Collabortory
Collabortory is a creative platform in Memphis, Tennessee that offers an alternative method to publicly and privately funded Percent-for-Art programs in which the site, budget, and a preference of medium are predetermined prior to including artists in the commissioning process. Within this framework, artists are often seen as an “add on '' rather than an integral component to the development and/or reanimation of our built environment.
Collabortory is inspired by collaborative practices that embrace diversity and the scientific method of exploring, observation, hypothesizing, and testing to define a new path for producing public art that is thoughtful, relevant, and impactful that not only propels a community forward but the field of public art. Collabortory utilizes Participatory Action Research to bring creative research to the forefront of the commissioning process to give artists a better insight to the needs and wants of a site, neighborhood and/or community prior to conceptualizing and proposing a piece of artwork.
Collabortory nomadically conducts extended periods of artist led paid collaborative creative research in Surveys of various neighborhoods, sites and/or topics.
Collabortory strives to:
Create a framework where artistic methodologies and practices are no longer marginalized in conversations of reanimating or defining the physical, social or cultural spaces of their cities
Build a network of civically-minded artists that capitalizes on diverse interests, insights, and working methodologies to obtain a diverse and detailed understanding of the sites and/or neighborhoods examined by a Collabortory: Survey
Create an environment where artists can collectively develop and share information during the research and development phase of developing public art projects
Open a door for other mediums, methods, and approaches to public art and social practices to be funded and shared with the Memphis community
Set an emphasis on fair wage compensation for artists during all phases of the commissioning process
Help create an artist community that is less competitive and collectively shares and celebrates the cultural developments of their city
Collabortory was founded in 2014 by artist and cultural producer Cat Peña in Memphis, TN. Since 2004, Peña has cultivated her interest and understanding of the multifaceted field of public art and social practices by assuming various roles including the role of artist, project manager, educator, fundraiser, fabricator, community organizer, and designer. It is from her work in the private, nonprofit and public sectors that Peña recognized the need for public art programing that sets a higher value (both conceptually and financially) on the working methodologies of artists and create an opportunity to embrace and educate the general public on how art can foster, expand, and improve cultural exchanges that occur in our shared spaces.
SURVEY 1: THE EDGE
Realized: Nov. 2014 - Oct. 2015
Location: The Edge District, Memphis TN
Partners: Downtown Memphis Commission
Description:
Survey 1 brought together seven diverse local artists to conduct a year long intensive investigation of the EDGE District, an often overlooked quadrant between Midtown and Downtown Memphis Tennessee. This artist led, neighborhood supported artistic
investigation aimed to create thought provoking and site specific artwork to add aesthetic vibrancy to the neighborhood and draw people to the area. Survey 1: the EDGE District wasl broken into two phases; Phase 1: Observation/Research and Phase 2: Concept Development.
During Phase 1, artists spent four months collaboratively researching, investigating, and meeting with residents of the neighborhood to define the physical, physiological, and anthropological boundaries of the neighborhood. All research was compiled and shared via a public blog. During Phase 2, artists used their collective research to develop a series of projects that addressed a community need. Roughly 16 project proposals were created with artwork ranging from wayfinding signage, car planters, mosaic gathering places, murals, events, an artist run land trust, and a large canopy piece. Proposals and artifacts from the research phase were shared with community members and potential funders in a public forum at Marshall Arts Gallery. From that event, four projects were funded by the Downtown Memphis Commission and installed in 2016-2017.
Artists:
Anthony Lee, Lester Merriweather, Cedar Nordbye, Marco Pave Cat Peña, Robin Salant, Kiersten Williams
SURVEY 2: the Boundaries of Normal
Realized: July 2016- May 2017
Location: Normal Station neighborhood, Memphis TN
Partners: The Art Museum at the University of Memphis
Description:
For five months Survey 2: The Boundaries of Normal sought to engage and connect the divergent citizens of Normal Station, a historical neighborhood just south of the University of Memphis. Participants of this project were composed of U of M students/faculty/alumni, current/former residents, and 16 community minded artists.
Survey 2: The Boundaries of Normal was broken into three phases: Phase 1: Observation/Research, Phase 2: Concept Development and Phase 3: Experiment.
Phase 1 compiled two small groups of “Researchers” and Community Tour Guides to work with each other for one week to define the physical, physiological, and anthropological characteristics of Normal Station through a series of self-guided tours.
During Phase 2 researchers from the first phase met as a group to analyze collected information to reveal re-occurring or unique sites, topics, or problems that occurred during their tours. From this information the group collectively decided on the themes of Rhythm and Time. These themes became the starting point for concept development for the final phase. Phase 3 consisted of (4) two day art marathons (i.e. ArtLABS) that challenged a group of four makers to collectively conceptualize and create a site specific art prototype that was inspired by the themes identified in the previous phase. All projects were produced with found objects and within a limited budget of $100. Prototypes were temporally installed within Normal Station offering different ways for residents to gain a greater "sense of place" through the act of creatively engaging with the artwork.
Research results, documentation, and artifacts from each experimental public art project produced during each ArtLAB was installed in the Art Museum at the University of Memphis from March 24th – April 29th 2017.
Artists:
Adam Farmer, Allison Hennie, JC De’Marko Gutton, Eric Clausen, Dylan Boutwell, Jourdin Reinhart, Leni Stoeva,Susan Nordstrom, Yancy Villa, Erica Qualy, Ross Rives, Maggie Russell, Samilia Colar, Judith Dierkes, Eli Gold, Lawrence Matthews
