Words to Art Spring 2020:
A Community Art Project by Sushmita Mazumdar & Arlington Arts
It all started when Arlington Arts curator for special projects, Cynthia Connolly, called me in the spring of 2020 and asked me to design an art project that would engage the public. Of course, the pandemic was raging so I would have to engage the public via social media. I knew what the community was thinking and feeling as many PAUSErs were in touch with me, either online, via text, or meeting me at the playground near my studio. I decided to go with a pet project, Words to Art, and see what words the public was thinking about, and how local artists could make them into art.
“Give artists ONE WORD expressing your feelings and perception of the #COVID19 quarantine and watch them transform it into art! Arlington Arts will ask you to post new words every Monday for the next four weeks. Artist Sushmita Mazumdar and four other Arlington artists will turn select words from your submissions into an original artwork.” This was the message that went out to the Arlington public via Arlington Arts, an arm of Arlington Cultural Affairs.
Artists: Cynthia wanted to involve artists from various parts of Arlington. Sushmita suggested David Amoroso and MasPaz, and Cynthia suggested Kate Fleming and MaryBeth Eagan.
David Amoroso shares his “Pop Art” aesthetic through painting, photography, and block and screen printing. Although the majority of David’s work is dedicated to painting portraits of cultural icons, he also represents everyday people and addresses social justice through his art. The influence of Mexico and Central America are apparent in his bold color palette, and he upholds traditional cultural artistries such as Papel Picado, altars for Día de los Muertos and Guatemalan Alfombras de Aserrín.
David Amoroso has exhibited in the DC Metro area, New York, California, Mexico, and Central and South America. His work is frequently highlighted in cultural events, festivals and Smithsonian programs.
Email: AmorosoART@yahoo.com
Instagram:@amorosoart
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.amoroso.90
Website: http://amorosoart.wix.com/davidamoroso
MasPaz was born in Bogota, Colombia, adopted from La Casa De La Madre Y El Niño orphanage, to an American family, and raised in Washington, DC. In his home, his mother hung Colombian tapestries and shared her stories of the Peace Corps in Quibdo, Colombia, 1964. Her memories gave him a closer understanding to his Colombian roots. His Latin American heritage guides his art today, as he explores themes of respect for Mother Earth and her indigenous peoples.
MasPaz is a graduate of George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. His studio work, installations and gallery projects have been exhibited throughout the world most notably The Smithsonian Institution, Corcoran Gallery of Art and The New Museum. MasPaz lives and works in Arlington, VA, while spending a majority of his time traveling, teaching and painting murals across the world.
Kate Fleming is a painter, printmaker, and installation artist from Arlington, VA. She and her partner, Tom Woodruff, created The 50 States Project: a mobile artist residency traveling to all 50 states in one year. Kate and Tom were 18 states into their year-long journey when the global pandemic necessitated their return to Arlington. Kate is an Arlington County Cultural Affairs Spotlight Artist Grant recipient and has completed residencies at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in Amherst, VA; Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC; and Capitol Hill Arts Workshop in Washington, D.C. She has shown her work throughout the DC area and across the United States at galleries and mural festivals, and designed and produced the set for Taffety Punk Theater Company’s 2018 production of Sadie Hasler’s Pramkicker. Kate is eager to get back on the road and continue making art in all 50 states as soon as it is safe to do so.
See more of Kate's work: @the50statesproject_ @kateflemingpaintings
Maribeth Egan is a painter and art educator who lives in Arlington. She has taught art to a range of folks from young children to adults. Maribeth firmly believes everyone should learn to value creativity, make art, and is happy to support that effort. In her art practice, she combines a variety of materials with paint, investigating what rankles or delights her at a given time. Her work has been shown locally at Arlington Arts Center, Washington Project for the Arts, Rockville Arts Place, McLean Project for the Arts, and Artisphere. In her spare time she likes to fix things and tries to grow things.
Below you can see the words artists picked to make into art each of the 4 weeks.
