July 20, 2006
The Coleman Center for Arts and Culture in cooperation with the municipalWORKSHOP, is pleased to announce the newest project of the Coleman Center’s Public Artworks Program by current resident artists Jason S. Brown and Elizabeth Scofield.
From a distance, a series of tall, bright red fabric spikes are moving in the breeze. Curious viewers are lured towards the grove of giant stalks of grass, to take a closer look at their surroundings, such as the old railroad right-of-way in front of the Coleman Center in York, Alabama.
It is the hope of the designers that the sculptures will attract positive attention to places that are undergoing change and transformation around the town of York, Alabama. The two artists work under the name of Survival Design, which reflects some of their philosophy about art and life.
Over the course of the next week, the artists will be moving the project to other sites in York such as Cherokee Park and vacant lots. They will also be displaying some of their other brightly colored soft sculptures, and creating some new artworks in their temporary studio in the old Bank of York building on Avenue A.
The red grass project is called INDICATOR, and is a series of lightweight fiberglass poles and nylon sleeves, designed in response to the structure and form of grass. These brightly colored portable structures adapt to various site conditions, but are intended to be placed in locations that are in transition.
The spikes are lightweight fiberglass poles and nylon sleeves. The giant grasses are resilient and safe for viewers, especially children. They are designed to be kinetic and activated by the wind. At night, the red safety lights attached to their tips will flash and create an added element of surprise for viewers.
Survival Design has also installed the project, BEACON, a lightweight and portable structure that adapts to various site conditions. The piece is intended to be placed in locations that are ecologically damaged signaling a warning to viewers, especially for environmental dangers that are often overlooked or unseen. BEACON was created during a residency at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology in Oregon.
Jason S. Brown received his M.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. He has been teaching Sculpture at the University of Tennessee Knoxville since 2001. Elizabeth Scofield Brown taught elementary art for several years in Minnesota and Knoxville until 2004. Recently, she has taken a leave from teaching to be a full-time mom and artist.
Brown and Scofield’s collaborative artwork has been exhibited throughout the United States. In 2005, they completed a four-month research residency at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology on the coast of Oregon. Through their art and teaching, they emphasize interdisciplinary cooperation amongst creative thinkers. Their work engages other disciplines including architecture, ecology, and engineering.