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Journal

News from Dowd House Studios: places to find our pottery, exhibitions, classes & workshops, new forms and exciting projects.

Filtering by Tag: public art

An Easter Egg Hunt

Jenny Dowd

This weekend a very special Easter Egg Hunt is happening at R Park hosted by the Jackson Hole Land Trust.

Visit R Park between April 2nd - 5th and you will find art installations created by 4 local artists. Within each a letter has been hidden and will spell out a word that unlocks a trunk full of Easter Eggs.

I’m super excited to be part of this project, and while my art is not specifically egg themed, you will still have to hunt for it.

I started out making several small elements: unfired porcelain mushrooms, tiny flowers, plus strands of fabric circles strung with buttons. My vague idea before installation day was mostly formed by the shadows cast on the white on white snowy landscape.

Installation day was a beautiful clear yet cold day, I tucked mushrooms and tiny flowers into the leaves, snow, and dirt below a grove of trees.

After spending a lot of time walking around and looking at this spot, strands of fabric were hung in an arch over the grove of mushrooms. Laying on the warm ground and looking up was the best view! The fabric seemed to mimic the fluffy clouds above.

This was hard to photograph, so if you are in the area I hope you stop by to find all the details.

Happy spring!

I’m sure we will have many more chilly days in Wyoming over the next few months, but spring is finally here!

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categories Community Projects, Process, Projects, public art, Sculpture
tags Rendezvous Park, jackson hole land trust, public art, temporary art, tiny sculpture, outdoor art, installation

Flower: Factory & Cart

Jenny Dowd

I am working on a mound of pottery orders… but first, flowery public art events!

Last week I was invited to participate in a Town Square Takeover. This artist space was created by Wildly Creative Jackson Hole and the Center for the Arts. 6 artists showcased what they do during 3 afternoon takeovers on the Jackson Town Square. Read all about it here.

My takeover was on Friday September 6th and I invited people to participate in a Flower Factory.

I made lots of signs out of cardboard, and collected some safety equipment, since safety is a big concern in the Flower Factory.

7 stations explained how to make a crepe paper flower - the type of flower the factory was producing on that particular day. Many participants came by and safely made flowers, I’m happy to say there were no incidents of lost time and flowers were produced and distributed to nearby people.

Another type of flower factory is currently in the works - I am participating in PARKing Day on September 20th. For this event, artists and designers are invited to take over a parking space in Jackson (and all over the country!) from 10am - 6pm.

I am creating a flower cart that will be parked in my space where flowers and bundles of flowers will be distributed (free!) to all who would like them. So, to get ready for this event, I am making a flower cart out of cardboard. This project is currently taking over the clay studio… and Merlin is not a happy studio cat.

The start was pretty simple, then the wheels and handles got a bit tricky…

Each wheel does spin on an axle, but I just couldn’t figure out how to make this happen from the start in my small space. So each wheel is fitted on a short tube that allows it to spin and also provides a place to attach. To connect the wheel, I made a thick triangular shaped piece that the tube could fit through and is also connected to the base of the cart. Once the triangular shape was connected, the wheels spun but needed a little more support. A longer tube / axle was used to connect the wheels. Now the cart can move on the wheels… but I doubt it would hold up for much of a journey!

The handles also posed a small challenge. I didn’t want them to be flimsy and also wanted to avoid getting things hung up on them before the event. Deciding to make them somewhat detachable, shorter inserts were attached to the cart, allowing longer handles to slide over. It’s not a big difference, but it does take up a tiny bit less room in my space and offers more strength to the handle. This should make transporting the cart a little easier next week.

Tons of measuring yet still rather wonky. The inside is fitted with pieces of styrofoam that will hold the flowers. So hopefully the rest is the fun part… signs, an awning, and lots and lots of tiny flowers…

Visit me on September 20th, 10am - 6pm in front of Hand Fire Pizza on Cache Street in Jackson. And I’ll publish an update next weekend showing how the cart got finished!

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categories Art Exhibitions, Community Projects, Process, Studio
tags flower factory, wildly creative jackson hole, town square takeover jackson hole, public art, jh public art, PARKing Day

Update: Wonder Spot

Jenny Dowd

Part II: The Clouds Have Gathered

It took nearly a month after the first install (for details check out Part I) but the clouds have finally gathered on the Wonder Spot. The final addition is a cloud over 8 feet wide that hovers at the top of the sign.

The clouds take shape upon approach. Once up close, all the parts and pieces used to make each form are visible. At this point it is as if the cloud particles have been magnified, similar to being inside a cloud where the edges are no longer visible. 

This has been a tough sculpture to photograph!

Better photos will be added to my website over the summer, for now I've been snapping quick pics on my way in and out of Jackson. 

The sculpture contains a few surprises: 

When driving north past the clouds there is a spot where Sam's giant steel boat on top of Jackson Hole Whitewater appears to float through the clouds. (Check out this video of the boat when it was in the sign a few years ago.) At night clusters of light within the clouds are reminiscent of a far-off thunderstorm.

The clouds will be up until late fall, so if you are in Jackson check them out as you are driving by!

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categories Projects, Community Projects
tags Jenny Dowd, Center of Wonder, ceramic sculpture, public art, clouds, cloud sculpture