Venison
  • Quarterly
  • Weekly
  • Camp Venison
  • About
  • Get Involved



Weekly Blog

Welcome to Venison's Weekly Blog! Here you will find advice, show reviews, thoughts and short articles by the Venison Team. We welcome your input comments and thoughts in return! 
​Thanks for reading Venison Magazine!

Quarterly

SOUP Experimental

3/27/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
As artists ourselves at Venison Magazine, we love speaking with our peers, discovering new works and learning about their methodologies. What do we love just as much? Connecting with artists in other parts of the world, who also love speaking with, and voicing artists' creative paths. We connected with SOUP Experimental last year via social media, and have been following them ever since. We reached out and learned so much about who makes up this team and what they do.
SOUP Experimental, just one year in operation has been spreading their talents in showcasing emerging artists in and beyond Florida. Ashton Bird, director, Chelsea Raflo, artist, and Victoria DeBlasio, Opinion Writer, tell us about how SOUP got its name and their very first exhibition.

SOUP Inspiration

Tallahassee’s cultural scene is in many ways an artist refined do-it-yourself community.  Everything from the bright, bold and anonymous folk art of local tradition to the beautifully blended dynamics of poetry and hip-hop becomes a reflection of expressive resourcefulness. The city’s flowing demographics and overall amount of creative variety cultivates unique curiosities with inspirations pulled from various ethnicities and geographic backgrounds. This blend of thought and personal origin emits a strong unique glow that’s easily noticeable as outpost here in northwest Florida.  Ironically, the DIY definition is very communal with artists curated exhibitions hosted at random geographic coordinates, abandoned 
Picture
Nobodies // Oil on wood // 14" x 15" // 2016 // Chelsea Raflo
warehouses and of course, the pop-up house shows. Even the ‘art-park’ in our city prides itself in its inventive solutions to showcase artworks by offering gallery spaces in what was once a lumberyard. Sections of unpermitted artist constructed lofts from previous tenants intermingle with new, now safe, additions only adding to the artist imprint on the city. ​

The combination of what was left by the artists prior and diverse experimentation happening in Tallahassee made us romanticize about stories heard describing SoHo, Manhattan in the 1970s; moreover, the explorations that expanded the definition of contemporary art. One artist we’re particularly fond of  
Picture
A Means to an End, and What an End Means // acrylic yarn // 21" x 18" // 2016 // Lucia Riffel
is Gordon-Matta Clark –his art, dinner parties, cooking and philanthropic mindset.

​Our name and our collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach were inspired by an important chapter in contemporary art history: FOOD, an artist-runspace co-founded in 1971 by Caroline Gooden and Gordon Matta-Clark with Tina Girouard. 
​Located in SoHo on Prince and Wooster Streets, FOOD gave a platform to any creator, from cooks, poets, and performers to visuals and architects. The restaurant provided low-price meals to support those in need and invited members of the community and artists a-like to be 
guest chefs, resulting in memorable artist-rendered concoctions. FOOD quickly became known for Matta-Clark’s, Matt-Bone” soup, which featured oxtail, roasted marrow bones, frogs’ legs among other bone-type of entrees. Finishing the bowl, the bones were scrubbed then strung together as a necklace of leftovers the participant could bring home.Here at the intersection of art, performance, and social engagement, participants found that something as a bowl of soup could leave an imprint to last a lifetime. 
Picture
Unfulfilled Living room // mixed media // 10" x 30" 18" // 2016 // Chelsea Raflo
Picture
Left to right: Red Sherbert on Teal // White Ice on Blue // Video Projection // 2016 // Mark Crowley
SOUP has developed in response to the artistic vision and spirit behind FOOD, and though we’ve put forth a menu of decidedly less edible offerings, we are looking forward to the years ahead and all the possibilities they might bring.  At the heart of it all is the spirit to strengthening our community.  For us, this means exploring creative ways to form connections between all kinds of people and projects that might, on the surface, appear to have little in common, yet stirred together, produce something of delicious substance. 
Tallahassee’s supportive atmosphere has allowed us to extend nationally to where we are today and, it’s amazing to see how this seed of an idea has taken root and begun to thrive beyond what we could have predicted.  It didn’t feel quite like a seed at the time – in fact, it felt huge – but in hindsight, we can recognize that it was still just powerful potential that could only take shape through the resourceful act of collaboration and participation. Today SOUP is a blend of all these inspired efforts, simmering together to create a space of creative nourishment and free expression.

​-Ashton Bird, Chelsea Raflo, Victoria DeBlasio

SOUP's Anywhere But Brooklyn

SOUP experimental’s 1st exhibition Anywhere But Brooklyn featured – Brittany M. Watkins, who showed a magnificent installation titled Lucia;Not-Self in our Middle gallery. The second artist, Matthew Lawrence had four large, 60”x 60” paintings  in our Main Gallery. It was wild. We renovated the warehouse in three weeks, so the work was literally being installed as the gallery was being built. Ha! I would never work those shifts again, but I had tons of help and support! What do I mean by support? One night in particular, Gisela Fernandez and I were up until 8:00 am sanding joint-compound; the next day, Matthew Lawrence, Austin Yorke, Kathleen Saunders and Matt Adams were painting primer and moving walls while I was out cold from the 24 hour shift prior. The little moments too, friends would stop by with coffee, beer or pizza and check up on things or say hi. The excitement really caught on.​
Picture
Anywhere But Brooklyn
The opening reception flew by in seconds, and I remember Lucia, Matthew, Brittany and myself crouched on cheap folding chairs in the front. We popped a bottle of champagne, sipped and soaked up our accomplishment. I don’t think I will ever forget that night.
Picture
Picture
To be completely honest, at the time of selecting the two artists to exhibit –the selection was based more on my personal intuition and how the artists knew each other. Brittany’s installation displaying the inner-world of consciousness or lack of had a similar metaphor as Lawrence’s; both, the installation and paintings complimented each other very well. 
After the next few months, we quickly realized we needed reliable assistants, coordinators and volunteers. We started off with five people and now we are at 18.  SOUP experimental, including myself is a volunteer ran space that is exuberantly growing through people passionately believing in the idea of resourcefulness and experimental creativity.  We’re scrappy. SOUP has grown to have gallery exhibitions, performance and music nights, open-mic, facility rental, a touring exhibition, an off-site exhibition, written artwork opinion and artist interviews. 
Picture
Untitled // asphaltum felt, construction adhesive, wood, plaster, gesso // 87" x 192" x 4" // 2015 // Ashton Bird
The exhibitions are ultimately selected by me, but our coordinators do have a huge influence on the final decision. Beyond the exhibitions, each section of staff delegates what events we should manifest or who we should interview.

We are all artists, which I believe makes communication much more understanding.  I definitely wouldn’t say we all think the same though, which is even better –all of us have a flavor the other doesn’t, and each very much so complements one another.  It’s been amazing being able to see what and how much we’ve been able to do.

-Ashton Bird, Director

SOUP Experimental

694-2 Industrial Drive
Tallahassee, Fl 32310

@soupexperimental
@soupexp​

*List of artists mentioned in article available on SOUP's website.
Picture
0 Comments

    Author

    Our Venison team uses this blog page to post short articles about events, projects, journeys, and art adventures that we find relevant to the contemporary lives of fellow artists.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    101/exhibit
    18th Street Arts
    3D Art
    99 Percent Invisible
    99PI
    Abrams Claghorn
    Adobe Backroom Gallery
    Advice
    Albany
    Alchemy
    Amabelle Aguiluz
    American Art
    A Narrow Passage
    Anja Ulfedt
    Ankica Mitrovska
    Anthropology
    Antler Gallery
    Art
    Art Advisory
    Art And Culture
    Art Camp
    Art Camp Spotlight
    Art Career
    Art Dealer
    Art Exhibit
    Art History
    Art Installation
    Artist Talk
    Art Magazine
    Artopening
    Art Opening
    Art Process
    Art Residency
    Art Review
    Arts
    Art Studio
    Art Walk
    Audio
    Australia
    Awareness
    Barbados
    Basement Gallery
    Bay Area
    Bay Area Art Show
    Bay Area Press
    Beginnings
    Blind Spot
    Blog
    Bones
    Bonnie Macallister
    Book Artist
    Book Arts
    Branch Gallery
    Brand Library
    Brian Donnelly
    Brooklyn NY
    Bryan Kring
    Calendar
    Camella Da Eun Kim
    Camella Daeun Kim
    Canadian Artist
    Canvas
    Charity
    Charles Hartman Fine Art
    Charlie James Gallery
    Chinatown Los Angeles
    Christina Mrozik
    Cincinnati
    Climate
    Collaboration
    Collective
    Colorado
    Conceptual Art
    Contemoporary Art
    Contemporary Art
    Contemporary Art Magazine
    Contriction
    Cordesa Fine Art
    Cosmos
    Crystal
    Culture
    Curation
    Curator
    Current Events
    Dance
    Danielle Schlunegger-Warner
    David Rice
    Design
    Design Matters
    Diorama
    Drew Leshko
    Duality
    Durden And Ray
    East Bay
    Elizabeth Leach Gallery
    Elsewhere Residency
    Embroidery
    Emerging Art
    Emerging Artist
    Emerging Curator
    Encouragement
    Environmental Art
    Events
    Exhibition
    Exploration
    Extinction
    Fabric
    Fall Art
    Fashion
    FeliciaGabaldon
    Fellowsof Contemporary Art
    Female Artist
    Female Artists
    Female Identity
    Feminism
    Fiberart
    Fiber Art
    Fien Art
    Fine Art
    First Amendment
    First Fridays
    Flesh
    Florida
    Florida Artist
    Foca
    Food
    Founding
    Fourth Wall Gallery
    Francois Ghebaly Gallery
    Gallerist
    Gathering
    Gathering: A Venison Magazine Retrospective
    Glendale
    Grief
    Group Show
    Hand Knit
    Hap Gallery
    Happening
    History
    Holiday Spotlight
    Hollywood
    Home
    Homes
    Housing
    Houston Artist
    How We Got To Now
    Human Condition
    Human Led Climate Change
    Illustrator
    Immigration
    Inglewood
    Inspiration
    Instagram
    Installation Art
    Interactive
    Interactive Art
    International
    Interview
    Jana Rumberger
    Jeanne D'Angelo
    Jeanne Dunning
    Jennifer Chen-su Huang
    Jennifer Pettus
    Jeremy Hush
    John Mooallem
    July 15th 2017
    Kay Healy
    Kent Fine Art
    Kiel Johnson
    Kinetic Art
    Knit
    Knitting
    La Art Scene
    Latin America
    Latino Art
    Latinx
    Leaving College
    Letterpress
    Live Music
    Los Angeles
    Los Angeles Art
    Los Angeles Art Scene
    Lost And Foundry
    Louise Bourgeois
    Magazine
    Makers
    Manifest Gallery
    Margaret Smithers-crump
    Marlene Dumas
    Matt Hall
    Mechanics
    Meline Hoijer Schou
    Metafiction
    Michelle Konczyk
    Miniature Art
    Mixed Media
    Morgaine Faye
    Mouring
    Muscle
    Museum
    Native American
    Natural History
    Natural Selections
    Nature
    Nemo Gould
    New York Art
    Nick Penderson
    Noysky Projects
    Oakland
    Oakland Artist
    Oakland Gallery
    Oakland Magazine
    October Show
    Ohio
    Oil
    On-Site Projects
    Opening
    Opening Reception
    Oregon Artist
    Painting
    Paonia
    Paonia Cocoons
    Paper Art
    Paradigm Gallery
    Paul Loya Gallery
    Pdxpart
    Penny Contemporary
    Performance
    Period
    Phillidelphia
    Photography
    Playground
    Podcast
    Portland
    Portraiture
    Postcard
    Press Release
    Project P:ear
    Pst La/la
    Q&A
    Real Estate
    Rebecca Reeves
    Recollections
    Recology
    Renaissance Man
    Retrospective
    Review
    R/sf
    Samantha Rausch
    San Francisco
    Santa Fe
    Science
    Science Fiction
    Screen Print
    Sculpture
    Sean Noyce
    Sexuality
    Skeletal Articulation
    Skeletons
    Skin
    Skye Livingston
    Solo Exhibit
    Solo Squadron
    Soup Experimental
    Southern California
    Space
    Space 15twenty
    Spencer Merolla
    Spray Paint
    Starting Artists
    State
    Studio Visit
    Surrealism
    Swedish Artist
    Swerdlow Art Group
    Talon Gallery
    Tam
    Taxidermy
    Technology
    Textile
    Textile Art
    Textile Design
    The American West
    The Getty Center
    The Knitting Tree La
    Thread Installation
    Thru Media
    Torrance
    Totally Rad Gallery
    Tracey Emin
    Travel
    Tyler Thrasher
    UCB
    Urban
    Utah
    Venison Magazine
    #venmag
    Vieno James
    Vital Opening
    Walkthrough
    Watercolors
    Water Stories
    Wearable Art
    Weekly Listens
    Wendy Red Star
    West Coast
    Whimsy
    Women
    Wooleyes
    Wool Felting
    World Trade Center
    Yulia Pink
    Yulia Pinkusevich
    Zoe Childerley
    Zoe Keller

Venison Magazine Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved.