Everything in the room is attached to cords which are pulled through a hole in the back wall. Ali Demorotski is Curatorial Assistant here at Crystal Bridges, and she has been closely involved with the State of the Art exhibition from the get-go: handling everything from flight arrangements and artist recommendations to the rather unusual subject of this post: shopping with artist Jonathan Schipper for the furniture to be used to create Slow Room, his installation featuring a roomful of stuff that gradually gets dragged into and crushed against the back wall of the space over the course of the exhibition.
Here she chronicles the process. The rapidly approaching close of the State of the Art exhibition evokes a sense of sentimentality and reflection within the staff. Initially, my responsibilities for the exhibition were purely focused on contacting colleagues for artist recommendations and scheduling studio visits with artists near and far.
But the most fun really started when we had selected who would be in the exhibition and began working directly with them. My established relationships with the artists had perks, and one of my favorites was working with Jonathan Schipper on his installation Slow Room. The installation has been one of the most talked-about works in the exhibition.
It has fascinated our guests, often inciting thoughtful questions and repeat visits to check its progress. School children have submitted wonderful drawings and their parents have sent us letters about the excitement their child exudes when they talk about it even waking them at 3 a. It has captured imaginations and has one of the more interesting backstories of how it came to exist at Crystal Bridges. I have always loved spending lazy Saturdays or Sundays winding through endless aisles and piles at antique stores and flea markets.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/young-couple-kissing-sunset-getty-primary-1023-9e0dde201f404db4a560a1b5f97f4adc.jpg "Sluts in Springdale")
Beanie Babies, anyone?! Immediately I panicked! I had taken State of the Art artist Jeila Gueramian around town during her site visit to find afghans and cross stitch from various resale stores, but furniture is a completely different ballgame. To soothe my nerves, and have a little fun of my own, I set out the four Saturdays before it was go-time and searched high and low for the greatest sofa options in the area.
