Julie K. Gray
The Grandma series
Photographic prints on fabric 6 x 6’
Location: The Pepperell Center -building 13
“These images, taken in the home of my Latvian immigrant grandmother portray banal, un-peopled, domestic scenes. While specific to my grandmother, the objects within the scenes help create a sense of familiarity and comfort with the audience.”
Since its inception in the mid-19th century, the art of photography has used the scientific measurement and capture of light and time in order to preserve a specific, chosen moment or experience. Photographers, both historical and contemporary have used their craft as a means to commemorate, memorialize and remember moments and loved ones, but have also taken photographs to remind themselves of moments less joyful, but nonetheless life changing and significant. Aside from photography’s capacity to both retain and articulate memory, it also has the means to bridge the gap of loss.
While many early photographers and patrons of photography mourned with the help of post-mortem photography, today, this practice is often viewed as callus, vulgar and taboo, so many contemporary photographers, myself included, have come to express mourning in photography in other more coded ways. Themes typically more difficult to speak about have come to use light, shadow, color, composition and symbolic imagery in order to convey the photographers’ opinions and emotions toward sensitive subject matter.
While I use these means to speak about my own issues regarding mourning, loss and guilt, I have also come to view my photographs as a series of mnemonic devices. The banal scenes depicted act as “springboards,” causing the viewer to travel through cognitive space rich with their own subjective associations, whether they be pleasant or uncomfortable. Through careful use of light, composition, sense of space/sense of place, and through the use of familiar, domestic objects, I hope the work not only speaks of memory, but also of loss, silence and mourning, on a universal level.
See more of Julie's work: juliekgray.com
The Grandma series
Photographic prints on fabric 6 x 6’
Location: The Pepperell Center -building 13
“These images, taken in the home of my Latvian immigrant grandmother portray banal, un-peopled, domestic scenes. While specific to my grandmother, the objects within the scenes help create a sense of familiarity and comfort with the audience.”
Since its inception in the mid-19th century, the art of photography has used the scientific measurement and capture of light and time in order to preserve a specific, chosen moment or experience. Photographers, both historical and contemporary have used their craft as a means to commemorate, memorialize and remember moments and loved ones, but have also taken photographs to remind themselves of moments less joyful, but nonetheless life changing and significant. Aside from photography’s capacity to both retain and articulate memory, it also has the means to bridge the gap of loss.
While many early photographers and patrons of photography mourned with the help of post-mortem photography, today, this practice is often viewed as callus, vulgar and taboo, so many contemporary photographers, myself included, have come to express mourning in photography in other more coded ways. Themes typically more difficult to speak about have come to use light, shadow, color, composition and symbolic imagery in order to convey the photographers’ opinions and emotions toward sensitive subject matter.
While I use these means to speak about my own issues regarding mourning, loss and guilt, I have also come to view my photographs as a series of mnemonic devices. The banal scenes depicted act as “springboards,” causing the viewer to travel through cognitive space rich with their own subjective associations, whether they be pleasant or uncomfortable. Through careful use of light, composition, sense of space/sense of place, and through the use of familiar, domestic objects, I hope the work not only speaks of memory, but also of loss, silence and mourning, on a universal level.
See more of Julie's work: juliekgray.com
Ann Thompson
Woven Wheels
Kinetic Sculpture
Location: Upper Courtyard Walkway
Ann Thompson is a studio metalsmith and maintains a workshop located in coastal Biddeford. She is inspired by the natural landscape surrounding her studio as well as the post-industrial ruins of nearby former textile centers. Ann prefers to work in inexpensive or recycled materials and frequently combines metal with stone, glass, & wood. In recent years she has focused on expanding the design potential of pewter integrated with other materials. Ann founded “Bike Part Art” to pass on metalworking skills to children and youth. She is a Teaching Artist in Southern Maine offering residencies and workshops in public schools, libraries and after school programs. Ann is a member of The Metals Collective in Portland and the Society of North American Goldsmiths.
See more of Ann's work: snagmetalsmith.org
Woven Wheels
Kinetic Sculpture
Location: Upper Courtyard Walkway
Ann Thompson is a studio metalsmith and maintains a workshop located in coastal Biddeford. She is inspired by the natural landscape surrounding her studio as well as the post-industrial ruins of nearby former textile centers. Ann prefers to work in inexpensive or recycled materials and frequently combines metal with stone, glass, & wood. In recent years she has focused on expanding the design potential of pewter integrated with other materials. Ann founded “Bike Part Art” to pass on metalworking skills to children and youth. She is a Teaching Artist in Southern Maine offering residencies and workshops in public schools, libraries and after school programs. Ann is a member of The Metals Collective in Portland and the Society of North American Goldsmiths.
See more of Ann's work: snagmetalsmith.org
Marques Bostic
Headwaters
Photographic prints on plastic
Location: Lower Courtyard: The Garden
“The three images presented here depict the Saco River near its headwaters in the Mount Washington Valley. In reflecting on the origins of the mill I found it interesting to consider the origins of the river that powered it. In addition to reflecting on the historic use of water power in a literal sense, this also relates to the changing tides of the region and the influx of new development in a more metaphoric sense.”
Marques Bostic is an optometrist and visual artist whose practices intersect through experimentation with light and color. The Pepperell Mill creates exciting opportunities to respond to its architecture, history and development, and I look forward to creating an installation that reflects these unique properties.
See more of Marques' work: rgb-cmyk.tumblr.com
Headwaters
Photographic prints on plastic
Location: Lower Courtyard: The Garden
“The three images presented here depict the Saco River near its headwaters in the Mount Washington Valley. In reflecting on the origins of the mill I found it interesting to consider the origins of the river that powered it. In addition to reflecting on the historic use of water power in a literal sense, this also relates to the changing tides of the region and the influx of new development in a more metaphoric sense.”
Marques Bostic is an optometrist and visual artist whose practices intersect through experimentation with light and color. The Pepperell Mill creates exciting opportunities to respond to its architecture, history and development, and I look forward to creating an installation that reflects these unique properties.
See more of Marques' work: rgb-cmyk.tumblr.com
Lucky Bistoury
Mill_O
Event Mapping : Print Map Design
Location : Print maps available in the Pepperell Center -building 13 & North Dam Mill Entrance -building 18
I currently live in Biddeford, Maine. I find inspiration in the outdoors by trekking Maine, snowboarding, hiking, biking and surfing. For me nature, art and design go hand in hand and this approach informs my aesthetic.
"A typical motion designer is a person trained in traditional graphic design who has learned to integrate the elements of time, sound and space into his/her existing skill-set of design knowledge. Motion designers can also come from filmmaking or animation backgrounds."
See more of Lucky's work: luckybistoury.weebly.com
Mill_O
Event Mapping : Print Map Design
Location : Print maps available in the Pepperell Center -building 13 & North Dam Mill Entrance -building 18
I currently live in Biddeford, Maine. I find inspiration in the outdoors by trekking Maine, snowboarding, hiking, biking and surfing. For me nature, art and design go hand in hand and this approach informs my aesthetic.
"A typical motion designer is a person trained in traditional graphic design who has learned to integrate the elements of time, sound and space into his/her existing skill-set of design knowledge. Motion designers can also come from filmmaking or animation backgrounds."
See more of Lucky's work: luckybistoury.weebly.com
Christy Matson
Millsounds
video still 2009
Location: Pepperell Center: On View Friday 9/15 and Friday 9/29 from 7-9pm
One minute of audio recorded inside an industrial Jacquard textile mill is time-stretched to one hour. These two lengths of time approximate how quickly a machine can produce the same length of cloth as a hand-weaver. This project was made possible by a 2009 Artist Residency at The Oriole Mill, Hendersonville, NC.
Additional thanks to Stephan Michaelson and Michael Vallera.
Christy Matson lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Matson's work has been included in recent exhibitions at Museum of Contemporary Arts Houston, The Milwaukee Art Museum, The Knoxville Museum of Art, the Asheville Museum of Art, and The San Francisco Museum of Craft+Design. Her work is in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art’s Renwick Gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Craft Portland, OR.
See more of Christy's work: cmatson.com
Millsounds
video still 2009
Location: Pepperell Center: On View Friday 9/15 and Friday 9/29 from 7-9pm
One minute of audio recorded inside an industrial Jacquard textile mill is time-stretched to one hour. These two lengths of time approximate how quickly a machine can produce the same length of cloth as a hand-weaver. This project was made possible by a 2009 Artist Residency at The Oriole Mill, Hendersonville, NC.
Additional thanks to Stephan Michaelson and Michael Vallera.
Christy Matson lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Matson's work has been included in recent exhibitions at Museum of Contemporary Arts Houston, The Milwaukee Art Museum, The Knoxville Museum of Art, the Asheville Museum of Art, and The San Francisco Museum of Craft+Design. Her work is in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art’s Renwick Gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Craft Portland, OR.
See more of Christy's work: cmatson.com
Sarah Baldwin
Granddaughters
Cotton blend fabric, organic fabric dye, ink & paint
Location: Lower Courtyard: The Garden
This fabric was washed in organic dye made from local grass and dandelion blooms. Then hand painted and stamped. This effort is dedicated to the Granddaughters of the ‘Mill Girls’. Let’s continue to build a better future for them.
Sarah Baldwin is a multidisciplinary Artist working and living in Maine, USA. Her work combines experimental drawing technique with new media applications. She attended the University of Southern Maine where she earned her BFA with a concentration in drawing and printmaking.
See more of Sarah's work: maudink.com
Granddaughters
Cotton blend fabric, organic fabric dye, ink & paint
Location: Lower Courtyard: The Garden
This fabric was washed in organic dye made from local grass and dandelion blooms. Then hand painted and stamped. This effort is dedicated to the Granddaughters of the ‘Mill Girls’. Let’s continue to build a better future for them.
Sarah Baldwin is a multidisciplinary Artist working and living in Maine, USA. Her work combines experimental drawing technique with new media applications. She attended the University of Southern Maine where she earned her BFA with a concentration in drawing and printmaking.
See more of Sarah's work: maudink.com
Michael Evans aka Michael Monster
Restoration Needed
Chalk paint mural
Location: Lower Courtyard
“My idea is when I was a kid growing up in a mill town, we looked at the rotten mills like old remains of a lost civilization, I was gonna use some of the old beaten up boarded up window areas to paint to give it a further look and feel of something out of the past and raised to the heavens.”
Michael Monster is Visual Artist from the Northeastern United States. his style brings in influences from his punk rock background, his love for Horror films, Cartoons, and Street Art. He currently has works on both sides of the country hanging in Galleries and some in places in between, and is known for his bright and bold color setup, mixed with his multi-used and autobiographical characters.
Restoration Needed
Chalk paint mural
Location: Lower Courtyard
“My idea is when I was a kid growing up in a mill town, we looked at the rotten mills like old remains of a lost civilization, I was gonna use some of the old beaten up boarded up window areas to paint to give it a further look and feel of something out of the past and raised to the heavens.”
Michael Monster is Visual Artist from the Northeastern United States. his style brings in influences from his punk rock background, his love for Horror films, Cartoons, and Street Art. He currently has works on both sides of the country hanging in Galleries and some in places in between, and is known for his bright and bold color setup, mixed with his multi-used and autobiographical characters.
Jarid del Deo
Blanket
Plywood, Paint, Nylon Cord
Location: Lower Courtyard
“It was important for me to connect to this textile mill’s history. I put myself in the mind-set of a mill worker. For seven days I worked 9 to 5, breaking for coffee twice a day and taking my lunch from a lunch pail. I broke down the various tasks of building this “blanket” into simple daily duties to maximize efficiency.
My schedule:
Day 1: Cut 142 hexagons out of plywood
Day 2: Drill 2,556 holes (18 holes per hexagon)
Days 3, 4, 5: Paint concentric hexagons in various colors
Days 6, 7: cut nylon cord to length, melt ends to keep from fraying, lash hexagons together.
I chose this typical afghan pattern for its easy recognition as well as a way to connect this factory to its domestic product.”
See more of Jarid's work: jariddeldeo.com
Blanket
Plywood, Paint, Nylon Cord
Location: Lower Courtyard
“It was important for me to connect to this textile mill’s history. I put myself in the mind-set of a mill worker. For seven days I worked 9 to 5, breaking for coffee twice a day and taking my lunch from a lunch pail. I broke down the various tasks of building this “blanket” into simple daily duties to maximize efficiency.
My schedule:
Day 1: Cut 142 hexagons out of plywood
Day 2: Drill 2,556 holes (18 holes per hexagon)
Days 3, 4, 5: Paint concentric hexagons in various colors
Days 6, 7: cut nylon cord to length, melt ends to keep from fraying, lash hexagons together.
I chose this typical afghan pattern for its easy recognition as well as a way to connect this factory to its domestic product.”
See more of Jarid's work: jariddeldeo.com
Alex Mead
Outfielders
Wood, eyelets, wire, acrylic
Location: The Pepperell Center -building 13
Outfielders
Wood, eyelets, wire, acrylic
Location: The Pepperell Center -building 13