‘Scrappy: By Any Means Necessary’

LOCAL ARTS

Curated show now open at MotherShip Studios

One man’s trash is another’s work of art at the new curated show at local art gallery Mother-Ship Studios. The art space most known for hosting the San Marcos Studio Tour received grant funding from the San Marcos Arts Commission to host a handful of specialty curated shows to bring new art and artists to the 78666. The final show of the year, “Scrappy: By Any Means Necessary” is now open and on display Saturdays by appointment until the closing reception on Sat. Feb. 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. Curated by local artist Jennifer Moore, the show highlights the art of being scrappy, of being determined to make something no matter the budget or concept.

The exhibition is a celebration of the many ways the quality of scrappiness can manifest in an artist’s studio. Artists embrace scrappiness for a multitude of reasons and in many ways: as a means to acquire affordable art supplies, to avoid waste, to reference or recontextualize an object or material’s innate meaning, to hasten or simplify their process, or even to access the improvisational spirit of readymade and collage.

“I know a lot of artists who use that approach for a bunch of different reasons and a lot of that work ends up materially rich because anytime you grab something that exists in the world for a separate purpose, once you incorporate it into an art situation, it augments the meaning,” Moore said. “I feel like it’s more engaging for people going to see work, if they’re recognizable objects within the art they’re seeing. It’s not just paintings, not just sculpture. It’s something everybody can participate in.”

Moore is a seasoned artist, currently teaching art at Texas State, but this is her first time curating a show by herself. She works closely with the Lockhart gallery Spellerberg Projects, with their ever-rotating exhibits, but Mother-Ship director Jacqueline Overby and board member Juliette Miller Herrera Nickle saw the potential for Moore’s material manipulation. Moore is scrappy in her own art practice, using materials such as household objects, thrifted textiles and broken electronics that she engineers into sculptures.

Before the show had a direction Moore wrote out a dream list of artists she’d love to work with. She reached out and made notes about themes she saw in their work and started to make connections across creators. Another intention when curating artists was their proximity to MotherShip. Where the Studio Tour acts as a time to showcase the talent of the 78666, the curated shows act as a way to bring a variety of artists and art scenes to San Marcos. The show includes Hollie Brown, a TXST alumni based in Abilene, Ellen Crofts based in Austin, Lisa Guevara based in San Marcos, Julia Hungerford based in Austin, Elisa Lendvay based in New York, Niloofar Mofrad based in Iowa, Hilary Nelson based in New Mexico, Lauren Michelle Peterson based in Lubbock, Gyan Shrosbree based in Iowa, Jim Shrosbree based in Iowa, Narong Tintamusik based in Dallas, and the late John Le.

“I’m very thankful that MotherShip let me do this. It was kind of scary and then turned into this thing that I feel really proud of. I learned a lot, and got to work with people I respect,” Moore said.

A big intention for the show was to bring the audience into an accessible artistic experience, to shatter the illusion of separation between viewer and artwork. Moore would find herself in art museums overhearing people question and criticize ready-made art from artists such as Duchamp.

“It bums me out so much because it’s people responding to feeling like they’re excluded from something,” Moore said. “The art world can be intimidating and there are hierarchies, but this kind of art really is for everyone. It’s the most egalitarian kind of work so people can connect to it and feel like it’s theirs to talk about too, whether they like it or not.”

The artwork in the show is open for all communities to experience, explore and even purchase if inspired.

“A lot of the work in the show is very affordable, you could leave on February 7 with something very beautiful or interesting to put in your house,” Moore said.

To view the show during Saturday exhibition hours, email mother-shipstu-dios. [email protected] set up a free tour located at 20027 San Marcos Hwy. 80. For more information on upcoming exhibitions visit their website at mothershipstudiostx. com.