MEET THE FRANCONIA SPRING 2018 INTERN ARTIST FELLOWS!

While April blizzards this year caused a bit of a delay for our Spring Intern Artists, they were hardly fazed and have hit the muddy ground running on their individual sculptures and daily park work. Meet Ila Krishnamoorthy (NJ), Martin Gonzales (MN), Ella Snow (NC), and Nathan Kim (NYC) and be sure to see their work next time you visit the park!

Ila Krishnamoorthy (NJ)

Ila Krishnamoorthy, Bene Artist (still from performance) 2016. Tarp, wire, pennies, chicken nuggets, grabber, clown makeup, microwave, pillows, rug, paper plates, lady liberty crown

Where and with whom did you study?

I have a BFA in Studio art from New York University, and I worked under mentors Joseph Imhauser, Baseera Khan, and Rico Gatson.

What is your spirit tool?

A shovel.

What was your most memorable or impactful art experience as a kid? What sent you on the trajectory of pursuing a life in art?

I’ve been starting to realize the impact Janine Antoni has had on me and my work. I was introduced to her in high school art class and only a few weeks later did I decide to apply to art schools, at the time not realizing the connection. Only now, after my work has taken on a more performative, self referential, and (hopefully) at times comedic tone, have I realized the impact her work has had one me.

What is your favorite sculpture at Franconia and why?

My favorite sculpture changes constantly. I run a lot, about 15 miles a week, all through the park and on each run I find a new favorite sculpture, or at least something new to love about a piece. I remember coming upon Skin Scape on one of my first runs and being taken a back, and later falling in love with it even more once I found the artists hand in it. Infinite Play was my first love, its simplicity and pursuit of a simpler time is effortless but also engaging. The pressure it left in the palms of my hands has hugely inspired the work I am making here. My current favorite and the one I keep coming back to, running back to and around and through is Paul Howe’s Getting The Hang Of It. I can feel the movement of his body in the work, the feel the grip of his hand wearing into the axe handle and ache of his muscles in the morning as he chipped away. The sound of the chips hitting earth and then chip hitting chip. The taste of salt dripping from eyebrow to upper lip as movement becomes repetition and repetition becomes movement. Of getting the hang of it right at the time that it is finished. There’s more to it but I’ll need a few more runs to get there.

Tell us about what you are working here at Franconia Sculpture Park:

I am working on experimenting. On feeling the muscles in my back grow and learning about fishing lures. I am working on understanding the right amount of tightness a chainsaw blades needs to be perfect. I am working on pulling thistle and digging 4- maybe 5 -feet into the earth. The earth can be a metaphor, sure, but so can the thistle. I am working on learning to love difficult people, and my family, and driving stick on a rusty Cushman. I am working on distance and also depth and also the benefits of Benadryl on aching, swollen muscles that are much too attractive to bites. And the connections you can create through skin– and itching. I am working on the smell of a cigar, or maybe it’s chives, or both. I am working on listening to metal and to mouths. I am working on working, but not too hard, because life can flourish in the breaks you take. My sculpture will be in the back, the way back, the back of your mind, where things lay in waiting for the right moment to climb up and out of the hole, up the tree trunk and into waiting arms wrapped in saris, on top of legs wrapped in yellow pants, topped in a grey baseball hat.

How have your ideas evolved since arriving at Franconia? How has working and living here affected your process?

The feeling of a hot bra strap sliding down your arm as you run through the cool breeze Stillness
Stillness
Feel the air around you
Does it move you?
Does it move you to tears?
Can you feel it in your spine?
Where is the sun?
On your face?
On your car?
Under your feet?
Sometimes this is all you need, whatever this is.
This
That

Can you feel your body move with the wind, the wind of the trees?
Or the wind around buildings?
Does it carry you?
Or does it press you down into the earth, deep into the earth
Like a tidal wave over you
Submerging you
How do you swim out?
Against the current?
Or with it?
With the wind?
Or against it?
Around the building and in your face
Cold Tears streaming down your hot cheek as you squint up and try to see the sky

Thank you, Ila!

Martin Gonzales (MN)

Martin Gonzales, Pull (detail), 2017. 16′ x 16′ x 16′

Hometown and/or where you were living before you came to FSP?:
I am from Dallas, Texas (shout out to Texas) but I’ve currently been living in Minneapolis.

Where did you go to school and are there other artists with whom you have worked/considered a mentor?
I recently graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BFA in Spring 2017. Artists who I would say I have learned a great deal from are Diane Willow, Sean Connaughty, Xavier Tavera, Emmett Ramstad, Mark Knierim, Jim Gubernick, and Jim Denomie.

What is your spirit tool?
The tool I identify the most with was a busted chisel, but now I’d have to say I identify most with a stick welder.

What was your most memorable or impactful art experience as a kid? What sent you on the trajectory of pursuing a life in art?
I remember being in second grade and Mrs. Dwoarcyzc told me and my father I was drawing lines incorrectly, but as I recall them they were strong energetic marks made in linear Unity, that’s my shit I’m back on now, they hating… Art is the only thing I think I could do.

What is your favorite sculpture in the park, and why:
My favorite sculpture in the park is Amy Toscani’s Rocco, that shit is soooo fun!

Where does sculpture fit into all the different media in which you work?
Sculpture fits into my video work primarily with costume and set design, but I think I’ll be moving it more into my performance work

Tell us about what you are working on here at the park. As a Minneapolis-based artist, how has your experience or perspective of Franconia shifted since living and working here?
My perspective has shifted in that I can say now that my work is not as important to me as it once was. Yes, my artistic vision is still as strong as ever, but knowing that I’m in an environment with other extremely talented artists, ive find it important to take a back seat from vocalizing my views and ideas, groing from the wisdom around me

Thank you, Martin!

Ella Snow (NC)

Where and with whom have you studied or worked?
I have worked with Hanna Jubran and Jodi Hollnagel-Jubran, both in and outside of a classroom setting. I have worked with a multitude of artists on small projects while they visited, lectured, and workshopped while finishing my BFA in Sculpture at East Carolina University. Hanna Jubran is my biggest mentor.

What is your spirit tool?
An angle grinder.

What was your most memorable or impactful art experience as a kid?
Making art with my father before he left for Florida and then continuing to make art as a way to feel connected to him as well as an escape from crazy home life–my grandparents used to give us art supplies as Christmas/birthday presents because they could buy them in bulk cheaply, which meant it wouldn’t matter when my mom threw away all of our things.

What is your favorite sculpture at Franconia?
Constantly changing, as soon as I think I’ve picked a favorite I learn more about a different sculpture which makes me fall in love with it.

Tell us about what you’re working on at the park:
A large, abstract form that looks as if it is growing out of the ground. The sculpture is nonrepresentational, leaving the viewer to foster their own relationship and meaning of the piece.

Having created several large scale outdoor sculptures before I hope to push myself by working with multiple different materials, creating a piece approx. three times larger than the tallest piece I’ve made, working with found materials in order to alleviate some of the cost of the project, learning how to stick weld and torch cut metal (opposed to MIG welding and plasma cutting which are the tools I am accustomed to). Practically everything about this project is radically different from any of my other large scale pieces.

Thank you, Ella!

Nathan Kim (NYC)

Nathan Kim, Poopy Island.

Where are you from or where were you living before you came to FSP?
I grew up in California and Virginia, most recently I’m coming from Brooklyn, NY.

Where did you go to school, and what artists have you worked/considered a mentor?
I learned a lot from Jeremy Chen, Celeste Miller, Kamal Hammouda, Dean Bakopoulos, Abby Aresty, and Vanessa Lyon at Grinnell College. Kamal taught me how to work, Abby gave me her time and encouragement. Celeste taught me how to move past fear. Jeremy always questioned my assumptions. Dean showed me how to pull interest out of anything, and Professor Lyon stressed the importance of considering how contexts shape the functioning of an artwork. After graduating, I had the privilege of working with and learning from Tom Phillips, Chico MacMurtrie, Bill Bowen, Bobby Zokaites, and Leander Knust. Tom really believed I could do anything, Bobby took the time to show me how to do anything I didn’t know, Chico gave me opportunities to put this in practice, Bill always took the time to explain wiring and code, and Leander showed me how to not take things too seriously.

What is your spirit tool?
I feel an affinity towards the pry bar. A pry bar can be anything, and I think I like to surprise myself with what I can accomplish when applied effectively.

What was your most memorable or impactful art experience as a kid? What sent you on the trajectory of pursuing a life in art?
I don’t have a pivotal childhood moment. I am still doing what I did then, only bigger I guess. I’m still interested in how we communicate through verbal and nonverbal expressions.

What is your favorite sculpture in the park, and why?
To pick one, Self-Portrait with Cucumbers by Hannah Brookman. I love how she rests against the horizon of one hill when you are facing the back of the park towards We Move Still. On approach, her head rears over, followed by her torso, conveying an easy posture. I like what Hannah Brookman, the artist wrote, about how her handiwork can be revealing, and I like that her handiwork shows. There’s not much detail wasted here. I wish I could be tangly and see-through too.

Tell us about what you are working on here at the park:
I’m making a bird feeding counterbalanced crane that doubles as a moon jump swing and planter. I had a lot of ideas coming here, and this seems like a healthy compromise.

Why did you want to be an artist in residence at Franconia Sculpture Park? How will your work here compare or differ from your previous work?
I wanted an opportunity to see what I could do, where I’ve grown lately, and ways in which I might need more rounding. Seeing Bobby Zokaites’ work really impressed how much someone could do with enough planning, practice, and expertise. In some ways I want to take this on too. My work here is a baby step towards the kind of work I would like to make, but would not have had the confidence to take on years ago.

Thank you, Nathan!

The Intern Artist Program is made possible through generous lead support provided by the Woodbury Foundation, with additional support provided by the Sage Cleveland Foundation and RBC Wealth Management, and many generous individuals. Established in 1996, the Intern Artist Program provides career-bound emerging artists the opportunity to create large-scale three-dimensional artwork, acquire skills in artistic practice, and participate in public engagement programs while in residency at Franconia. Thank you!