October 5, 2014

Today was the final performance: Would/Lands: Walk on the Wild Side. Originally, the performance was scheduled for yesterday, but it was postponed until today due to rain. This turned out to be a wise decision, because today's weather was beautiful. 

I arrived as per requested by the trestle bridge at 2:30, unsure of what to expect. Pat informed me through email that  "you are going to have to be a damsel in dis dress again, being run over by woody's giant saw blade at the beginning of the walk."  I did not know how exactly to interpret this, but apparently she meant very literally. Woody created this spinning saw blade that was used to terrorize me. My job was to scream and flail about. I did not feel especially qualified but I did my best. One person told me that I was smiling just the right amount, and I was surprised because I did not mean to smile. My parents told me that I smiled a lot. However, there was one little girl who stayed after the procession continued on so that she could ask if I was okay. So some people were convinced! 

Most of the pictures my parents took did not come out well because of the
lighting, but this gives some sense of the scene

The rest of the procession involved Pat stopping at various pieces hung in the trees, and talking about them. There was a band that led the way with lively tunes. Pat outfitted them in bright turquoise uniforms, and they looked quite festive. People seemed to enjoy the whole spectacle, although I sensed that some parts did not go as Pat wanted them to. For instance, when Pat became the "Boracle," she had some trouble with her assistant holding up the speaker for her properly, and she seemed annoyed that the crowd did not ask more questions. However, it seemed like a generally successful event overall. It was quite an experience working with Pat, and I hope to see her when the piece gets de-installed and burned.

September 27, 2014

Today was the Open House, which Pat used as an opportunity to showcase the work she has made so far. She did this by staging a wedding, and using those who attended for the open studios as the "wedding guests." Upon arriving, participants were given black drapes and hats. The purpose of the black drapery was to make the crowd more cohesive and provide a more neutral backdrop for the hats to pop against.

Once everyone was properly attired (meanwhile, I had donned my Auntie Maim curtain dress & wig!), we were conducted outside of the church, down the road, so that we could simulate a joyous procession, gaily headed for the church. Everyone was instructed to be as theatrical and over-the-top emotional as possible, for the purpose of the documentation. Then, we made our way inside the church in pairs. Next, we gathered around and sat in anticipation of the pretend wedding. Here, guests were encouraged to perform a variety of theatrics, such as laughing, crying, sleeping, gossiping, and bickering. Following this, Pat climbed into her full bridal-party costume, and everyone stood and provided general fanfare as she flaunted the lovely ladies about the church.  Finally, the whole group made its way back outside, where we all posed for the big wedding portrait.

The guests that I talked to all had a fine time. Most were surprised at how they were asked to participate, but pleasantly so. I was interested to see how willing people were to help, and how patient and flexible they were with all of Pat's instructions. It is good to keep in mind for any of my own future social/participation based work.

Next Saturday will be the final performance, "The Would-Lands." Many people at today's event expressed interest in participating in this, so it will be interesting to see how that all plays out. I am not quite sure what to expect, but I know that the pieces displayed in the church will be featured, either in the performance itself, or as part of the Rail Trail installation.

The family portraits of the wedding party plus a sign for the performance
next weekend

Foot soldiers

Banner in front of the CHRCH Project Space

The wedding inside

A few of the pieces to go out on the trail

September 20, 2014: The Gala!

I went to Rosedale to pick up Pat and all of the hats at 2:30, but my preparation began far before then. I wanted to look my best, so I showered, did my makeup, and dressed earlier in the day. When I arrived, Pat was waiting for me as scheduled in the church. We loaded our costumes into the car, and then went to the WSW to raid the hats from the gallery. Pat changed into her costume, and then we were off.

A few people asked me about how we
transported the hats, and if I documented
it, so here it is!

We only had minor difficulties finding our way there. The main problem was trying to navigate to the pavilion; fortunately, we met a friendly worker who let us follow the supply truck there. Then, I got to keep my car up there, so I had priority parking!

We unloaded the hats onto a table so that they could be displayed before (and after) people wore them. Pat put on her makeup, and then we had a bit of free time until we had to don our costumes in full, so we walked around and looked at the Mohonk House and the lake.

Hats displayed on the table

The artist contemplates nature

Once we returned from our stroll, Pat and I added the final touches to our costumes: our hats and paper adornments. Guests started arriving by 4:45, and at 5, Pat made the declaration that everyone must put their hats on. This changed the energy of the space greatly. Much of the seriousness of the event was replaced by an excited and humorous energy. It was very interesting for me to see everyone in their hats, because they transformed from stagnant objects into the clothing of the wearer. Furthermore, the way the hats were activated by the personality and form of the wearer was very interesting. Everybody's hat seemed to fit with them very well. They also made it easy to pick people out of the crowd. Those who did not wear hats seemed to really appreciate them. A few were sold during the auction part of the event. Pat kindly offered that the hat models were to be included with the hats, but not all of the models appreciated this.

 Pat and I received many compliments on our costumes. I was told that I wore mine well, and somebody wanted to buy it during the auction. It was difficult to maneuver through the crowd and to eat while wearing the costume, but I wore it for the duration of the event regardless. 

At the conclusion, I helped load up the hats again, but this time we fit them into Anne's van, and they drove Pat back to WSW so I could proceed directly home. Overall, it seemed like a successful event, and the hats and costumes were much appreciated. 

Open House Saturday the 27th!

September 16, 2014

Brief visit to Pat today. Came in at 10, and got to work painting fabric triangles which make up the eyelashes on an enormous eyeball. Unfortunately, Pat purchased a paint designed for metal, so it smelled especially bad and took a very long time to dry.

When I finished with that, we went on another errand run. Then, we went to the WSW so that Pat could pick out colors for the poster she designed. The poster is for the final performance piece, and they will be screen printing it for her at the workshop, so they had to pick out colors from the Pantone color booklet to try to match the colors  in the original design.

Finally, we returned to the church, and I spent the remainder of my time there painting another large patterned sheet (to wrap over a tree).

Update on the open house: it is going to be on Saturday the 27th instead of Wednesday the 24th.

September 14, 2014

Things have been busy at Pat's studio. She made a costume for me, several more hats, a costume for herself, and is working on another costume for one of the volunteers, all for the Gala this Saturday night.

Sneak preview of my costume for the Gala!

She also has been putting together characters for the rail trail piece. The latest on that is that the title is "Would-lands," and that there will be various fantastical characters floating up in the trees. The tree trunks will be decorated with material. My primary task of the day was painting this red material with patterns in white paint. I completed 3 of these sheets.

We also took a break to run some errands. At the end of the day, I helped her transport the additional hats to the gallery space. Pat is going to be doing a fitting session so that those representing the WSW at the Gala can all have properly sized hats.

Wednesday the 24th is going to be an open house for the studio, during which we will be staging a wedding, using the materials produced for the Soap Box Derby. Pat will be using it as an opportunity to document her work.

September 7, 2014

Came in for a short day today. Before I headed over, I tried to look for hula hoops, as requested by Pat. Unfortunately, the dollar store in New Paltz doesn't open until 10am on Sundays, and it was about 9:30. So I continued to Rosendale, and returned to the dollar store later on, to successfully purchase 2 large hoops and 1 small.

Once I arrived, Pat and I ran some errands, including a trip to True Value to get supplies for pouring concrete. We found some flimsy plastic buckets that were the perfect size (and price!). I mixed up our 2 bags of concrete and poured them into the buckets, putting a piece of wood in each one. These are going to be used as the bases for the sculptures for the Rail Trail. They are translucent, which is nice because you can see the concrete texture. It seems like an appropriate aesthetic, considering that we are trying to showcase the history of Rosendale cement.

Meanwhile, Pat has been working on costumes for herself and me to wear to the Gala. I am very curious to see what she comes up with. The hula hoops are for the skirt of her gown. It should be quite the spectacle!

September 1, 2014

The hats all loaded in my car, being transported
from the church to the gallery

Happy Labor Day! Set up for the gallery space took longer than anticipated, just as it always goes when it comes to art. Pat needed to decide on how she wanted to display her hats, a small curatorial challenge, considering the space and the mismatched nature of the pedestals and shelves she had at her disposal.

Ultimately, we decided to make use of three pedestals and two shelves. I gave the pedestals a coat of white paint, which freshened them up a bit. Most of the hats were hung on the walls using monofilament fishing line and nails, but the ones that were to rest on the pedestals and shelves marked a special design challenge, because Pat wanted them to be elevated off the surface. This was tricky because we needed to find something that would fit into the hats, support and elevate them, and be visually non-obtrusive. Ultimately, we came up with a good solution, which was to wrap hard cover books with white paper.

Pat was still in putting up hats when I left (which is a one person job, hence my dismissal for the day), so I have not yet gotten pictures of the finished gallery.

August 31, 2014

Today was busy day of many simple tasks. I cut up an assortment of colored papers into squares, which I then folded in half and stapled onto a string, to make a banner. Pat wants it for a decoration for her presentation.

I made a series of roses from gold foil, and a series of bows that were glued onto a wedding cake hat.

We successfully completed the Needle in a Haystack hat, which was mostly done with my efforts. It was challenging to get the hay to stick, but I think my technique was somewhat improved on my second attempt, today. I also benefited from a new, more heavy duty bottle of Elmer's glue. It was helpful because the spout was wider and allows for more glue dispensing while still being under control. Unfortunately, I seem to have permanently affixed several strands of hay to my pants.

To top the day off, I spent the last hour or so ironing the nylon banner. It seems that Pat is well prepared for her presentation & to install her work in the gallery. Tomorrow, we will be doing the install, and she says that it shouldn't take too long, so maybe we will both have the afternoon off to enjoy Labor Day.

I will put pictures up of some of the hats soon!

August 30, 2014

Before going over to the church, I stopped by Stop n Shop to pick up small brown paper bags, as requested for Pat. She has been going through a variety of largely paper based materials for construction of her hats.

My work today was primarily folding roses out of shiny red foil, and construction of a "Needle in a Haystack" hat. I made a series of long, skinny, isosceles-triangle type pieces of paper. I fixed the narrow ends all together to form a circle, and then the sides of the triangles met up to create a curved form. I had to glue hay down to the paper, to give it the look of being a haystack. It was tricky to get the hay to stick, and I'm going to have to do more work on it tomorrow. So far, I've used three bottle of Elmer's Glue on it. I managed to glue lots of straw to myself in the process.

We also made a run to the local True Value to get spray paint. We realized that they have free popcorn there, and so we like the store a lot more now.

While we worked, Pat explained the construction of her hats, and tips such as making overlap on the primary support band, so it can be torn open and expanded if necessary, to accommodate larger heads; or to use a perpendicular band to the primary band, so that if the hat is heavy, it will not slide into the wearer's eyes. I'm interested to see how we install the hats into the gallery. I will be assisting with that on Monday.

August 28, 2014

Today I came in for the first time since the soap box derby. The space looked very different because there was a variety of new materials spread out all over. She seemed happy to see me, and asked how classes were going before she showed me what she's been doing. She has made an assortment of hats, which she is making for WSW members to wear to the Mohonk Gala, and also to be displayed in the WSW gallery. She has been fairly busy with that, trying to make 30 of them by Sunday.

I folded up paper for her to use in her hats, and then I ran some errands for her. After, I ironed part a series of nylon flags which she is planning on displaying. I also drove her to the lake so she could go swimming.

While we were working, I asked her about her typical work flow and she explained how she normally works from project to project (she likes to call them "gigs"), how she initially made money by renting out her inflatables for parties and events, but now that she's more established, people often approach her with projects. It was interesting to hear her perspective and advice.

Pat's presentation

Put together a flyer for the WSW. Pat is having a presentation and we're hoping to
get some involvement and interest from on campus. Unfortunately, it's during my
class, so I know that myself and the sculpture group mostly won't be able to go.

Kingston Artist Soap Box Derby- other entries

Kingston Artist Soap Box Derby- August 24, 2014

We arrived very early and had plenty of time
to primp our friend here: zip tie his arm to the
cart, position his donation (which is watered
down paint) properly, adjust his shoes (one of
which fell off on the hill!)

Our vehicle is licensed and registered

Close up on one of the bridesmaid's faces: they are made of foam
that has been glued, sewn, and cut, over wooden dowels that are
inserted into a PVC pipe framework; their hair is of paper that has
been curled and layered; their bodies are also foam, with some
toile to give their bosoms extra umph

The lovely ladies!

In action!

Going down the aisle!

Attempting to steer the shopping cart

August 23, 2014

Another day of hard work. I did a lot of hot glue-ing foam together. I have the burns on my fingers to show for it. It is making it difficult to type.

I also put a beautiful coat of old paint on the wooden platform for the shopping cart. Additionally, we have attached a license plate for it. Woody added extra breaking mechanisms and I rewarded him with oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip peanut cookies. It was a good exchange.

Pat got her adult scooter in the mail yesterday, after a WSW staff member flagged down the delivery truck.

The man hunt has come to an end because we realized there is no man good enough, and so, we made our own. Undine spearheaded this project, and she did a splendid job. He is quite the man.

We had a lot of ground to cover today, but by the time I left, Pat was putting the finishing touches on everything. Hopefully everything goes according to plan tomorrow! Can't wait to see what happens.

August 22, 2014

Despite getting to bed late, I wasn't dragging as much as I expected to at work today. Or perhaps it put me in a better mental state to do simple, repetitive tasks, of which I had many. I ironed, and then spent most of my time making "bouquets" for the bridesmaids and brides.

One of the volunteers, Undine, came in. She was a huge help and made lots and lots of curled papers for hair. I am quite grateful because I am very bored of that job.

I also spent some time out back with the chickens, trying to get internet on the patio. This is because one of Pat's packages did not arrive. Consequentially, she has nothing to ride for the derby. This means that we need to buy some sort of backup scooter, and so I researched our options. It would seem that the best we can do on such short notice is a child's scooter from Target.

What kind of man doesn't want me to push him
around in this?

The man-hunt has continued in a frustrating manner. I called one of the contacts from the WSW (I texted him yesterday and he never responded). Turns out that he's busy, and told someone who wasn't myself or Pat, so we never got the word! I've asked a few of my own contacts, and Pat called someone who evidently works at a gym and is interested. She's also going to call one of Undine's friends who is interested. It's so difficult to find a good man these days!

The shopping cart is in decent shape, in the sense that we tested it in the WSW parking lot and the breaks work there. We also adjusted the wheels so it doesn't pull a lot to the side. Unfortunately, you really can't steer it. In any case, I think I should bake cookies tonight to thank Woody, who rigged up the breaks for us. He has been super helpful and deserves acknowledgement.

August 21, 2014

Today was a very full day. We have a lot to get done by this Sunday, and not a huge amount of time!
I spent the morning cutting up foam bits for a wig for my costume, and then I spent some time cutting and curling paper for the bridesmaids' hair. These tasks kept me busy well into the day. I also helped with the construction of foam arms for the bridesmaids and brides.

We also had a couple of meetings, which went well.

The hunt for a man continues. The waiter from yesterday has not responded to my text, and neither has the second contact from the WSW. We are considering omitting the male entirely, and using instead a sign that reads "LOOKING FOR A MAN," allowing an element of audience participation into the piece. I wonder if any brave souls will accept the challenge. It doesn't seem particularly inviting, between my ridiculous costume and the illegitimate nature of the shopping cart contraption.

August 20, 2014

Sneak peak for this Sunday!

My friend Ashley is visiting, so I had yesterday off, and got to come in late today. I came in around 2:40, and I got to try on my costume right away. I will apparently also be using a grey foam wig to complete the look.

We went on an errand run to Kingston, and stopped in town to look over the street that the soap box derby will be on. We ran into someone who was working on his car, and were able to get some insider's information on the race.

Once we got back, we looked in at the shopping cart. Woody, a man who works for the WSW, has been working on it. He has outfitted it with a platform that I will stand on, and functional breaks. This seems to me like a far better, safer plan than the original idea of me being on roller skates & pushing a shopping cart.

However well the shopping cart is going, we still are questing for a male to put into the shopping cart. Pat gave me contact information for a fellow named Sam, so I gave him a call, only to find out that he cannot actually make the derby. Then I had to send him an apology text. I'm waiting to hear back to confirm that he cannot participate. In the meantime, Ruth is waiting to hear back about another young lad who might be suitable.

I went to pick up Ashley from a cafe in Rosendale, because she went to explore while I was running errands with Pat, and I jokingly mentioned the search for a male to her. Consequentially, we decided that her waiter looked like a good choice, and so I ended up getting his number. Now I am waiting to see if we hear back from the other contacts, or if I should go ahead and see if Harry the waiter is serious about participating. The adventure continues!

Kingston Artist's Soap Box Derby: Sunday, August 24, 1:0pm

"Pat Oleszko, artist in residence working on a Rail Trail project, is already going down-hell with an entry in the Kingston Artist's Soap Box Derby, Sunday, August 24 from 1:00. Ever in pursuit of Liberty, Frivolity and Notoriety, Oleszko, (pronounced O-Let's-Go) is a seasoned veteran of many such calamitous affairs with the bruised ribs to prove it. This time she is walk ‘n rolling with Brides’ Heads Revisited: Jest Merried poor-traying a phalanx of 9 fabulous females that premise the wedding party on wheels including Dee Flowered Girl, 7 Maids Not Milking, and two Gay Pride Brides. Her long-suffering assistant Rachel Nolte follows as Auntie Maim pushing Able-bodied Semen Justin Case and dragging a basinet. Come and be Pa’t of the Grande Event, throw rice and good witches."

August 18, 2014

Today, I thought I would be clever and try driving an alternative route to the church, instead of going to the WSW and then driving over from there. I figured I could avoid the construction on Binnewater. Much to my dismay, I realized the construction had moved down the road, meaning that I still had to drive through it. It wasn't anything terribly inconvenient, just annoying after making a point to avoid it. Then, when I got to the church, I realized I was supposed to be picking Pat up from the WSW. Augh.

We went over to Kingston for somewhat unsuccessful errands--P&T Surplus was closed for a surprise vacation, much to our dismay, and the Salvation Army had wedding dresses that were too expensive for Pat's use.

Would you believe that this is only
$27.99 on Ebay? New, free shipping!
We couldn't get it because it would
arrive too late, but it's really some-
thing else!

I was going to search for cheap wedding dresses online, but I realized the internet wasn't working in the church, and I forgot my laptop charger. So I went and used Pat's laptop in her room, where the internet was good, and researched wedding dresses until lunch.

After lunch, we had a meeting to plan Pat's schedule with the staff at WSW. They have undertaken the quest for a suitable male to participate in our soapbox "car." After the meeting, I showed Pat the fruits of my online labors. She was not thrilled with our choices, but we purchased one. Then, I did so more searching, and finally, we selected the second. I have had enough of wedding dresses to last me for a good while, and I feel that this is probably a good thing.

Of course, it's not a proper day of work if I have not done some ironing, so I ironed out the satin curtains in preparation for the Mother of the Bride Costume. I am taking the day off tomorrow because my friend is visiting, and I hope that by the time I return, the costume will be ready. I am excited to see how it turns out.