MendocinoArts - Mendocino Art Center

MAC Artists in Residencep
By K. Andarin Arvola
Derek Hambly, director of the Ceramics and Artists in
Residence programs, tells us “the AIR program is over 40
years old. Our artists are usually at a crossroads of professional
development. They are geared toward goals such as
preparing for studies for a post-bachelor or MFA program,
or to developing a body of work for exhibition purposes. We
cater to this, more so than treating this opportunity as a
retreat. We’re extremely interested in artists who are producing
work and contributing to their field/medium at a high
caliber of professionalism.
“As we move forward in the development and refinement
of our campus, our program will become a staple in
the arts for those who are in pursuit of artistic growth.”
Each year the Mendocino Art Center’s residency
program culminates with an exhibition of the participating
artists’ works created in the MAC studios. This
year’s exhibit, featuring artists from across the country
as well as from Taiwan and Holland, will be held
April 5–28, with the opening reception on April 14,
5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
p
Charlie Williams
Williams lives in Gainesville, Florida. “I’m interested in the
ever-surprising challenges of sculpting the human figure.
Predominantly representational, my residency project
involves creating solid aluminum and bronze figurative
sculptures. These are produced from concept design to
forging and chasing the final product. All the bronzes were
made by lost wax casting
and the aluminums were
sand/Styrofoam casting.
I work mainly in stone
but also enjoy drawing
and ceramics.”
Charlie Williams
Alicia Reyes McNamara
Originally from Chicago, McNamara says the four years
she spent living in Central America and Europe are her
inspiration. “These memories,
whether embellished, diluted
or sincere, remain as truths in
a history, the fine line between
memory and imagination
within personal mythologies;
my goal is to memorialize
events remembered
. . . Ceramics is a fusion of all
my loves; I can bring everything
in my background (sculpture,
textiles and painting) into Alicia Reyes McNamara
play. I can use textiles through
paper clay slip dipping, painting through glazing and
surface design and sculpture through my figurative forms
and installations.”
Nikki Couppee
“My current work talks about the different functions
jewelry performs in society. It can define social status,
question value and be a redeemable investment. Given
to mark a special occasion, jewelry can perform on a
psychological level with the transference of deep feelings
onto the object. I create opulent jewelry reminiscent of
royal jewelry but made of quotidian materials instead of
gems and precious metals . . . I insert an element of decay;
by allowing the mild steel to rust naturally against the
stainless, thereby adding a layer of impermanence which
challenges market value and forces one to reflect on its
potential changes over time.”
Saskia Konig
“I was born in the Netherlands and became fascinated by
Belgian Blue stone. This material reveals hidden treasures
from millions of years ago: fossils of shells, little sea animals
and plants. My leading theme was water: streaming,
10 Mendocino Arts Magazine