Watch an art demonstration go wild at the inaugural Mo’Town Makers Sculpture Smackdown at the February 7 First Friday for the Arts.
Last weekend, Molly Davis loaded up her car with a bicycle, a beach chair, a shovel, a plastic rodent, an electric keyboard, a suave mannequin, and a pile of construction scraps. This eclectic collection isn’t someone’s trash bin, nor is it the set for an I Spy puzzle. It’s the makings of Morgantown’s first artistic battle—the Mo’Town Makers Sculpture Smackdown.
Davis, a sculptor and an adjunct art professor at West Virginia University, is a longtime master of unconventional art supplies. As she’s been coordinating activities at the Art Lab, Morgantown’s newest creative space, a friend mentioned participating in a painting battle. A week later, Pittsburgh hosted its annual Art Olympics. Davis knew what she had to do and set out to track down some trash.
On Friday, February 7, this stockpile of found materials will occupy the center of the Art Lab as six teams of two to four competitors ready their hot glue and zip ties. At the word of event emcees, teams will race to gather their supplies. Then begins the smackdown.
The event will showcase the nitty gritty of sculpture-building in real time as participants work together to transform trash into treasures. Held during First Friday for the Arts, the smackdown will flip a typical gallery visit on its head as attendees watch the artistic process unfold in the form of friendly competition.
“My motivation is making opportunities for artists in Morgantown—and specifically three-dimensional artists. It’s hard to find space for that type of work,” says Davis. She hopes the Art Lab can act as a place not only for art display but also where art can live and breathe.
If a battle of the arts isn’t exciting enough for you, this smackdown will be a whirlwind of energy—Davis says this is an event full of twists. To throw a wrench in things, attendees will pull from a series of cards designed to shake up the game. A team may get the chance to steal from other participants, or audience members may be selected to jump in and do some sculpting of their own.
Once the dust has settled and finishing touches are complete, the teams’ sculptures will go head to head in a vote by a panel of judges. Local art professionals will dole out awards for Tallest Sculpture and other creative honors. Davis hopes to display the final sculptures in the Art Lab or another gallery space downtown.
“We want to take it seriously, but we want to have fun,” she says. “Serious fun.”
If all goes well, Davis hopes the smackdown will be a recurring event where Morgantown artists put their skills to the test—including the town’s junior artists, as Davis theorizes potential for a children’s version of the event.
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM MORGANTOWN LOWDOWN
Leave a Reply