On Wednesday, Nov. 27th – despite a pelting cold rain, more than 100 artists, filmmakers, writers, radio producers and SWF residents joined November Guest Artist, Peabody-award winning artist Dmae Roberts, in the AiR studio for the screening of her new flash movie. Created as part of her SWF project – “Can I Tell you Something?”, this “radio with pictures” montage included the writing and voices of over 30 particpants from Dmae’s month-long series of writing workshops exploring secrets – how we hold them, why we tell them and what role they serve in our lives. Dmae also screened – Secret Asian (passing), her personal flash movie addressing this topic, which was created with project grant support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council.

Each a little more than 5 minutes in length, the movies are available for viewing anytime in the AiR studio and are available for web screening by following these links: Click here to see the Secrets flash movie: . To see Dmae’s personal piece, Secret Asian (passing), click here. Or, drop by the studio to view these works, as well as projects by Tim DuRoche (September/07), Dana Lynn Louis (October/07) or Tahni Holt (December/07).

Informal Writing Salons with Dmae Roberts:
T/Th, 3-5p; Sa, 11a-1p
AiR Studio Storefront – 3623 SW River Parkway @ Gaines off the John Ross Plaza
Free and open to the public
Culminating event: Soup and Movie Night, Wed., Nov. 28th, 6:30-8:30p

When two-time Peabody Award-winning Writer/Radio Producer Dmae Roberts (center in photo) began shaping her November Guest Artist project for the SWF - “Can I Tell You Something?”, I realized that I had not spent enough time considering how the stories I share and the secrets I reveal shape and inform all of my relationships – how they draw the like-minded close, how they repel those who do not relate, how they seduce those intrigued with the adventure or encounter or experience shared. It is something I took for granted, perhaps because my own creative work does not directly spring from the narrative – at least so far. Of course, one can argue that everything is essentially story, but I was just not tuned into soft vulnerablity and intimacy of it all – that stories are the highways, roads, lanes and back alleys that connect us to people.

I so appreciate that Dmae has chosen to manifest this particular project at the SWF as part of this program. It is profoundly relevant and timely in this place right now.

When the opportunity became available to spend a year thinking about and making work relevant to the SWF district, it was clear to me that multiple voices, perpsectives and artistic practices were necessary in addition to my own. While never having formally curated my own series, I have many times been intimately involved in a range of curatorial processes with programs and institutions of all sizes. The hybrid nature of my own pratice has also brought me collaborative opportunities across many disciplines so I have a very grounded sense of artists working in many different forms.

I found it extremely exciting to think about the broad range of makers in this city through the lense of place and site. When considering artists for the Monthly Series a few things seemed important. First, a month is a very short period of time to develop an idea or body of work in the context of a community of people, especially if that community is invited to participate on some level other than just being a traditional audience member. It seemed relevant, therefore, that I consider artists who were comfortable with a more public creation cycle and artists who had some history of working in this way. It also felt very important to include artists working across the broadest range of disciplines in order to generate the most rich and layered interpretation/imagining/dreaming/critic of the SWF district. Having been an artist who benefited greatly by being included in performances or collaborations with colleagues much more practiced than myself, it also seemed important to have the series reflect a range of ages and experience levels. Finally, as the commissions are modest at best, it also seemed reasonable to consider artists who might be so deeply intrigued by the idea of addressing the SWF neighborhood that they would agree to alter/stretch/adapt their practice in order to deal with a small budget and honorarium. Could these residencies provide an opportunity for an artist to finally explore something they had been thinking about but in a drafting kind of way? “Soft making”, as I have come to refer to it.

So, with these thoughts in mind, I started making lists, long lists. I whittled from 55 down to 25 and then began the very delightful process of talking to artists. Along the way, I also checked in with several curator colleages to get their sense of the city and who might be a good fit for this particular opportunity. Some of these conversations shifted my thinking and I pursued several other artists. In the end, I got 19 proposals from which I selected 13. Calendar, availability, duplicate concepts and discipline representation all were factors. Several projects that I could not include are still bubbling out there with a chance of happening.

I am excited and honored to be working with this group of artists. It is my hope that these projects will serve as a kind of innoculent (as my colleague and friend Brian Borrello refers to it) for dialogue and interaction.