8 Visions ~ more to come (hopefully).  

Thanks to all that came to the opening - it was truly a special evening. 

And thank you to the other artists that were exhibiting last night ~ 

I am honored to be part of such a creative group!

(be sure to check out their websites - their names are links to their sites) 

2012 “8 Visions” Artists:

Patricia Berube – Cohasset, MA

Brenda Cirioni – Stow, MA

Susan Denniston – Scituate, MA

Virginia Fitzgerald – Natick, MA

Sand T Kalloch – Malden, MA

Niva Shrestha – Franklin, MA

Mary L. Taylor – Marshfield Hills, MA

Felicia Touhey – Portsmouth, RI

'provocative'

peace

grant application submitted - CHECK

Any other artist out there feeling like the business end of being an artist is exhausting?!? 

Once again I am racing to get a grant submission in before the deadline (today), and each time I do this remember my desire to get better pictures of my work?!??!

This was the first time that I needed to prepare a powerpoint presentation so hopefully I dotted my i's and crossed my t's. 

Below are the 'slides'.

Now off to the next task . . . or maybe a nap?!?!? 

peace to all.

8 Visions delivery ~ CHECK!

The day I deliver pieces for a show is usually a bittersweet day for me ~ so excited and relieved that the pieces are safely at the gallery, and yet I am also sad that the creating is done, at least for a time. Now is the time I must turn my attention to other matters that I have been ignoring, like, publicity & press for the show, and everything else in my life!!! 

http://attleboroartsmuseum.org/index.php/exhibitions/

The days and weeks before a big show I get so focused about what I need to do that the rest of my life goes on hold (nice).  In fact for last 4-5 days I basically lived in my studio, spending long and late hours working & I LOVED it.  Every so often I would start to worry that I am becoming a true studio hermit ~ but then I could see no down side of that life :) (though, my girls might!)

delivered dresses waiting to be set up

'happily ever after' set-up at the South Shore Art Center, last year

During this crunch time I also get a billion of other ideas that I want to make for the pending show ~ crazy I know!!! This time I had a great friend counseling me away from the 'edge of starting all these new wonderful project' and to just finish the pieces that are almost done and need to be finished.  And for this friend I am truly grateful!!!

'lilith in blue'  with panel painting behind

So now these babies are out of my hands and into the world. 

Three of them will be debuting at 8 Visions & then there are some old faithfuls.   

Many of the pieces have 'stories' that I plan to share here in later posts, 

but for now I must attend to the matter of telling people about the show and getting them to come.

So feel free to spread the word!! :)

'kid gloves' ~ a small dress made out of broken eggshells sitting in a nest made of white/cream ribbons and being 'held' by old kid gloves that David A. Lang found for me on his endless travels.

'provocative' (rope dress)

'black widow' vcr tape dress

So on that note, here is the 411 about the show ~ 

8 Visions – Work from 8 Juried Member Artists

Attleboro Arts Museum

Exhibition: August 21 – September 15, 2012

Opening Reception: Wednesday, Aug 22nd from 7 – 9pm. Free and open to the public.

Saturday, Sept 8th: Gallery Talk, 2-4pm.  Free and open to the public. Kindly reserve your space by Thursday, September 6th. 508-222-2644  

- peace - 

http://attleboroartsmuseum.org/index.php/exhibitions/

'tis the season . . . & thank U!!!

To add to all the craziness of the season, I have pieces in four wonderful shows this month!! 

 I am truly honored and pleased to be included in them all.  Listed below are the show venues, dates and opening information. If you click on the gallery's name you will be sent to the gallery's own website for further information.   I am planning to make it to most of the openings - always a good time!

November 22nd - January 11th 2012

Cambridge Art Association's, Cambridge, MA

RED 

It's more than a color;

metaphor, feeling, idea or hue...

**RED Receptions at both galleries: 

Friday December 2nd, 5:30-7:30pm

Awards at 6:30pm at University Place 

124 Mount Auburn Street

December 2, 2011 - January 14, 2012.

​Sprinkler Factory's, Worcester, MA

2011 Winter Exhibition, No Theme - No Limits  

**Opening and Reception, December 3, 2011; 5:00-8:00 PM.

The reception is open to the public

December 10, 2011 – February 2, 2012

Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro, MA

2011 Members’ Exhibition

**Opening Awards Reception: 

Saturday, December 10, 2011; 2pm-4pm. 

Reception is free and open to all.

Live music at the reception by JAZZ SET with Tony Anzivino on piano, & Rich Balest on bass – alumni of Boston Conservatory & Berklee College of Music.

November 18th - December 18th 2011

Fountain Street Fine Art's, Framingham, MA

Present Company

member show and holiday sale

see website for extended hours

Lastly - this all could not happen without my many amazing friends who help me by ~ delivering work or taking care of girls or bringing a desperately needed cup of coffee or safely driving a sleepy me and so much more!! 

So a BIG thanks goes out to 'team fitzgerald'!!! U know who U r!!

( I am thinking of making a team t.shirt :)

So . . .

Thank you!!

Hope to see you at one of the Openings!!

& 

Peace!!! 

Out & About

A little update of the comings and goings of the artwork of Virginia Fitzgerald ~
Last night was the MassRecycle's Annual Recycling Awards @ the Artist for Humanity EpiCenter,Boston and a few artists, including yours truly, were ask to exhibit artwork made from recycled material. This was an easy one for me ~I exhibited Black Widow (the VCR tape dress), Glass Slipper and the Paper Mache Bustiere. It was such a lovely event as well as a zero waste evening!! really nice!!! The Epicenter was a perfect venue for this event being a green, high-performance, sustainable building ~ "the Artists For Humanity EpiCenter was awarded LEED Platinum Certification from the United States Green Building Council; it was the first project in the city of Boston to have earned this distinction. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings." The building itself set the 'green' tone with many different reused materials ~ the Ladies room was so cool, the toilet paper holder was made out of the bottom of a used water cooler bottle. I was happy to be included because i am a big fan of all things recycled. Years ago my business centered around recycling, creating bottle cap jewelry and accessories. I used the bottle caps as frame for my artwork and sold the pieces to stores around the world ~ so this is not a new trend for me. And it was exciting to see the 'recycled' artwork of the other artists. David Lang exhibited three pieces, and one of them he made especially for the evening, 'Return', and it was a show stopper!!! Check out his blog to see some of the pieces as well as the creation of 'Return'. The other artists were ~
Jeannie Dunnigan, Paula Estey, David Lang, Michael Ulman, Marty Ulman & Bill TurvilleIt was a feel~good evening!!

And then tonight there are two openings of shows that are exhibiting some of my work ~
First ,the opening reception for ArtOrganic at the Harbor Art Gallery, UMass Boston is tonight, November 18th, from 5:00 - 8:00 P.M. This show has many of my fiber pieces as well as the work of Jodi Colelle, Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord, David Lang, Janet Kawada and Derrick Te Paske. (Click here for the post with all the artists' links) The show runs from November 15th through December 15th. And I hope to make it to the opening near the end (one never knows with Boston Traffic).

And the second opening is for Carry On at the Attleboro Arts Museum, tonight from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. i am going to start there for two reasons. one this show is running in conjunction the city of Attleboro reading Tim O'Brien's The Things That They Carried so I am thinking this could be one big book group with artwork. As i think I mentioned before I was really moved by this book and I am eager to discuss it. Also I am planning to wear one of the pieces I made for the show, Tongue necklace, during the opening which will be fun. I just need to figure out what else to wear in the next few hours.

Both shows are exciting shows and the openings promised to be fun ~ I wish that i could clone myself :) but maybe I can make it to both openings!! But if you are in the area of either or both openings please stop by - i don't think you will be disappointed!!!

peace