Open Space for Arts & Community and Vashon MakerSpace Seek Artists for The Tiny Fairy House Project
The Fifth Project of !Attention! Artists at Work will Hire Vashon Artists to Create Tiny Fairy Houses
OPEN SPACE FOR ARTS & COMMUNITY – For over 10 years, the Great Lawn at Open Space has hosted island-favorite outdoor events, such as the Open Air Aerial Festival, The Night Light Drive-In, and the Liquid Laser Light show. This spring, Open Space has teamed up with Vashon MakerSpace to commission makers, dreamers, artists, and craftspeople to create a new artistic experience: a village of intricate fairy houses for all to enjoy. The outdoor exhibit opens to the public June 25th, 2022.
“I want people to find themselves completely drawn into a tiny world,” says organizer Janet McAlpin. “Noticing carefully hidden gems and Lilliputian details you wouldn’t find unless you looked closely and leaned in. In my mind’s eye, I see people as they walk through, having a sense of awe, delight, and wonder — saying look at that, wow!”
This project of the !Attention! Artists at Work program (AAW) invites Vashon artists to create 10 tiny fairy houses that will be tucked among the trees in the Douglas fir grove at Open Space for Arts & Community. This call is a request for applications including examples of recent or relevant work and a brief statement describing why they want to participate.
The artistic theme of the project is “Look Closely.” The visual theme is “the woodland of fairy and faerie.” Artists will design and build their own fairy house within the grove, creating a magical community among the pines for all to enjoy. The exhibit will open officially on June 25th with a free community celebration.
Open Space for Arts & Community launched !Attention! Artists at Work to hire artists who have been financially impacted by the economic landscape of COVID-19, and to share public art at no charge with our Vashon community. Eligible participants live on Vashon Island and have financial need resulting from the loss of a day job or reduction in hours, loss of traditional opportunities for sales, commissions, and/or artistic fees or loss of a job by a partner or spouse within their household. Vashon MakerSpace has teamed with Open Space to help provide artists with building resources (and encouragement!).
Thanks to generous donations from the community, Open Space for Arts & Community has commissioned over 60 Vashon artists and artisans to make free public art since Spring 2020 as part of the AAW program. Previous !Attention! Artists at Work projects include The Distance Dance Project, The Mural Project, which is available to view at Open Space, and The Literary Project, which is still available online and via podcast. Create Your Story, an AAW project for youth, is ongoing this spring.
Artists selected to participate in The Tiny Fairy House Project will be paid $500 for the first entry and $350 for each additional tiny fairy house. A small materials stipend will be made available to each artist as well as free membership to the Vashon Tool Library.
The deadline for artists to apply for this project is March 31. The houses will open on June 25th, and will remain open through September. Additional details and official call-to-artists are available at OpenSpaceVashon.com/Tiny-Fairy-House-Project.
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