SumArt Fest at Mikey's Place, A Workshop for the Arts
SUMART brings together artists of all ages, walks of life, and ability levels to stage energetic and inclusive arts showcase events.
WE FACILITATE cross-fertilization and social awareness; WE VALUE participation over consumption.
SUMART is a grassroots, community arts organization on a quest to inspire people to be more restless, creative, playful, and proactive in finding personal and collective agency. Our events provide safe, inclusive, energetic environments in which to explore our creativity and develop our voices together, as a Community. Help us sustain what the community needs and wants!
SUMART FEST is a presentation of a broad cross-section of the arts - many visual media, theater, spoken word, music and dance - as well as of the local arts community - professional, student, crafts and fine arts, young and old.
Our August 2009 SumArt Fest theme was Engaging with Education, and we all shared ideas, techniques, materials, and lots of positive energy. Visitors’ comments about the essential aspect of SumArt Fest included: “Necessary!” “Collaboration!” “Fresh,” and “Alive!” We showcased painters, ceramicists, sculptors, photographers, printmakers, DJ‘s, musicians, dancers, spoken word performers, tinkerers, and innovators from Las Cruces, El Paso, Albuquerque and Tucson.
In 2009, SumArt Fest was also a part of the NMSU Center for the Arts' Rally 'Round the Arts on September 23, and the Talking Stick Institute's What's Art? Conference October 3 at Alma d'Arte Charter High School.
If you're not yet familiar with our plans, here they are: We're gathering information and interested folks to start up a co-operative artists' studio and gallery at Mikey's Place in 2011. We hope to offer communal sculpture, photo, printmaking and ceramics facilities in addition to private work spaces. Member artists will be able to teach classes and workshops, collaborate on projects, and show several times a year. Theater, dance, and film projects will also have a home at SumArtists Co-op at Mikey's Place.
Working together as a commUNITY of artists can help build a strong network of production and creative resources in a communal environment and structure open to the public. This working artist cooperative will share space, time, and ideas towards art projects for the community, individual artists, and the artistic goals of the cooperative. The response to the August SumArt Fest demonstrated this desire in artists to collaborate and share in an inclusive, creative and open space. The community also showed the desire to experience what art has to offer, including the wonderful support of the business community by providing an opportunity for us to give the gift of art to the local community.
Mikey's Place will be our facility, where the space and people create endless possibilities. Our proposal is to equip Mikey's Place for screen and relief printing, ceramics, sculpture, painting and drawing space, especially for large scale artwork. Mikey's Place already has welding facilities, a dance studio, and performance art space. Eventually we will expand to cover areas of photography, digital film, and any other creative art forms. The artist cooperative will also organize exhibits, hold art workshops for both the community and public education, as well as provide a creative sanctuary for ART!
We are seeking individuals to become part of this and help organize and establish a viable art community that is united, productive, and creatively ever-evolving. Let us know your interests and what labor you could provide by e-mail at info@SumArtFest.org
Daniel Aguilera
Syracuse, NY
Multimedia Artist
MFA Film Candidate 2013 ~ Syracuse University Daniel@sumartfest.org
Chris Bardey
Las Cruces, NM
Photo/paint/print/digital/animate/cook a good omelette.
Make & share, learn & teach, connect & organize
Chris@sumartfest.org ~ 575-312-9892
www.myartspace.com/csbardey