FECUND was developed as an experiential installation and one-man show.
UPDATE: The atrium installation is on hiatus until Sunday, May 12. The public is invited to return to the atrium from May 12-20.
The public is invited to the atrium of Mint Museum Uptown from May 6-20 to experience an installation from local performance artist John W. Love, Jr., who will be inviting visitors to contemplate notions of “yes” as part of an interdisciplinary project entitled FECUND.
Access to the Robert Haywood Morrison Atrium, inside Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street, is free during the hours of 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday (and until 9 p.m. on Tuesdays), 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Regular admission policies to the remainder of the museum will apply during Love’s residency. The Mint will post updates about the project at facebook.com/mintmuseum and @TheMintMuseum.
Love is the first individual artist to receive the Arts & Science Council McColl Award, which he was awarded in 2011 to pursue the development of FECUND. Love is a visual artist, playwright, poet, stage/video director, and actor. The installation will culminate with a one-man performance at Mint Museum Uptown on May 17 at 7:30 p.m., which is free to Mint members and $15 for non-members. Click here for more details on the performance and to register. (The May 17 performance is recommended for mature audiences). Registration is required for the performance and seating is limited.
“John is an essential reason why Charlotte’s art scene has continued to flourish,” said Brad Thomas, the Mint’s curator of Modern & Contemporary Art. “He could not be more deserving of the McColl Award. We are honored to feature John’s innovative installation and performance as part of the Mint’s ongoing commitment to supporting regional artists.”
The installation itself is entitled Path of Yes and will use texture, objects, and sound. The May 17 performance is entitled The Diaries of Neequa or She Who Would Be King. Together, these two components make up FECUND. Prior to this new installation and performance at the Mint, Love concluded his second artist residency at The McColl Center for Visual Art in the fall of 2012. His time at McColl was dedicated to the creative aims of FECUND in a process he described as “…steeped in exploration, experimentation, discovery, collaboration, play, and an exhilarating process of editing.” Love’s studio was a hub of activity for workshops, invigorating connections, and meditative contemplation. A collection of mixed-media sculptures was produced for the Path of Yes and will be positioned along a tiled floor developed in collaboration with Fine Arts students from Winthrop University and Adjunct Professor of Fine Arts Jon Prichard.
The installation marks the second time this year that the Mint has activated the atrium of Mint Museum Uptown with an art installation and invited the public to participate. In February, Japanese artist Motoi Yamamoto spent two weeks constructing a temporary saltwork, Floating Garden, drawing thousands of visitors to the atrium and drawing worldwide attention to the Mint in both social media and traditional media. The saltwork was dismantled March 3 and visitors were invited to return the salt to the sea, but a smaller saltwork remains on view in the Modern & Contemporary galleries of Mint Museum Uptown through May 26.
“The Mint is pleased to continue fulfilling the original vision of Mint Museum Uptown and Levine Center for the Arts by creating a community gathering spot where visitors can have transformative experiences,” said Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson, President & CEO of the Mint. “We look forward to continuing to surprise and delight our visitors with new offerings each time they return to our facilities.”