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MAKING IT: Andy Ducett and how you fill 12,000 square feet in six months.

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The intent of the new MAKING IT series within the mnartist.org blog is to highlight the hidden aspects of artistic production.  This is everything from shots of working spaces to stratgies for mixing the perfect palette…all interesting aspects of artists work that are rarely discussed or revealed. With this idea of access to an extended [...]

The intent of the new MAKING IT series within the mnartist.org blog is to highlight the hidden aspects of artistic production.  This is everything from shots of working spaces to stratgies for mixing the perfect palette…all interesting aspects of artists work that are rarely discussed or revealed. With this idea of access to an extended process, I asked Minneapolis multimedia artist Andy Ducett for permission to document the progress of his upcoming solo exhibition at the Soap Factory.  Andy generously agreed to open his studio to share the “behind the scenes” view of his artistic production.  From planning, models, design decisions, sourcing materials, sourcing labor, fundraising, installation to opening night we will track the hidden work necessary for a success exhibition.  Andy will walk us through the progress in his own voice in an effort to not only see the work accumulate, but to gain understanding of the decisions that are made along the route.Here is Andy:

I’ve been asked to write in order to give a peek into my practice and share all of the processes, byproducts, successes, failures, left turns, right turns, u-turns and other minutia that is associated with an art practice is exciting.  We usually only see the results.  It’s like my car, or video chatting, or air travel…I have no idea how most of it works, I just know (or hope, rather) that it does whatever it’s supposed to do.

It just so happens that I am less than five months away from an a large solo exhibition at The Soap Factory in Minneapolis, a show that I’ve been planning and working towards for a little over 2 years.  The scope and nature of the exhibition is very similar to my regular artistic practice, while expanding on some of my ongoing ideas and visual strategies.  However, for this exhibition I plan to use new elements,  such as video and performance which has never appeared in my work previously.   One of the biggest challenges is taking advantage of the massive 12,000 square feet of  gallery space in The Soap Factory, and to make it into one cohesive installation.

The exhibition opens the 8th of September, and over the course of the next few months, I will be making regular posts about my progress. I am also working with local artist and videographer Eric Melser to film parts of my processes which I will share in future posts.

Also check out Andy Ducett’s MN Original segment for more insight on how to source thrift stores

Making It lifts the curtain on art-making around the state with posts that go inside the process of making and showing work. You’ll find these visually-oriented little pieces on both the Education and Community Programs’ blog and here, on the mnartists.org blog, and they’ll include a broad-mash up across disciplines, with everything from staff dispatches from Arty Pants and Open Field to rehearsal notes and studio visits, maybe even a few DIY tutorials by and with Minnesota artists.