Joan Libby Hawk on Creating an Installation

One corner of the installation

I typically think of artists as "right brain" people given their creative talents. But of course that's too simplistic. Case in point: The creation by Joan Libby Hawk of "What She Could See," a multi-disciplinary exhibit now on at Englewood Art Center. I had the chance to hear Libby Hawk speak about this undertaking, and an incredible amount of problem solving (left brain thinking) was required. Libby Hawk herself uses the terminology of "art space v. head space." I like it. Learning about the process from start to finish gave additional depth to an already striking show. 

Libby Hawk was invited two years ago to take over the Mitchell Gallery for her exhibit so she had lots of time to plan and to create new work. But where to start? She had some ideas, of course. Libby Hawk wanted to explore the concept of "freeing the painting from the frame," and this was the perfect opportunity. She also knew the show would include a number of ceramic vessels, some made by hand and others on her wheel.  

Ultimately, Libby Hawk envisioned a garden-like setting that visitors would wander through at their leisure and take in the work from different perspectives. She created a maquette to play with the lay-out of the show. It makes so much sense, but still I was impressed by this approach. She reports having had a lot of fun creating the dollhouse-sized works that could be moved around as she figured it out. Yes, you read that right. The miniatures in the maquette are replicas of some of the works in the show. The tiny ceramic pieces are even glazed! Libby Hawk likened herself to a chef combining different ingredients until she found the perfect balance. 

Once Libby Hawk had a good sense of how her work would live in the space, it was time to create. More than half of the 52 works in the show were made specifically with this exhibit in mind. 

"Kind of Blue A&B (After Miles Davis)"

In my favorite works (dubbed "paper trails"), Libby Hawk carefully folded the paintings once they were dry. Each furrow contains a micro-painting if you take the time to look closely. Other paintings were cut into strips. I can imagine her taking a deep breath (or two!) before making the first fold or cut in a painting she had spent weeks creating. Libby Hawk said her experience with ceramics helped her take this risk. Given the fragility of the medium, some pieces end up cracked or broken. It's heartbreaking, but it's part of the process. So far as I know, all of the paintings survived their transformation. 

Many of the paintings in the exhibit had indeed been freed from their frames, to great effect. Figuring out the mechanics of displaying these works required more ingenuity on Libby Hawk's part. Some were hung on bamboo poles and suspended from the ceiling with fishing line. Others were hung from "gates" constructed from a carefully chosen species of bamboo that had been dried to achieve the desired finish. (Christo and Jeanne-Claude's exhibit "The Gates" -- installed in Central Park in 2005 -- was one of the influences for this choice.) 

Interspersed across the room are ceramic pieces made of stoneware, porcelain or paper clay. To Libby Hawk, they help ground the exhibit. They are the earth to the more ephemeral nature of the paper works. 

Artworks of course have to be named, and Libby Hawk amuses herself by choosing titles that incorporate humor or pay homage to a person, poem or experience. Works in this show include ceramic pieces named "Gertrude Stein" and "Walk and Chew Gum (Dare You)." (I was surprised that Gertrude Stein wasn't a short and squat piece.) The fragment of the painting shown below is called "What We See and Seeing is Change," a line from Adrienne Rich's poem "Planetarium." Her two-sided paintings often have "A&B" in the title, a reference to old 45 LPs. It's easy to imagine how much fun she has with this part of the process. 

After much work and anticipation, it was showtime. But there was one more issue -- how to get the work from her studio to the gallery. At this point you probably won't be surprised to learn that Libby Hawk made most of the boxes to transport the work herself. The shapes and sizes of the works didn't lend themselves to off-the-shelf boxes (not to mention how much that would have cost). She lined many of the boxes with bubble wrap for additional protection. After nine days of packing and four trips to the gallery with her car stuffed to the brim, Libby Hawk transformed the Mitchell Gallery into the world she had envisioned, with beautiful results. 

For a great interview with Libby Hawk, click here. Her background includes a stint with the United Nations creating and implementing programs to reduce violence against women globally. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better and learning about that work. As I said at the top, this is a woman who puts both sides of her brain to full use. 

And to see more of Libby Hawk's art, click here for her website. But the best way to enjoy her work is in person, and you have some time. "What She Could See" runs at Englewood Art Center through March 14. If it fits your schedule, Libby Hawk will be at the Art Center from 1:30-3:00 on Saturday, February 24, and will kick off her time there with a talk about the exhibit. Sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon.