thinking out of the box

In conjunction with the shows at the ArtSpace and at Dana Hall I lead a 'workshop' which was called 'thinking out of the box', during which I brought in a plethora of the odd yet interesting materials that I use in my work. Below is some of the work that was created by some creative folks….. really exciting stuff!!!

from ArtSpace, Maynard ~

from Dana Hall ~

boo!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

And here are some show infor. and updates....

photos from the DanaHall opening can be found on the Dana Hall website - take a look if you want. It was fun because many people added strands of beads to my flower power dress.

Also the Long Journey show is up and open at the ArtSpace Gallery in Maynard, MA. The reception is Nov. 8th, 4-6. I will also be leading a workshop that following Sat.

This is a group show of six artists who have been working in a series ~ Catherine Carter, Catherine Evans, Jennifer Maestre, Ruth Rosner, Jeanne Williamson & me :-) . It is a wonderful collection, curated by Catherine Evans. Hope you can come by and check it out. Peace.

The God'dress' of the Harvest

Now that all my october shows are installed I can take a breathe (phew) and play Mom for awhile ~ which at this time of the year means carving pumpkins!!! The past few years I have carved a dress in a pumpkin - but this year I felt like taking a year off (call it dress overdose) ... I was just going to help my girls carve theirs. But like so many times the dress would not be ignored! As my girls and I were pulling the guts from their pumpkins I noticed a difference ~ each girl's pumpkin's inners had a different consistency and color! So I started playing with the goo and this is what I got!!

For a call to art from the Brickbottom Art Association that I am working on I have been deep into Greek Mythology, so when I was thinking of a name for this dress - Persephone came to mind. Besides being Hades' wife she is the goddess of the harvest and the embodiment of the Earth's fertility. It seemed an appropriate name for a dress made of pumpkin guts and many seeds. So here is Persephone's frock. Happy carving & peace

the Dress Project @ Dana Hall

Here is a quick tour of the show at Dana Hall. enjoy!

the story of Treacherous ( with video too)

Here is a video of one of the newer dresses that is exhibited in the Dana Hall show. This dress has been in the works for over a year. The first version was made of just skewers and masking tape and it was very strong,however ... I got greedy and wanted to have the bottom spread out. By doing that I screwed with the physics of the dress and the entire structure collapsed. When I was trying to reconstruct it a friend and fellow artist, David Lang, told me how to make really strong joints using wire, crazy glue and baking soda. So I wired each joint, did my little magic with the crazy glue and baking soda and then for the aesthetics I have wrapped all the joints with masking tape. The people climbing on it are also made out of masking tape.

With naming my pieces I try to stay pretty generic as to let the audience create their own experience about the piece. So this dress is Skewer Dress. However ever since its first creation it has been referred to as treacherous – because it is!!! If you get too close to the dress it will jump out and snag you!!

For the Dana show I have displayed the dress on a piece of broken mirror which is hovering above the ground. All adding to the illusion. peace!!

the Dress Project @ Dana Hall

the show is installed and ready for the opening tomorrow.

With a good night sleep the artist may be ready for the opening as well. :-)


come by and you can add a strand of beads to the Flower Power dress!!

here is the show information~
The Dana Art Gallery is proud to present
Virginia Fitzgerald: The Dress Project
October 20 th-November 21 th, 2008
OPENING RECEPTION
Tuesday, October 21st, 5:00-7:30 pm
Gallery information: (781) 235-3010 or gallery@danahall.org
Dana Art Gallery, Dana Hall School 45 Dana Road, Wellesley MA 02482

peace!

the glory of fall!!!

New England is famous for its spectacular fall colors and this fall has been amazingly beautiful! So even though this month has been a bit of a crazy for me I had to stop and make a dress.

It started as I was running some errands in downtown Natick and I came across these stunning red maple leaves with these distinct yellow veins. I couldn’t pass them up! So I gathered them up to make a red dress. I asked my oldest to help me collect some more red leaves and she became enamored with these striking yellow leaves. To compliment the palette I added the spectacular red leaves of the burning bush. As the dress emerged it felt like a flirty party dress so I kept it strapless.


In creating this dress, I realized one of the delights of the Dress Project for me is having a vehicle with which I can highlight different details of everyday life that maybe overlooked. I can draw attention to the beauty of the fall foliage or the exquisiteness of VCR tape or the elegance of broken eggshells. Some of these details will be on display at the show at the Dana Hall School, Wellesley. The opening of that show is this Tuesday, Oct. 21st, 5:00-7:30. More details below or on Dana Hall's web page. Peace!

Hello October!!!!!

October is a FULL month for me -

hope you can come by one of these events!!!

peace!!!

October 20 ~ November 21, 2008
Dana Art Gallery
presents

VIRGINIA FITZGERALD
THE DRESS PROJECT
Artist’s Reception
Tuesday, October 21st , 5:00-7:30 pm
Dana Hall School
Gallery hours : Wed and Friday: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm Closed Weekends & School holidays.

Dana Hall School . 45 Dana Road, Wellesley MA 02482

Galleryinformation:( gallery@danahall.org) (781) 235-3010

October 29 ~ November 21, 2008
ArtSpace presents
LONG JOURNEY into a Series

Catherine Carter, Catherine Evans, Virginia Fitzgerald,
Jennifer Maestre, Ruth Rosner & Jeanne Williamson
Reception ~ Sat. Nov. 8th, 4:00 - 6:00pm
ArtSpace ~
63 Summer St.
Maynard, MA. 01754
Hours: Wed.-Sat: 11-3pm

Natick Artists Open Studios
October 4 & 5, 2008 . noon-5 pm
I’ll be in my studio:3 Pond St. Natick, MA, across from Bakery on the Common

Reception @ Gallery 55, Natick Friday Oct. 3rd ~ 7:30-10pm 55 Main St. Natick, MA

Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery

Presents

REUSED . REPURPOSED . REINVENTED

An exhibit that explores the art of recycling

September 29 ~ November 8, 2008

Artists’ Reception Thurs., October 2, 2008, 6:00 – 8:00pm

Gallery Talk Thurs., October 16, 2008, 1:00 – 2:30pm 250

New Rutherford Avenue • Boston, Massachusetts617-228-2093 • www.bhcc.mass.edu Gallery Hours:M/W/F: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., T/Th: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sa: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., S: closed The Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery is free and open to the public.for more information : 617-228-2093artgallery@bhcc.mass.edu Gallery Web page atVisit: http://www.bhcc.mass.edu/
more info. ~
email me~ dressproject@virginiafitzgerald.com

Finally I found a uses for lipstick...

Today ~ I finally tried working with lipstick!!! First I drew a dress on an old window. The lipstick went on very smooth and I could also clean up the dress shape by wiping off the lipstick. The exciting discovery was the shadow that the lipstick casted on the wall (see the above photo).

Then I tried the lipstick on paper. Below is the result ~
'Retro Red & Blossom'

Tomorrow I will see how they dry and how to deal with them. But I am very excited about my discovery of how I like to use lipstick and I am excited about working with more colors. peace!

REUSED, REPURPOSED, REINVENTED

Two of my pieces that got accepted in an exciting show at the Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery... all the info is below. The theme of the show - recycling, reusing - is one that is important to me as an artist, mother and citizen of this planet. It has been an element of my work for a long time - going back to when I had a business making jewelry out of bottle caps ~

S.C.R.A.P.s ~ Seriously Creative Recycled Art Projects!!!

Bunker Hill Community College
Art Gallery Presents

REUSED
REPURPOSED
REINVENTED

Works in various media that address this theme are assembled in this exhibit by: Jessica Burko Bobby Busnack Ian Churchill Rebecca Davidson Catherine Evans Virginia Fitzgerald Melissa Hanes Mark Hartshorn Anne Kirchheimer Peter Madden Charles Mathis Veronica Morgan Marianne Ramos Ken Reker A.E. Ryan David Sholl Ed Tekeian Ann Torke Martin Ulman Michael Ulman Molly Van Nice

An exhibit that explores the art of recycling
September 29 through November 8, 2008
Artists’ Reception
Thursday, October 2, 2008, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Gallery Talk
Thursday, October 16, 2008, 1:00 – 2:30pm

250 New Rutherford Avenue • Boston, Massachusetts
617-228-2093 • www.bhcc.mass.edu
Gallery Hours:
M/W/F: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., T/Th: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sa: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., S: closed
The Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery is free and open to the public.
We are located at the Community College stop on the MBTA Orange Line.


For more information contact:
Ms. Laura L. Montgomery, M.F.A.
Director,
BHCC Art Gallery
Adjunct Professor, Visual and Media Arts Department
Bunker Hill Community College
Office of the President
250 New Rutherford Avenue
Boston, MA 02129
617-228-2093
lmontgomery@bhcc.mass.edu
artgallery@bhcc.mass.edu
Visit our Gallery Web page at: www.bhcc.mass.edu

"Art has continuously broadened our horizons, increasing our awareness and our tolerance of the world as it is".

back to the beach....

As summer was ending and the hustle~bustle of the school year was upon me I had to escape to the ocean one last time. So my family and I headed to the beautiful Duxbury beach for a relaxing day in the sun – or so I thought.

When my youngest wanted to beach~comb I was eager to join her & we started off in search of ‘bird’ stones. But no sooner had I started to scan the beach helping her in her quest, than I experienced the burning desire to make a dress. So as my daughter was off in one pile finding the perfect rock to be a bird, I was off in another pile finding the perfect rocks to create my dress. It was a much needed project – back where the Dress Project started ~ on the beach, feeling the same authentic impulses and desires that I had on Wells Beach in Maine over two years ago. It was a validating feeling – there is something about the dress form which touches a deep place in me. I love to figure out what material will make the dress. At Duxbury I was first attracted to the different shades of green rocks. Then I love to see how the form takes shape, what special object will be over the belly or over the heart.

I am entering the third year of working with the dress form & I see myself expanding the idea…I see the dress more as a vessel, a container, a receptacle. Just this week I dreamt that the dress is a doorway!! A doorway to where I wonder??? I am excited about the journey that lays ahead of me and curious about where the work will go. But I was so happy to be back on the beach, working with my old faithful dress form again on a beautiful late summer day!! Peace~

if the shoe fits????

In many fairytales shoes represent a vehicle of escapism. One of the best known fairytale where this is true is Cinderella. Even though many cultures and countries have different versions of this story, the most famous one is from France, and the ‘vehicle of escapism’ is a glass slipper. In fact, Cinderella does not actually escape her life of servitude via the glass slipper; she is rescued from her life. Once Cinderella slides her small foot into the petite glass slipper Prince Charming recognizes her as his true love and they live happily ever after!!!
The idea of the glass slipper has always bothered me. Of course it would be beautiful but how would it feel – definitely no give. But then I wonder about the different forms of torture to which many women subject their feet – be it for beauty, conformity, style. I always wonder, in action movies how the woman was supposed to out run the bad guys in their 4 inch high heels.
Don’t get me wrong – shoes are lovely and they can be so fun. And who didn’t root for Carrie Bradshaw when she coveted another pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes? But how is it to have women always negotiating in these ‘escape vehicles’…be it high heels, pinched toes or a wrong size? In a world where woman are striving to be equal shouldn’t they have equal footing too?? And what about the glass slipper – what many little girls dream of having the glass slipper presented to them someday by their prince charming???

This glass slipper is on display at the Morse Institute in Natick. It is part of the Shoe Project which is in conjunction with the Natick Open Studios (Oct. 4-5). This shoe is made out of broken glass and even though it is pretty to look at I don’t think I would put my foot in there.

Night visitor

During one of my recent trips to my parents, one of my parent’s neighbor’s home was toilet-papered. Sadly I did not see the t.p. in all its glory, only after a few days and a rainstorm. However the rain gave the remaining toilet paper a haunting feeling which bewitched the street. I was more intrigued when I heard that it was a group of girls who apparently executed the ‘offense’. As I was walking along this splendorous street I was overtaken by the desire to make a dress. So in the rain, I started gingerly collecting the wet toilet paper and attaching the pieces to a tree trunk. The trunk had a long piece of t.p. already hanging near a ‘V’ in the trunk – a perfect strap. So patiently I adhered the pieces to the trunk, using the spaces between the bark to help anchor the pieces. I was working against gravity and the light rain had turned into a thunderstorm!!! But I was in heaven – watching the dress take form.

So I created ‘Night visitor’ which remained long enough for me to photograph and then gravity won out. Before the t.p. fell the dress was enchanting - the skirt pieces were not entirely attached, only at the waist, so the pieces blew in the wind giving the dress life. Also where the cleavage was there was beautiful moss on the bark. So the night visitor stood for a time on the ethereal street surrounded by trees still donning their ghostly ribbons. It was magically!!!

More from the Bag Project!!!

Another artist you will meet tonightat the Meet & Greet is David Lang. His piece, In the Bag (left) is also exhibited in the Bag Project at the Natick Collection. This year David's kinetic scluptures been exhibited in many venues ~ a few being the Concord Art Association and the Danforth Museum.

Meet & Greet ~

tonight (thursday) 6:30 - 8:30 at the Natick Collection by Infinity Pool. hope to see you there!!

recycling can be sexy!!!

In conjunction with the Natick Artists Open Studios (Oct. 4-5) some Natick artists have contributed to a show at the Natick Collection which was inspired by the shopping bag. This show will be running the month of August and there will be a Meet and Greet this Thursday, Aug. 14th from 6:30 – 8:30.

When I heard about this idea I thought that I would make a 'bag' dress but as the piece evolved it turned into a bustiere!!! Which I love because one of my thoughts when beginning this project was that recycling; being environmentally conscience; asking for paper instead of plastic is sexy!!!

So if you can, come by the ‘meet and greet’ or stop by the mall sometime this month. The exhibit is exciting and playful!! peace

A Woman's Place

Please join me for the opening of an exciting group show called ‘A Woman’s Place’ at the Bromfield Gallery, Boston. It was curated by Kathy Halamka, and I am excited to be exhibiting a new sculpture called 'Cast'. the important information is listed below. Hope to see you Friday. Peace, Virginia

"A Woman's Place”
Presented by the Woman’s Caucus for Art (WCA)/Boston Chapter
Bromfield Gallery at 450 Harrison Ave, Boston
July 30 – Aug 23, 2008
Opening reception August 1, 5:30 – 7:30pm
Closing reception, gallery talk by Heather Meri Stewart, and poetry reading
August 23, 3 - 5pm

For more information contact curator Kathy A. Halamka khalamka@gmail.com

http://www.virginiafitzgerald.com/
#617-596-5179

This Thursday, Saxonville Studios, 7-9pm .... Be There!!

Come one , come all to a little art gathering at the studio of Anne Gilson Haney!! I have loved Anne's work since the first time I saw it, and I am so excited to join her in her new studio space for this festive evening. If you are around you should stop by ... go to http://www.saxonvillestudios.com/ for directions. Hope to see you there!!! peace,

p.s. Anne has just started a blog- you should check it out!!! http://goodgabble-blab.blogspot.com/

The Dress Project is in the news!!!

Well yesterday was exciting… on the front page of the Sunday MetroWest Daily News I was greeted with a picture of my ‘Thank you for Waiting’ dress. That was a wonderful surprise to add to the pleasure of seeing Chris Bergeron’s article about the Dress Project. I think Chris really captured the spirit of the Dress Project. Here is the link to the article and there a video too(heehee) happy viewing! Peace ~

and I wonder why my house is never clean...

This is what happens to me ... I cut up a cantalope for my girl's snack, and while I was cleaning up I thought WOW that rind is really cool. It reminded me of alligator skin or batik. So I start cutting and voila a dress, with shoes(to boot). peace

it is summer vacation....

I am two days into summer vacation and having a bit of a hard time with the transition. This is not new – it happened last year - I wasn’t ready to lose any of my precious studio time; however, if memory serves me correctly by, the end of last summer I was sad to see my girl return to school – a little sad! But this year as the school year has wound down, my anxieties have wound up. So here I am again with this struggle, this pull of my hearts strings ~ artist, mom, wife (in no particular order). However, this year I have been given a ‘gift’ ~ a book that I discovered yesterday which seems to address my growing agitation. It is called strong hearts, inspired minds 21 artist who are mothers tell their stories. Last night I was transfixed reading about other women who are doing what I am trying to do and their struggles, doubts, guilts and successes. In the introduction the author, Anne Mavor, pointed out that “both roles (as artist and mother) are chosen for love and cannot be easily cast aside. In addition, they are crucial to the functioning of our society. If artists and parents suddenly stopped doing their unpaid jobs, the world as we know it would fall apart. No one would be bringing new people or new ideas into the world, nurturing and loving them until they could stand on their own.” (strong hearts, inspiring minds, Anne Mavor. page 6.) Something to think about.
So far it has been a fascinating read. Peace!

Viva Barcelona!!!!!

Life presented me with a ticket to Barcelona

so I had to oblige …off to Espana I sped.

Please pass the syrup

Dress making is a compulsion for me - most everything I see sends my brain into a frenzy of envisioning a dress. But now the addiction has spread to my family. My Sunday started with my seven year old daughter presenting me with this pancake that she designed. It was yummy!!! peace

Casualty from the Arsenal

Well, the show at the Arsenal Center for the Arts is over & the eggshell dress did not survive the move back to my studio. This was not a complete surprise – on the way to set up the show the U~haul truck that I used had horrible shocks which took its toll on the internal structure of that dress. The dress got back to the studio in one piece with just a hole, however it was listing and that was the problem. But she held up for the entire show and now who know what her future holds. Even though the dress is now in two pieces this does not mean that the dress is finished,

just heading into a new phase. One of the things that the Dress Project has taught me is how fluid the creative process is. I am excited to work with eggshells again and I am very curious about how the new version will emerge. For me, I find excitement and enjoyment in the process and figuring out the puzzle. So the eggshell adventure continues… peace!

hold the ketchup...

Hope everyone had a super Memorial Day Weekend!! This is a dress made from the left-overs of a delicious burger and milkshake lunch enjoyed at a favorite burger joint in Sherborn,MA.

Here is an update of some events coming up… this Saturday, May 31st,the Five Crows in Natick is holding a party @ 5 o’clock to unveil some artwork that I have done for them...rumor has it that there will be champagne. For details ~ http://www.fivecrows.com/
Also for those wine lovers out there ... I was asked to paint a parasol for the Melanoma Foundation of New England’s Wine Tasting and Designer Parasol Auction. The event is being held this Thursday, May 29th at the Larz Anderson Museum in Brookline. Check out their web site for detail ~ it sounds like it could be lots of fun. http://www.mfne.org/?page=winetasting08
Lastly, Embodiments at the Arsenal Center for the Arts is coming down ~ it was a wonderful experience!! Thank you everyone for all the support!!
Peace ~ Virginia

freshly mown grass

Yesterday I was back working in nature again and loving it. In between appointments and errands I sat down the grass to soak up the warm spring sun. As I looked around I saw clumps of recent mowed grass. I started to gather them and decided to make a dress. As I worked a part of a Martha Graham’s quote ran through my head speaking of an idea or inspiration… “ It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you.” (see full quote in Thursday, January 17, 2008 entry) She is speaking about not judging your creative impulses, your creativity. To listening to your muse and not judge – give your ideas life and let them go. This is a very important concept for me since I have a very vocal critic!! So with Martha’s words giving me license to be inspired without judging I gathered the clumps of cut grass and built my dress.
The exciting part of making a dress for me is the discoveries that I make while in the midst of creating…. this is what makes it so addicting!!! With this dress the grass was drying in the sun and I wanted the top a darker green than the bottom. I realized that if I opened up the layers of the clumps that the grass was moist and green inside. So then I had many different greens to work with. Also it is always fun to find the different materials to make the accents of the dress.

for the 'sharp' dresser

dress for the fairy queen

Yesterday my girls and I attended a "Fairy House Event” hosted by the Wellesley Conservation Council celebrating the council's 50th anniversary. We met at Pickle Point Sanctuary in Wellesley and each child adopted a tree to build their own fairy house using natural materials gathered in the surroundings. It was quite an enjoyable affair on a beautiful day. I, of course, had to get into the act. I found myself in heaven as I combed the ground for different natural material with which to create my fairy’s dwelling. It brought me back to Wells Beach and the start of the Dress Project. So upon returning I was drawn into our backyard by the glorious weather and found myself inspired by a nook in our garden – perfect for a fairy’s house. Surrounding the area were all these fallen ‘seed pods’?? – I am not sure what they are. I immediately fell in love with these ‘pods’ because of their resemblance to a worm or caterpillar and how they moved. So with an inspired place and material I got to work on a dress.

It was glorious to be out in nature making a dress again. Since the show at the Arsenal I have been revisited by the original inspiration of the dresses – just make dresses out of everything and anything. One idea that is always in the back of my brain is a dress of ‘red worms’ – inspired by the worms in our compost. So I enjoyed working with these worm like botanical ‘pods’.

peace ~

Flower Power

Here is my Flower Power Parasol that I decorated for the Melanoma Foundation of New England’s Wine Tasting and Designer Parasol Auction. The auction is to raise money for its one-on-one patient advocacy support program. For more info click here.
I must confess that I love my flower power design and had a great time painting this. While I was working on this project I envisioned a room full of huge canvases all painted in variations of this flower power design – maybe with some sculptural elements too … oh, what fun!!! peace all!!

from the mouth of babes....

One of the new dresses that is at the Arsenal Center for the Arts is the Dog Tag Dress. I was very glad to be able to finish this sculpture for this show because I wanted to show a piece about this on-going, ever-lasting conflict/war/sadness.

This dress is child-sized with a plaster top which is painted with an abstract version of the map of the Middle East ~ Iraq is right over the heart.

Below the map is a quagmire of wires – tangled, knotted wires. Dangling from the wires in a random manner are dog tags. On each of the dog tags I affixed a stamp sized photo of recently killed soldiers. Upon the death of the 4000th soldier killed in Iraq the New York Times published an article called Faces of the Dead ~ four pages of pictures of the last 1000 to die in Iraq. Along with the pictures, the Times also printed excerpts from some of the dead soldiers’ letters, dairies and emails. In one of the passages one of the soldier wondered if many Americans could point out where Iraq is on a map – this resonated with me and gave me idea for the piece. When two 9 year olds sat and looked at the piece I heard them asking questions like ~ why is there war??? From the mouth of babes…..

coming up for air

The Arsenal center for the Arts' show is installed and I have a welcomed moment to breathe. The center offers a perfect setting for displaying my dresses ~ on their tiered platforms. This is the biggest exhibit of the Dress Project with 8 full sized sculptures ( 3 sculptures had not been shown before), 13 framed photos of the ephemeral dresses and 5 2d dresses in different media. It is exciting to see all these different aspects of the Dress Project exhibited together. It is also fun to watch how people react to the pieces. The Arsenal Center for the Arts is also home for the New Repertory Theater and Steve & I were lucky enough to be able to see the current performance ~ Dessa Rose. The musical was quite thought provoking and engaging, I highly recommend it. But I had a special treat that night, by being a fly on the wall during
intermission while the theater goers viewed my work.