Grinnell Area Arts Council

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The Grinnell Art Factory Residency offers an unusual opportunity for undergraduate art students to work intensively in a well-equipped facility with the stimulation of a group of peers in the peace and quiet of an Iowa farm. The Grinnell Area Arts Council hopes to make the residency an annual part of their programming. The Residency in 2006 has been financially supported in part by the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Family Foundation About the Residency Program In this inaugural year, the Grinnell Art Factory Residency was limited to 7 artists, all from the Maryland Institute College of art ( MICA ). In addition to long stretches of individual work time, the residency has also offered the students the chance to have workshops and meet with local artists and arts professionals. These have included presentations about making cement sculptures by artist John Neff, yarn spinning and weaving by textile artists Whitney Worley and Mari Duke, an investigation of the business of art with museum directors Lesley Wright and Donald Doe and ongoing assistance from Residency Program Leader Alesia Lacina, who holds an MFA in painting. Grinnell Art Factory The Grinnell Art Factory is a facility situated on the Lacina family farm north of Grinnell, Iowa. Throughout the year, it provides space for a variety of programs run by Grinnell College, Grinnell Area Arts Council, Grinnell Community Theatre and individual local artists. The 2400 square foot facility has one large open studio, a dock/shop area, a kitchen, and community space. It contains 10 pottery wheels, 3 clay building tables, 1 clay slab roller, pottery storage shelves and various supplies. The facility has a dedicated kiln room with several kilns in use. The space, as well as other areas of the farm, can also be used for painting, drawing, sculpture and other construction projects. Part of the attraction of the residency was the opportunity to live and work on a farm in close proximity to a lively small town in the Midwest-a markedly different environment from Baltimore, Maryland where MICA is located. The resident artists include Clark Agre ( Maryland ), who works in a variety of mediums with a special interest in sculpture; Nicholas Harden ( Arkansas ), Travis Hinkle ( Ohio ), Joe Lacina ( Iowa ) and Devin Gong ( New York ), who all focus on painting and drawing; Sara Krauser ( Pennsylvania ), who works with mixed media; and Corinne Walsh ( New York ), whose focus is fiber art with an interest in sculpture and form. Residency Program Leadership The Residency Program Leader is Alesia Lacina. Alesia has a BFA in Graphic Design from Wichita State University and a MA in drawing and a MFA in Painting from the University of Iowa. Most recently she has worked as the Graphic Artist for Pulmuone Wildwood, a natural food company. She serves on the board of the Grinnell Area Arts Council. Joe Lacina, a junior painting major at MICA, who will be spending the fall at the Glasgow School of Art in Glasgow, England, has assisted in setting up the residency by finding the resident artists and coordinating various logistics. Grinnell Art Factory The Grinnell Art Factory is a facility situated on the Lacina family farm north of Grinnell, Iowa. Throughout the year, it provides space for a variety of programs run by Grinnell College, Grinnell Area Arts Council, Grinnell Community Theatre and individual local artists. The 2400 square foot facility has one large open studio, a dock/shop area, a kitchen, and community space. It contains 10 pottery wheels, 3 clay building tables, 1 clay slab roller, pottery storage shelves and various supplies. The facility has a dedicated kiln room with several kilns in use. The space can also be used for painting, drawing, sculpture and other construction projects. Grinnell Area Arts Council The mission of Grinnell Area Arts Council ( GAAC ) is to promote, encourage, develop and assist in the understanding, appreciation and financial support of the arts and other cultura