June 2024! Attune to June

 

DIRT PALACE NEWS! JUNE 2024   SHOW!!! SUNROT CHAINED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN DREAMWELL JETSAM Monday June 3rd at Dirt Palace Olneyville All Ages, Masked event, $10-$20 NOTAFLOF Doors 7pm    They will also be holding Gallery Visits through June 16, you can find those dates and register at AuntysHouseStudio.org   WINDOW GALLERY   INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST SAVONNARA ALEX SOK BY NAFFISATOU KOULIBALY CHECK OUT THE INTERVIEW HERE!!! MAY WINDOW ARTIST PAIGE MAZUREK Paige Mazurek is a multidisciplinary artist. Her work considers joy and pleasure within the everyday, drawing inspiration from observations within the American landscape and her own personal history. In 2011, she earned a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts + Tufts University and in 2019 she earned a graduate certificate in audio storytelling from the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies at the Maine College of Art. She is originally from Baltimore, Maryland and currently based in Brooklyn, NY. ‘Soft Touch’ considers softness and sensuality in the everyday. The installation makes space for what can come in when we slow down: feelings, memories, presentness, love, and a little humor. It includes work made in neon, cast glass, film + sound. The space is painted with light and color. At random intervals, a bubble machine turns on and fills the space with bubbles. Sound from the film is heard through contact speakers using the window display glass as a conduit.   *******UPDATES******* EXYL Hey! Exyl here, we are slowly but surely entering the abundance of Summer! It’s overwhelming and giving me back pain. I’m enjoying the fresh produce that comes with impending warmth... here is a delicate snap pea with a girlish bow on her head: Here are some carrots that are hugging each other…  Here is a person who has too many bananas… which is funny because bananas don't grow around here   I spent the last few days scouring College Hill for items to bring home as graduation and the ensuing flurry of moving out happens. Almost every curb had something on it. In no particular order I obtained: - futon frame - some cushions - lava lamp - 1.5 mirrors - small table - ramen - broken keyboard and it has made me think very anxiously about overabundance and transience, two things which coming from a intensely forward looking and amnesic country is something that lingers constantly on the edge of my mind. I feel the need to hold on even as I'm being propelled ruthlessly into the future!! Anyway, I hope you will all come to the animation screening at Dirt Palace in August, and may the future fall gently upon us all!! <3 NAFFISATOU KOULIBALY Deary diary, If Autumn is the season of death, then Spring is the season of birth. I've been thinking a lot about motherhood. Thinking a lot about the women whose lives I am a result of. Where else to take my questions of mothers and daughters but to poetry? I've been writing this one poem for months. Trying to find the words. Trying to find the answers. Still looking. Maybe I'll find the words to talk about the things I can't. Maybe you'll read a longer version of this in my chapbook at the end of 2024... Talk soon!! xoxoxo               It's summer, again. We are not kids anymore. Grandma lives in a home now-- not the one Grandpa built for her on Winter St. in the winter of '69, but another one with other folks who are forgetting their kin like the days of the week. And it's summer, again. We are not kids anymore, but my knees are scraped raw to the fleshy white meat Just like when we were kids and I would always get hurt the hardest. Bruised like an August plum, leaking red on my grandparents doorstep. Q (John-Francis Quiñonez) Howdy All,  Q here ~ BeTimberlanded DIY Aunt-Figure. Oh what a Spring it has been thus far! The Eels are back! The Buds have Blossomed and Gone Wonky into the Wind! My eyes are on Fire! I’m 33 now ( a Taurus taking up a little space here in late May to Stand Tall ‘midst the 80% of my exes that are Gemini ) - in my Jesus year! It’s been a Powerful time with this chapter of the Columbus Theatre winding down, Programming at Lost Bag winding way up, the announcement of Big Feeling Ice Cream landing our Brick and Mortar….oh and I just got back from a little Tour performing poems across the Northeast! I’ve been rocketing towards a new collection of poems that I am hoping to release as an album of Collaborative Reading + Music Ensemble sometime in the next year! You’ve caught me in a rare and momentous gap where I don’t have any flyers to share but here’s some quick things: At Lost Bag (4 Aurora St above the Providence Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) ~ @ lostbagspace on insta > Every Monday we have Model-led Figure Drawing Sessions. 7:15 Doors, 7:30 Start Time > June 11th - Gemma Laurence, Breachway. Doors 7:30. (Gentle & Haunting Folk/Americana) > June 12th - Willa Van Nostrand, sage ua sole, American Echoes. Doors 7:30. > June 24th - Wavers, Time Thief, Older Brother, TBA. Doors 7:30. > June 27th - Liah Koh, Whitney Johnson, Daniella Ben-Bassatt, Tayla R. Doors 7:30 With Big Feeling Ice Cream @ bigfeeling_pvd > Every Other Monday we will be doing a Pop-up at Bolt Coffee (Washington St.) serving up select Sundaes, Scoops, and Pints for our SUNDAE MONDAY series! 5-9pm (or sell out). > We are officially in the fun Working-with-contractors part of Opening up our First Brick & Mortar. Who knows when we will be open!? It’ll be lovely when we do, and I hope you’ll come celebrate with us! My first Public Show of Visual Art @ Q_buckaroo on Insta > At Riffraff sometime this Summer! 6 or so Brand New Paintings + Prints My next Public Performance of Poems > June 22nd in Brooklyn as part of Satelite Arts. I’ll be reading poems with a small ensemble of Improvised Music! T H A N K   Y O U S T A Y    S W E E T SES HOUGHTON Hello loyal ses readers, long time no see. My June booking is open and I’ve only got a few more appointments available! Book here!  These past couple months have been really nice! At Love Bites we did a couple flash days to benefit Palestine and they were really successful. We raised $830 at the last one and we were participating in an international flash event where all together everyone raised about $74,000. It felt really nice to be doing something with so many people working towards the same goal! It felt really connecting. The flash for Palestine is still available to get tattooed and the money will continue to get donated, so feel free to check it out. We’re also working on a flash day for pride month, so look forward to that! Other than that, I’ve mostly been working a lot. I’m still not very good at latte art, but I’ve slowly been improving….  Be Normal!, the fest Kai and I did at AS220, was a success! I was so happy to see people coming out to see some really cool bands.  I applied to QTZ Fest and I really hope I get a spot, but I’ll definitely be going whether or not I do. They get so many amazing artists each year and I love to wander around there! Last year I even got to do a couple trades which was so cute and fun.     KAI VAN VLACK This year has mostly been spent travelling with my band. I feel basically adrift but also happy. Here are the next couple shows: We'll also be playing Fuck the Fourth in Providence. You can see Pippi's section for her spectacular poster and get tickets here: FUCK THE FOURTH Hope to see some of ya'll out there. Always feel free to come say hi.   PIPPI ZORNOZA HARPY will be on tour June 5th - 24th with the incredible HIDE and Mirrored Fatality. Tour Dates: 6/5 Cincinnatti OH DESGN CLLCTV  6/6 Asheville NC Static Age 6/7 Richmond VA Hell's Door 6/8 Raleigh NC Lump Gallery  6/9 Atlanta GA Eyedrum 6/11 Tallahassee The Bark 6/12 Jacksonville FL The Walrus @thewalrusjax 6/13 Gaineseville FL Portal 4 6/14 Miami FL Gramps 6/15 Tampa FL American Legion Post 111 6/16 Orlando FL Stardust Video 6/17 Panama City Spoon and Fork - NO HIDE/NO MIRRORED FATALITY 6/18 New Orleans LA Sibiera 6/19 Nashville TN DRKMTTR 6/20 St.Louis MO Kerr Foundation 6/21 Chicago IL Archer Ballroom - NO HARPY/NO MIRRORED FATALITY 6/22 Chicago IL Not Not - NO HIDE 6/23 Pittsburgh PA  - NO HIDE/NO MIRRORED FATALITY 6/24 NYC - TBA - NO HIDE/NO MIRRORED FATALITY All Sales from screen printed posters above and a portion of proceeds from each show will be donated to mutual aid for Palestinians. RECTRIX will be doing a rare performance at PVD’s Fuck the 4th Fest this year - with Rene Greene and some other friends. Pippi made the posters for this year’s fest - super excited to play with friends Gyna Bootleg, Pharmakon and Trophy Hunt.  Sales from these posters go to directly support the fest. Get tickets at https://www.fuckthefourth.com/locations/providence-ri   XANDER MARRO Lace is the place!

*******Library Hi-Lites******* A brand new zine accompaniment to the collaborative performance project of Erica Dawn Lyle and Hanna van der Kolk fresh from their tour stop in Eli's backyard. BULLETIN BOARD!!!!! ************************* SOME UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES:   Providence Commemoration Lab Writing Residency The Providence Commemoration Lab Writing Residency is a nine-month program that complements the Providence Commemoration Lab (PCL). The Residency will commission, support, and publish exploratory and place-based arts writing from three authors, writing in dialogue with the Lab’s nine site-specific engagements in Providence. Dr. Liz Maynard will serve as the facilitator and editor in the co-creation of an interdisciplinary and emergent residency process and publication. Link to more info and how to apply HERE - https://pvdcl.org/writing-residency/ Applications will be received until 11:59: PM June 7, 2024 ***********************

Interview with Window Artist Savonarra Alex Sok by Naffisatou Koulibaly

Savonnara Alex Sok is a Cambodian/ American visual artist based in Providence, Rhode Island who engages with the community through live painting events, murals, and working with youth. Savonnara started creating art at the age of 14 and received a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design and Illustration. Although art was never a direct career path for Savonnara, it was an ever present passion in his life as a personal passion and in the form of therapy and freelance commission work. As his life progressed Savonnara was able to merge passion with his professional life and he began working as a Teaching Artist at AS220 Youth in the spring of 2021, during virtual programming due to the pandemic. He was then promoted in Spring of 2022 and is now AS220 Youth’s Visuals & Media Arts Coordinator.His inspiration is influenced from his Cambodian heritage, growing up in America as a child of refugee parents fleeing from the Khmer Rouge genocide. Other influences include being bipoc centered, love, death, community, social and racial injustices and human nature are ever present in his work.

Savonnara created an installation in the Dirt Palace Storefront Window Gallery this past January. Below is a conversation between him and poet Naffisatou Koulibaly.

NK: What inspires you most these days?

SAS: I feel like love is always going to be an answer for me. Although it’s a common feeling I seem to always get a different perspective of it the older I get. Another inspiration would be my community. How we interact and support each other. Our Youth, as they grow and change everyday. I see them becoming the leaders we need in the future. It’s beautiful. I also find inspiration from my Cambodian heritage.

NK: I know you move through projects quickly and as someone who has had the privilege to watch you while you create art, it seems like you can pull inspiration from thin air. I’ve seen you’re working on clothes? How do you feel your visual art informs your apparel-making if at all?

SAS: I feel that the way I create and learned how to create was to just dive in and make mistakes. I’m self taught when it comes to painting and I’ve learned that mistakes are not always bad. I can use this mistake and begin to create a technique that would help me flow better. So when I find that mode I can just freestyle anything from the mistakes I’ve learned. Idk know if that even makes sense haha. I started to create clothes because I was painting way too much and too fast.  Picking up a new medium helped me slow down and practice patience. It’s become very meditative for me. I’ve started to create my own patterns, which is a more baggy oversize fit, because I just like comfort. I’ve become more comfortable with so I machine and now I’m able to try and translate my visual arts into fashion which is a fun process. I’m making mistakes as I go and I’m gonna learning new techniques at the same time.

NK: You paint, you sew, you sculpt. Engaging with spray paint, fabrics, clay, etc. What’s your favorite material/medium to work with?

SAS: I love spray painting. Something about painting big on a wall or a large canvas just gets me so excited. Although acrylic is my specialty I’ve always tried to experiment and mix my mediums. Spray paint and acrylics would have to be my top. That being said I have been bring those into my fashion design.

NK: What material makes you feel most connected with your art?

SAS: I love getting my hands dirty and creating things with my hands. I love when things can happen naturally. A wall with art that’s a part of the environment makes me feel as if it’s apart of the evolution of that spot. Compared to a canvas that can be moved or stored. 

NK: There’s a real spiritual element to all of your work. The piece you have in the DP window right now, on the left hand side, is my favorite piece of yours. It feels like the face is staring straight through me. Something about it feels ancestral, like it’s been here before me, like it knows and sees everything. You come from a family of refugees. I’m thinking of the portrait of your grandparents. Can you elaborate on how your lineage and family history influences the depth of your work?

SAS: My heritage and my family have everything to do with my creations. Growing up learning about the Cambodian genocide, and what my grandparents had to do and go through to get my family here has been a driving passion for me. Being able to represent my ancestors and Khmer community in my own vision has been something that’s been so rewarding to me. Losing both my grandparents and my oldest uncle. I’ve been able to see life a little bit differently, and it has changed my perspective about love and human interaction. Although I can create from personal experience, I also like to create pieces that the audience can easily relate to with their family and lineage. 

NK: What’s your process when it comes to large scale projects?

SAS: I’m such a go with the flow type of person. I just make sure there’s a few key things that I always have, which is a large drop cloth, a large ladder and a small step ladder, many cans of spray paint of all different colors, masking tape, and my iPad. I liked to use my iPad to create my mock ups via procreate. On average a wall that’s about 10 feet high and 20 feet long. I can probably finish in about three days give or take.

NK: How did you work your way up to tackling big paintings?

To be honest, my hands really hurt and cramp up when I paint small or regular size paintings and I’ve come to like larger scale paintings because I think it’s just easier to see where I need to blend or where I need to add any details. I had to learn how to control my proportions with large scale. but after that, it’s been smooth sailing and it’s actually helped me proportional smaller paintings a lot easier. 

NK: Are you overwhelmed by larger projects? If not, what makes you frustrated? How do you work through it in regards to your art?

SAS: I rarely get overwhelmed with large projects. I find it to be a challenge, and it actually boosts my creativity a lot more when I feel challenged. Things that would make me frustrated would be lack of communication and organization. And if the client is too controlling of the artwork, then I tend to be less interested and motivation gets lower. But fortunately a lot of times the client will study my work and usually give me creative freedom. If I come across a situation where I become distracted or come to an obstacle I really just walk away take a break recollect myself before I go back into it, but I always seem to figure it out every time so I’m never ever really worried. Everything just takes time.

****************************************

Naffisatou Koulibaly (she/her) is a poet and multimedia artist from Providence, RI. Naffisatou began writing professionally a decade ago at AS220 Youth where she was introduced to Slam poetry. Naffisatou competed on the Providence Poetry Slam’s youth Slam team in 2018 at international poetry festival, Brave New Voices. She currently serves as co-director for ProvSlam; writing grants, managing programming, and teaching poetry workshops. Naffisatou received a BA in English Literature from Salve Regina University in 2021. Naffisatou is also a resident at the Dirt Palace in Olneyville. As of September 2024, she became a part of the Emerging Artist Fellowship at AS220 with a focus in teaching and education