"Hammered & Nailed" open call and reception at ArtSpace Hartford Friday, May 28

ArtSpace Hartford
555 Asylum Ave., Hartford, 06103
Hammered & Nailed
May 28—June 8, 2011.
Opening reception: Fri., May 28, 6—10 p.m.

Press release

Art can be REVOLUTIONARY! That is one of the goals behind Hammered & Nailed: Free Creative Open Call to be held on Sat., May 28 from 6—10 p.m. at The Hartford ArtSpace Gallery located at 555 Asylum Street in downtown Hartford, CT.

Event organizers, Joe Bun Keo and Ashleigh Kay are Hartford Art School Alumni Class of 2009, Connecticut natives and affiliates of the group NLUV (Now Let Us Vindicate). After graduating, it was quickly realized how difficult it is for artists to work and progress in The Greater Hartford area. Being the go getters that they are, Bun Keo and Kay felt they had the power and even more so, the responsibility to change this.

Hammered & Nailed is exactly that, the initiative to change the status quo and create an opportunity. An opportunity in which artists, poets, performers, musicians and the like can come together for a gathering of creativity and social networking. We want creative collectives and organizations to come together and build resources and a think tank to help further inspire and motivate the arts and invest in the untapped creative energy here in Connecticut.

Through the organization of Hammered & Nailed, Ashleigh & Joe have reached out to local businesses in the Hartford area, while emphasizing the positive impact to the art community and city of Hartford that the event will have. Generous sponsors of Hammered & Nailed now include Blick Art Materials of Plainville, Wood N Tap of Hartford, City Steam Brewery and Cafe of Hartford, The Half Door of Hartford, WineWorks of Southington, Square Root of Food Creative Catering of Manchester & The Flatbread Pizza Company of Canton.

One of the biggest aspects of Hammered & Nailed is that of community, not only the local business side but community in the sense of every artist has to hang their own work, bring potluck to the reception, and assist in taking down the show. It’s all volunteer based and about having the spirit to want to participate in an event where you can meet other creative minds and just connect and collaborate. There are no fees to the artists and participants of Hammered & Nailed, just the opportunity to be actively engaged in a growing artistic environment.

It is the hope and vision of Ashleigh, Joe, and the rest of the NLUV crew that Hammered & Nailed will truly be revolutionary in the sense that this could be the start of something huge, the start of an art movement and the revitalization of how people think of art in Connecticut.

It just takes someone or something to start a revolution and the rest…is history.

About the producers:

Ashleigh Kay:

Experimentation has always been essential to my process, driving and forming my work, it requires abandonment of doubt and willingness to let go. I’ve learned how to work without restrictions and to allow myself to make mistakes. This process has manifested itself as a necessary channel for my emotions. Through the abstraction of texture and color, a time and place is created that is without words, evoking emotion, critical to the outcome of the works.

Joe Bun Keo:

It's like coming midway into a conversation; finding yourself in that awkward silence with a soundtrack of crickets chirping, and blank faces asking "um...okay...what now?"

You're stuck trying to find a resolution; whether it's by attempting to catch up to speed with everyone else or interjecting with a hasty subject change or an offbeat icebreaker. Things may go awry and fail miserably or they can just move on without consequence.

I flip my misunderstandings and shortcomings in language to turn them into experiments with wordplay. There will be clichés, punch lines, pop culture references and contemporary youth vernacular involved. I also enjoy the reexamination of what people take for granted. The most mundane of utilitarian objects or overlooked situations can be taken out of the comfort of their given context and shown in a new light. The end result could be clean, quick, clever, dry, sarcastic, but nevertheless accessible and relevant. The dialogue between the work and audience may seem short, but remnants resonate.