What's It All About?

I'm working to get together some cogent thoughts on what is attracting me to the art, and artists, in the Joshua Tree area. I am strongly drawn to the physicality of the region - dramatic mountains, warm sun, exotic vegetation, sparseness, dry air. And I am also drawn to the sense of possibility and responsibility that I see in the community there.

Many of the people I have met are in the area to take control of their lives. They have left the structures that define and run big cities and sleepy suburbs. They take responsibility for themselves and their surroundings. Everyone has a project and they are working on it. I have become concerned at how far we have strayed from the sense of making anything, and I am overcome by the sense of empowerment I feel when I do make. And, I have much admiration for what people in the desert make - their homes, their gardens, their art and their contributions to the community.

There is a utopian sense in the air. Not of perfection a la Arcadia. A utopia that is achieved when one exercises free will. The relative remoteness of the area, the relatively low cost of living and the fine weather, all combine to give a sense of freedom not felt elsewhere. A freedom to determine one's own path and to act decisively. In fact, the aesthetic imperfections from the landscape to the architecture to the art, reverberate with utopian energy - freed from the strictures of post-colonial and post-modern ideals.

Speed is another aspect of the experience. Post-modern life has become so deeply entwined with speed, particularly through technology, that we have become uncomfortable with quiet and moments of reflection. With the limited internet connections and a general lack of frenetic energy, the desert community provides a space for moving at one's own speed. This is not to be confused with slowing down. The result is more the possibility again of choice - choosing the speed at which you want to move/do/act. An entire spectrum available for your personal preference.

Many modern schools of thought aimed at alleviating the general sense of malaise in society, point to understanding the automated patterns of thought and behavior we have developed. With an awareness of our thoughts and actions, we can create a modicum of space in which to choose instead of merely reacting. We can begin to see how we make our own reality. And then we become empowered in the knowledge that we are free agents.

It is this sense of possibility and empowerment that I find for myself in the desert. And it is this optimistic note that I seek to share, so that more people may experience a moment of freedom and begin to exercise their choice toward creating a renewed culture around us.

The very act of going into the desert is an art action. There is a sense open-ness and possibility. As one ventures into this space, there is room to create. A choice is made - one creates something new, literally become someone new, or one recreates oneself as in the past. The beauty of entering into this adventure is the opportunity to see yourself act as you do, to see yourself as you are, to have the nothingness mirror yourself back to you.

Entering the desert is also a lesson in environmental impact. It's not possible to go to the desert and not contemplate the impact man is having. Why do we build? Why do we pave? Why do we clear fragile ecologies? How to get power? How to get water? What to do with the garbage? Where to drive and the impact your tracks are having? All of this is laid bare. Again, the open-ness as a mirror back to the consequences of one's actions.

The primary means of discourse I'm seeking to enter into is through the art of the region. There are many artists who have chosen to work in the area whom I respect and would like to share with a wider audience. This is the founding impetus behind BoxoFFICE.

Andrea Zittel is well known and well represented in NY/LA and beyond. Her work, and the experiential piece titled "High Desert Test Sites", is what originally drew me to the area. Andrea is concerned with other/better(?)/more efficient/more efficacious ways of living. Her work reminds me strongly of the modernists, particularly the Bauhaus and architects working to improve everyday life for everyone. Her work allows us to consider how we live, the choices we make and how we might change things up a bit. A core insight Andrea propogates is that there is freedom in structure - we need some in order to exercise our free will. At the extremes, freedom can be paralyzing and structure can be suffocating. So choosing one's own structure seems, to me, a good way of approaching this koan.
Andrea's open attitude and decisive energy inspired me to explore the region and she has continually encouraged me to buy some land there.

John Luckett: Living and working near Joshua Tree, CA, John is a self-taught artist who began painting in 1997. Before that, he spent many years as a graphic designer and art director in the design and advertising business. John has become a good friend and I respect his work greatly. His media include painting, assemblage, "readymade" art, and photography and he has concentrated on three main bodies of work: expressionistic faces, nature forms and minimalistic compositions.

John is the inaugural artist for my art space called BoxoFFICE.

Randy Polumbo: a true original and a good friend. This video tells you everything you need to know.

Tina Bluefield: I saw a show of Tina's at the Creative Center in 29 Palms and was fascinated by her skill. Tina is equally adept at fascinating and evocative desertscapes as she is with animated abstracts. She moved to the High Desert from Colorado and represents a strength and pioneering spirit I'm drawn to.

Gretchen Grunt: Gretchen was the first member of the creative community that I met when I arrived in the High Desert. And she has remained a touchstone for me. Gretchen runs the Creative Center, a gallery and resource center for art and artists. She is also a highly skilled print artist and painter. I have taken lessons on the print press with Gretchen and have learned a lot about monotypes, reductive linocuts, color, life, love and the Universe from her.

Shari Elf: Shari is a singer, artist, gallerist, seamstress, comedienne, art therapist, teacher and so much more. Her work with found objects is generally modest in scale yet big on insight through humor. Shari raises questions of value and legitimacy by involving herself with objects, people, actions that my be typically overlooked or discarded. Her pointers on approaching the making of art and involvement in the art community have been invaluable to me. So have her friendship and company on the dance floor.

Chantale Doyle: Chantale is a Canadian artist who made her way around the USA in a biodiesel vehicle, paying her way by catering art and other events. She is a skilled cook and expert at various frying techniques including delicious fried green tomatoes. Chantake then used the oil from her catering venture as the fuel that moved her from place to place. I find this simple cycle very poetic and inspiring. Also inspiring is Chantale's conservationist stance and her blog on the subject. Chantale has since settled in Pioneertown, and has opened a refreshing gallery/store called The Mount Fuji general Store in Joshua Tree. Go visit.

Boxo 3/1/09