Mr. Imagination (Gregory Warmack)
Mr. Imagination’s Arch of Unity
Proposal for Vision and Vernacular Eight African American Artists in Venice Presented by American Folk Art Museum at Fondaco dei Tedeschi, June 2011
Artist Statement
The subject of my art is that beauty is everywhere. It is found in the junk and trash of everyday life that I recycle and transform into beautiful objects, furniture and structures. Everything I find, I reuse in my art and give it a new purpose. I teach others that the creative process is open to all if you just use your eyes and your imagination. I want my art to make people happy and to heal them.
I am a self-taught artist and I have a connection to the other artists participating in the project because all of us are self-taught. However, I believe that it doesn’t matter whether an artist is self-taught or studied in art school; we share the same umbrella that we are all Artists.
Proposal Statement
My preliminary plan for the Venice Project was to build a grotto. I felt a grotto would be the right sculpture to build because of Italy’s unique history with grotto architecture which encompasses natural caves like the Grotta Azzura in Capri, religious grottoes dedicated to Our Lady, and artificial garden sculptures such as Tiberius’ cave. I also have a personal connection to this type of structure, having built many grottoes for private and public use in various cities in the U.S. However, time constraints prohibited such an ambitious structure, so I have decided to take some of the elements from grotto architecture, like encrusting the surfaces of the walls with pebbles and shells, and apply them to the arch, another form of architecture perfected during the Roman Empire. The arch also was used in the Aksum culture, now known as Ethiopia and Eritrea. To me, the arch symbolizes Venice’s former glory as the maritime gateway for trade between Europe and the rest of the world. Personally, I like the idea of the triumphal arch and by including my life-sized self portrait, I am not only referencing religious grottoes, but announcing to the world that I have been reborn like the phoenix after losing my life’s work, studio and home in a devastating fire three years ago. With this project, I am proclaiming to the world that I am rising again.
The statue of me standing under the “Arch of Unity” is symbolic of pulling together with the people through their donations of personal items which I am embedding in the arch.
The four large flower pots that will be placed at the site represent the four directions, North, South, East and West, from where we all come to stand together under the “Arch of Unity”.
Project Description
My structure will consist of three key components: a 14 foot high arch encircling a life-size self-portrait of me standing on a three step base, and surrounded by four large face urns holding flowers. All surfaces will be embellished with a variety of found and donated objects sourced in the U.S. and Italy.
The self portrait will be a life-size sculpture of me wearing a coat and hat. It will be made of plaster of Paris over a wooden armature and partially decorated with river rocks. It will be mounted on a base consisting of three platforms that are distinguished by their decoration. Each base will be made of cement over a wooden platform and decorated with various materials. The first base will have a cement top and the four corners will be decorated with white marble chips. Running along its face will be rosettes made of plaster of Paris, bottle caps sprayed gold and mirrors. The second base will be covered all over with colored glass chips found at the Murano glass factory. The face of the third base where the sculpture is mounted will be covered with white sea shells.
Above the sculpture will be an arch approximately 14H x 4W x 3D feet in size. It will be made of concrete over a wooden armature, and it will be hollow. I will include a winged lion, the symbol of Venice, at the top. The arch’s entire surface, both inside and out, will be encrusted with white shells, river rocks, white marble chips, marbles, broken mirror pieces, Murano glass, and bottle caps. In addition cast-off jewelry and personal mementoes donated by the public in the U.S. and Italy will also be embedded on the inside of the arch as something special and secret. The arch will also be embellished with sculptures of my hands painted gold, shadow boxes, and small portrait faces on paint brushes. I will place four smaller pots for flowers beside the arch.
The arch and sculpture will be surrounded by four 3 foot high concrete urns with portraits of my face on one side and mounted on a small base. My face will be spray-painted gold, and the surrounding area will be embedded with white shells, river rocks, white marble chips, broken mirrors, and colored Murano glass. The base will have four flowers handmade of cement, spray-painted gold, and decorated with mirrors. I intend these to be used as flower pots, so I will fill them with dirt and plant local flowers. They will be located north, south, east and west of the arch.
As told to Martha V. Henry, Curator
Mr. Imagination (Gregory Warmack)
Mr. Imagination’s Arch of Unity
Proposal for Vision and Vernacular Eight African American Artists in Venice Presented by American Folk Art Museum at Fondaco dei Tedeschi, June 2011
Artist Statement
The subject of my art is that beauty is everywhere. It is found in the junk and trash of everyday life that I recycle and transform into beautiful objects, furniture and structures. Everything I find, I reuse in my art and give it a new purpose. I teach others that the creative process is open to all if you just use your eyes and your imagination. I want my art to make people happy and to heal them.
I am a self-taught artist and I have a connection to the other artists participating in the project because all of us are self-taught. However, I believe that it doesn’t matter whether an artist is self-taught or studied in art school; we share the same umbrella that we are all Artists.
Proposal Statement
My preliminary plan for the Venice Project was to build a grotto. I felt a grotto would be the right sculpture to build because of Italy’s unique history with grotto architecture which encompasses natural caves like the Grotta Azzura in Capri, religious grottoes dedicated to Our Lady, and artificial garden sculptures such as Tiberius’ cave. I also have a personal connection to this type of structure, having built many grottoes for private and public use in various cities in the U.S. However, time constraints prohibited such an ambitious structure, so I have decided to take some of the elements from grotto architecture, like encrusting the surfaces of the walls with pebbles and shells, and apply them to the arch, another form of architecture perfected during the Roman Empire. The arch also was used in the Aksum culture, now known as Ethiopia and Eritrea. To me, the arch symbolizes Venice’s former glory as the maritime gateway for trade between Europe and the rest of the world. Personally, I like the idea of the triumphal arch and by including my life-sized self portrait, I am not only referencing religious grottoes, but announcing to the world that I have been reborn like the phoenix after losing my life’s work, studio and home in a devastating fire three years ago. With this project, I am proclaiming to the world that I am rising again.
The statue of me standing under the “Arch of Unity” is symbolic of pulling together with the people through their donations of personal items which I am embedding in the arch.
The four large flower pots that will be placed at the site represent the four directions, North, South, East and West, from where we all come to stand together under the “Arch of Unity”.
Project Description
My structure will consist of three key components: a 14 foot high arch encircling a life-size self-portrait of me standing on a three step base, and surrounded by four large face urns holding flowers. All surfaces will be embellished with a variety of found and donated objects sourced in the U.S. and Italy.
The self portrait will be a life-size sculpture of me wearing a coat and hat. It will be made of plaster of Paris over a wooden armature and partially decorated with river rocks. It will be mounted on a base consisting of three platforms that are distinguished by their decoration. Each base will be made of cement over a wooden platform and decorated with various materials. The first base will have a cement top and the four corners will be decorated with white marble chips. Running along its face will be rosettes made of plaster of Paris, bottle caps sprayed gold and mirrors. The second base will be covered all over with colored glass chips found at the Murano glass factory. The face of the third base where the sculpture is mounted will be covered with white sea shells.
Above the sculpture will be an arch approximately 14H x 4W x 3D feet in size. It will be made of concrete over a wooden armature, and it will be hollow. I will include a winged lion, the symbol of Venice, at the top. The arch’s entire surface, both inside and out, will be encrusted with white shells, river rocks, white marble chips, marbles, broken mirror pieces, Murano glass, and bottle caps. In addition cast-off jewelry and personal mementoes donated by the public in the U.S. and Italy will also be embedded on the inside of the arch as something special and secret. The arch will also be embellished with sculptures of my hands painted gold, shadow boxes, and small portrait faces on paint brushes. I will place four smaller pots for flowers beside the arch.
The arch and sculpture will be surrounded by four 3 foot high concrete urns with portraits of my face on one side and mounted on a small base. My face will be spray-painted gold, and the surrounding area will be embedded with white shells, river rocks, white marble chips, broken mirrors, and colored Murano glass. The base will have four flowers handmade of cement, spray-painted gold, and decorated with mirrors. I intend these to be used as flower pots, so I will fill them with dirt and plant local flowers. They will be located north, south, east and west of the arch.
As told to Martha V. Henry, Curator