July 24, 2016

Dear New York. I love you.

Originally written... oh, about a month ago.

For those of us keeping score on my productivity the last two weeks in New York, here's a cheat sheet:

I finished up the edits on some videos, which are for the most part under wraps, but you can see an excerpt from one of them here.

I contributed a review of Charles Goldman's work to Two Coats of Paint and will try to sneak in a post highlighting some of my gallery hopping below.

My itenerary, in no particular order:

Life on Mars
Momenta
NURTUREart
Honey Ramka
Microscope Gallery
Transmitter
TSA New York
Underdonk
Songs for Presidents
Anton Kern Gallery
David Zwirner
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery (Group show with Fairfield Porter)
White Columns
The High Line
MoMA
The New Museum
Brooklyn Academy of Music. (The Lobster)
Studio vist with Margaret Murphy
Studio visit with Sharon Butler
Breakfast with Terri Dilling and her husband, who happened to be in town.
A studio visit and lovely and ongoing conversation about art, politics, race, gender, the city, the suburbs, life, etc with Gwendolyn Skaggs
Zazen with Zen Center of New York City
Migraine
Jazz in Union Square Park
Coin laundry and pizza
A few iced coffees outside Hana Natural Foods.
The Post Office, Wyckoff Station
The G, L, M, 2, 3, F, and Path.
Dogs, cats, and birds.
Binged watched a few episodes of Orange is the New Black.
Caught two amazing sunsets.
Vegan cookies. (note to self: begin running again)
Scored some free books on the landing, and a magic blanket at a thrift store.
Two dozen hardboiled eggs and egg salad.


May 30, 2016

Review(s) update

The Repair Project (And Other Affairs of Just Plain Living) at Seed Space received a lovely and generous review on Burnaway, by Erica Ciccarone, who also writes for NYCNash.

And a  equally lovely spread in the Tennessean written by Sara Estes.
(Note, the amazing 1/3 page photo submitted was taken by moi. Amazing, of course, because I was also in the photo. This is one of my highly developed skill sets of late, of which only a handful of people have a clue what that means.)

There will be two more mending sessions, including a closing reception on the June 4th. Check the gallery website or their social media feeds for details.

More news of the cryptic sort to follow.


May 25, 2016

More leaning in.

Thank God they dug out that hedge pictured in the background. I miss this woman. 

Leaning in.

Your editor, leaning in


And while I've got you attention, I'll direct you to a essay in which the term "faux feminism" is used by bell hooks at the Feminist Wire. 

May 18, 2016

No fear.

For the record, I'm not into irony this week, even though Life would like me to think different. I'm sending a request for good thoughts out to the universe in hopes it's double coupon day.

May 12, 2016

And this. Soft Launch. We're still in beta. Hello Smack Handy!



It's been a productive month or two. As an artist, it always seems like it's considered taboo to talk about things such as work, as in earning money for hire, but I for one, like the idea of combining work and pleasure; art and life; money and food. 

This past April marked the one year anniversary of my secret or not so secret investment into refreshing some tech skills, upgrading my equipment, and putting together a modest edit suite. I still have a few more items on my wish list, and thanks to planned obsolescence, I'll always be learning something new, but after returning from the residency (oh snap, I did mention the residency again) I felt the time was right to roll out the new site. 

Running a business is not easy. Running two businesses is twice as not easy, but I can't think of anything I'd rather do than work in the studio figuring out this soup called life and and work on films and video helping others doing the same. Take a look if you'd like and if you need an editor or have a story to tell, let me know. 

And if you're wondering where the name, Smack Handy came from, you'll have to visit the site and look for the clues.* 




May 10, 2016

The Repair Project.


The Repair Project (and Other Affairs of Just Plain Living) at Seed Space from MaryAddison HACKETT on Vimeo.

As luck would have it, they were printing money upstairs. That's a total fabrication. I have no idea what was going on, but the ambient audio that sounds like I work in a factory, was recorded in real time. Anyone is welcome to bring in a small textile in need of minor repair. Major repairs on a case by case basis, or by commission. Please contact Seed Space for hours. Free coffee when available. BYOC.

May 06, 2016

This weekend at Seed Space

installation shot, The Repair Project (And Other Affairs of Just Plain Living)


Mary Addison Hackett
The Repair Project (And Other Affairs of Just Plain Living)
Seed Space
1201 4th Ave South, Nashville TN 37210
May 7 - June 6, 2016

+ link to press release and current studio news

April 26, 2016

How long will she go on and on about that residency?

...Not much longer.

I realized that in my previous post about being nurtured, I forgot to emphasize that the obvious intersection of those conditions- (time, space, food) was the freedom to work (mostly) uninhibited on ideas without overthinking the outcome. Will other artists, a gallery, collectors, art writers, like it? Will it sell, show, last, hang at the correct height, dry, be affordable to transport, glitch? Will it mean anything after I've had time to think about it from every angle making certain my story is airtight? How long before I suck the life out of it asking all these questions? Bonus round: Is the work too light, too funny? Is levity in or out this year?

None of those questions entered my mind for three weeks or almost three weeks. I admit on the last day I thought about all the things as I loaded the car and screened the work for a captive audience one last time.

I went to bed watching the Big Dipper every night. The Twilight Zone effect was unintentional.


Next up: How to remove 2 bullfrogs and a turtle from your swimming pool.




April 25, 2016

Residency Flashback, Part II

One of the major benefits of  the residency at Hambidge was the feeling of being cared for and nurtured. In other words, I did not have to cook or clean or tend to yard work for three weeks.  I did sweep my cabin and and do laundry. I straightened up when things got a bit messy, and of course, I helped clean up after dinner, as was expected. We were invited to clear trails one weekend-voluntarily. Most of us politely declined. I remained healthy and only succumbed to the pollen count after being back in Nashville one week.

I have TWO studio visits this week. One is a studio visit in which I am the visitee, and the other in which I will be the visitor. I'm looking forward to both. I need to shoot the new paintings, "officially." I don't think the iPhone counts as an official shooting apparatus but maybe it does. Technology is so accessible now and does anyone really care anymore? I used to, and then one day life seemed so much simpler when I caved and became an apathetic conformist. I'm kidding. Some of you know I am kidding, and some of you may doubt that I am kidding. It's a tough call in today's world.

Meanwhile, enjoy a few unspecified and cryptic stills from the recent video work. And of note, I actually shot several of the videos with the iPhone, and thus I've contradicted my statement above where I seemingly make fun of the iPhone. It's all about skill.....or not.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave, 
When first we practise to perceive!

More to follow.




April 22, 2016

Residency Life:

In no particular order, some images from Hambidge...


I screened some works after a week, and again the 3rd week. It's been awhile since I've had studio visits and it was good to share thoughts on the new work and hear the response. 
My levels are not blown out in real life.

The Democratic Debate. Only three of us located the secret portal in Mordor where there was rumored to be reliable wifi, and watched it. 

Perfection.

I focused on the videos, but I also painted. I finally channeled Martin Kippenberger on my last night ) and found my rhythm working in a wide range of styles, again. What a relief that was. The videos and the paintings relate and I'd like to show them together for my next solo- the one that's not booked, I don't like to play favorites with the work, but it happens. It's also hard to split focus. Right now it's not, but there will come a time when this laser focus energy burst winds down.

I never left the cabin. Ever. 

A nice luncheon on my last day with a couple of my fellow fellows. Eve shared her stash of arugula with us. 

The Short Films of Joseph Bernard


I've been back in town almost a week.

My transition back to civilization has been gentle. More like, lazy, but gentle sound better. In the, it's a small world category, a friend posted a while back about a compilation of some short films by Joseph Bernard that he had been involved in, and the subsequent screening of these films in Nashville at Third Man Record's Light and Sound Machine as part of the Belcourt's pop-up series. (I think I have that in the correct order.)

The short of it was that it was beautiful evening of experimental film. Jeffrey had flown out from LA and was in the audience. I had forgotten about the connection until he was credited with bringing the films to light so to speak. I had a chance to thank Mr. Bernard for the films and I'm still thinking about them and the experience of watching them in silence. The next day I pitched a review but I found myself getting sidetracked by making work in response rather than writing about it and my pitch fell by the wayside.

Which is not really getting sidetracked, is it? More like a reminder to keep making the work and stay focused on what's in front of me. I'm not questioning where the energy and ideas are coming from-just going with the flow.

The turtle and the 2 frogs are still in the pool. All is well in the Universe.




April 20, 2016

Residency.

I'll never be able to catch up on my writing. Never. This is what happens when you horde your experiences.

I kept a diary of my time at Hambidge. True to form, it reveals my obsession with Amish sea salt fudge, my consistent wake-up time, weather conditions, and various details of residency life in my cabin that could have been written by a spider.

I'm not sure where to go after that last sentence.

It was an incredibly productive three weeks. I'll parse it out in installments. Highlights included meeting a couple of film and video artists whose work I admired (Cecelia Condit, Eve Luckring) and meeting some artists previously unfamiliar to me whose work was also inspiring. I came home with a gluten-free mac and "cheese" recipe, 14 video works I'm arranging and rearranging as part of a larger piece, additional footage for a documentary work, some edits on a video art piece that has been slow going, several paintings, a new work uniform, and a white plastic pony that I've credited as a licensed therapist with significant powers. More on that later.

April 18, 2016

Name maintenance.

What is it about three names that makes people want to arbitrarily throw a hyphen in the mix? 

February 29, 2016

Plateau

The micro docs are no longer micro. I originally intended them to be 3 minutes. In general, I think this is a good thing. Maybe 3 minutes was too short. The last clocked in just shy of 6 minutes. I'm currently at 5 minutes and I still have about 18 minutes of interview to work through. My goal on this one was 6-9 but if I can top it out at 10-12 I'll be happy.

And if you're just tuning in after a hiatus, I'm working on 3 projects simultaneously. All relative. It's interesting.


February 23, 2016

One for the Road

This is what 4 days of work looks like. That would be 4 afternoon espressos and this morning's coffee. I have very roughly assembled 8 mini-segments and I'm still listening to Peggy Lee, just because. 


February 22, 2016

Index cards.


I'm working on the 4th micro-doc. The footage has been uploaded and I'm in the middle of logging. I had the questions written out ahead of time. Everything was set to go smoothly, but we ended up conversing on and off camera which made it difficult to remember what was on and off camera. There were tangents. I should have kept the camera running. My goal is 3-5 minutes.  I shot on Friday, uploaded on Saturday, and on Sunday I began looking at footage. I'm currently at about 18 minutes of selects and have 14 more minutes of interview to screen. I took a short break to check a message. My computer had a bizarre crash. Black screen with multiple languages telling me there was a problem and it had to shut down. I was watching Dick Van Dyke advocating for Bernie Sanders on Facebook. Dick began stuttering like he was having stroke and I was wondering wtf was going on when the computer crashed. I'm still not sure what happened. I started back up, but it's late- 10:30pm. I'll start cutting tomorrow. I'm nervous at this stage. I always am. Once I see structure, I'm okay. Sometimes I start cutting B-roll to music I'll never use just to see hope. Right now it's Peggy Lee, "Is that all there is?" I'm obsessed with that song lately.
Index cards. 

February 09, 2016

Cicadas.

Periodically I reflect on the lackluster name of this blog, Process, and wonder if the title is still accurate. Some days I wish I had been a little more witty in my titling, maybe addressing some kind of word play with a specific nod to philosophical influences or something a little more obviously Zen, but having passed our 10-year anniversary rather quietly last fall, I’m happy to report Process is still on the mark. 

I’ve privately archived posts the majority of posts from 2005-2008. I left an art review and an essay about John Baldessari for old time’s sake. 

State of the Union. 
It’s 2016. Near, mid-February to be non-exact. The show at Marcia Wood Gallery comes down this week. Three reviews, all good. The Atlanta crowd was gracious.

I’ve been in Nashville past my expiration date, as noted by the recent letter I have received from the DMV. I have the option to have a new picture taken in which I will appear 5 years older, or to keep the last picture where I look like Aileeen Wuornos. I must have been wearing a scoop neck top at the time, because I look like I could be naked, only Aileeen Wuornos naked. It's not a look that works on me. 

The studio and the concept thereof, have shifted in the last year or two. Nothing to cause alarm. I am a periodic cicada. I produce work in prolific cycles. By accepting this, I've experienced a great freedom. As I write this, I’m building stretchers and have the beginnings of my next solo conceptualized and gestating in the room I call the paint studio. The idea came while driving one of the two loaner cars I had while my car was being repaired due to rodent damage. In other areas of my home/studio, I’m working on a Repair Project involving textiles and labor, and in the office/edit suite I am playing around with “new casualist" video art, (to co-op a phrase from Sharon Butler).

But that’s not all, gentle reader. Once I let myself leave the cult of painting, even more flow happened. I’ve been interviewing female artists and those in the arts for a series of micro-documentaries I’m producingand writing, the thing I have the most trouble defining, figures in all this work prominently, if only for the sake of language. I’m voraciously reading like it’s  1988/89/90.

I wrote a ton of poetry in 1988/89/90, which in my mind, is one long year. There is a valid explanation. As a day job, I waited tables on a train car and travelled. I took poetry classes at the University of Chicago Graham School, and I broke my leg and wore a cast up to my pelvis for almost a year. Actually, the cast went through 3 phases becoming shorter with each cast. The actual casting sitch was about 6 months with crutches and and your basic gimpness lasting for the remainder of the year. I’m not sure if the above order is even correct. It was a long year and lot happened. Merlot and caffeine were involved. Chicago. 

Like everyone just discovering themselves, I got hooked on the Beat generation. After doing a few poetry readings, my poetry teacher invited me over to her place in Hyde Park for tea. She told me I should be submitting my work to publications like the Paris Review. I never did. I don’t know why. Most of my poems were about food. My day job was as a waitress. Later, a flood came along and I saw my writing folder floating in the basement. There was a red millipede or two. I let it all go. Only one poem survived and in the interim I had chronicled the better parts of my first marriage in a zine. My ex asked me not to write about him after the divorce. Or maybe I was afraid writing would beat painting, like paper trumps rock. When you’re in a cult, you get like that. Everyone is competing for your attention and in some weird way you champion the underdog until it’s no longer the underdog and you let it work itself out. The same happened with abstraction and representation, painting and video, video and writing, writing and painting. Cicadas, all of it.

****

Feb 9, 2016
What I do when I should be looking for work*
Nashville

* more on this later

January 10, 2016

I'm reading a good book. I had a bad dream my first night back, and the opening was great.

I extended my stay in ATL because it was a solo and I felt I deserved an extra night out of town. I like reading in hotel beds and waking up in semi-dark rooms two hours past my 6AM wake-up time.  It's a guilty pleasure that happens about once every three years. The opening was great. Super nice crowd. Very warm and welcoming. I met people for the first time and had tiny conversations that made sense. The word 'love' was tossed around. The work felt loved. I felt loved. It was a good night.

Mary Addison Hackett 
A Tin of Egyptian Cigarettes 
1037 Monroe Dr NE Atlanta 30306
January 7 - February 6, 2016 
Opening reception: Thursday Jan 7, 2016,  7 - 9pm








It's over.

Nov 7, 2020. Tears of joy and relief. It's been unreal and I'm ready to get back to a sense of normalcy. The desert has been tough.