“Kitchen Painting-A-Day” by Debbie Shirley
I had an awesome time at the opening reception of “Fun-A-Day” this past Friday. I learned about Fun-A-Day last year when I attended the 2013 pop-up show (Read my write-up Here) and this year I created my own project. Wendi Wing started the Boston branch of Fun-A-Day as a way to meet fellow artists when she first moved to Boston. Fun-A-Day takes place every January when when artists are invited to pick a fun creative project that they work on for the duration of the month. Over several years, the project has evolved and grown in scale, with the current exhibition including the projects of 29 different artists.
Fun-A-Day is un-curated and unlimited – the participants have complete artistic freedom when choosing a project. This year’s projects spanned a wide variety of mediums and themes, from sculpture to calligraphy, photography to conceptual art. I am of course unable to showcase all 29 projects, so please check out the Fun-A-Day tumblr for a full list of participating artists and projects! Below are just a few of my favorites:
“Collage-A-Day” by Erica von Schilgen
Erica von Schilgen created “Collage-A-Day” after discovering old issues of “The Saturday Evening Post” used as insulation when she was doing some renovations. All of her whimsical and active collages use elements from those magazines as source material.
“Detangle-A-Day” by Jennifer O’Donnell
Jennifer O’Donnell based her “Detangle-A-Day” drawings on the shapes made by her hair in the shower. The strangely lovely swirls are paired with some of her favorite quotes.
“Bokeh-A-Day” by Cara Brostrom
Cara Brostrom took a photo every day of January for “Bokeh-A-Day.” She shaped her project by committing to using a shallow depth of field for each photo.
Left: “Bird-A-Day” by Darci Hanna, Right: “Hand Lettered Quote-A-Day”by Stephanie Krist
“Hand Lettered Quote-A-Day”by Stephanie Krist and “Bird-A-Day” by Darci Hanna feature lovely delicate line work. Hanna took 20 minutes each day to draw a bird, and Krist wrote down something she overheard each day. Krist has continued her project past Januray, now calling them “Quoverheards” for overheard quotes. You can follow her project on her Tumblr.
Left: “Love For Days-A-Day” by Katie Flynn, Right: “Site-A-Day” by Allison Meierding
Katie Flynn focused on drawing moments from her life with young children in “Love For Days-A-Day” and Allison Meierding performed site alterations out in the world for “Site-A-Day.”
“Pain Map-A-Day” by Suzi Grossman
For my project, I created a pain map every day to form “Pain Map-A-Day.” I have a chronic pain condition that causes me to have muscle pain on a daily basis. This might not sound “fun” exactly, but I do get joy out of creating art based on personal daily data collection. Having a pain condition is my daily reality and I might as well make art out of it!
Left: “Lost Track of Timepiece” by Lucy Nims-LaFleche, Right: “Wood Grain Field Guide-A-Day” by Myles O’Brien
Lucy Nims-LaFleche and Myles O’Brien interpreted the assignment by working on a single sculpture every day in “Lost Track of Timepiece” and “Wood Grain Field Guide-A-Day,” respectively.
“Landscape Proposal Per Day” by David Buckley Borden
David Buckley Borden created a conceptual landscape alteration proposal every day in “Landscape Proposal Per Day.” His playful imagery and matter of fact text create beautifully impractical proposals for public art projects.
I have no doubt some of this years attendees will be like me and join in next January, for throughout the jam-packed opening I kept hearing “What would you do for your project?” or, “We should do this next year!” The show is up at Voltage Coffee and Art in Cambridge until April 5th, so I invite you to swing by, grab a latte, and enjoy some excellent art.
See a full list of participating artist Here.
Info on Voltage Coffee and Art.