Archive for August 19th, 2008
Catholics are known for their devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and traveling throughout Italy there is much evidence of this along roadsides, where one might find a grotto shrine dedicated to Mary every few miles. Often, the grottos are very elaborate and have all kinds of candles and rosary beads, Bibles and memorabilia from the faithful. People in the Midwest of the United States have taken that concept and made it their own, creating these same kinds of shrines in their backyard gardens, with the same fervor and passion. The big difference is that these folks have chosen to make their shrines out of bathtubs they bury vertically in their yards.
As the Daryls and I were trying to decide what we would build in this years Spontaneous Construction, the annual fundraiser for the local non-profit home Resource, we decided to honor that tradition, and yet make the shrine a little more Montana, and a little more functional. We decided to build ours out of a circa 1970s style bathtub (pink), and whatever we could find lying around in the yard. And our sweet little addition was to create a functional BBQ out of a discarded sink. Mary would be holding BBQ tongs and a spatula, presiding over our meal. The SponCon event, for those who don’t know, is a fundraiser in which contestants have five hours to construct a spontaneous piece of art from the riff-raff they find in the yard. Once the constructions are completed, some of them are entered into an auction, the proceeds of which benefit Home Resource. Daryl (Lucas Dupuis) is the Board President, and as such has had many responsibilities in previous years, and had always been unable to participate in the actual building event. I have never competed because in previous years I volunteered to help in the setup and running of the event. This year, we decided, however, that since our otehr friend Daryl (Lucas Grossi), was moving to Park City, UT, we should have one last hurrah (we had many), and form a team and compete in the event. The glorious result was the creation you see below, complete with a fully functional BBQ grill. Mary’s arms are made from a toilet seat cut in 1/2, and her shawl is made from a fireplace chain curtain.
Originally uploaded by love not fear Tags: 59801, abstract, alternative, art, art in missoula, artists, arts and culture in missoula, Collaboration, community, construction, creativity, fundraiser, homeresource, performance art, public art exhibitions, revitalize, sculpture, sponcon, spontaneousconstruction, sustainability59801, abstract, alternative, art, art in missoula, artists, arts and culture in missoula, Collaboration, community, construction, creativity, fundraiser, homeresource, performance art, public art exhibitions, revitalize, sculpture, sponcon, spontaneousconstruction, sustainability |
