Despite the very warm Monday evening, several dozen artists showed up for the Culver Arts Foundation’s monthly ‘meet-up’ at Jeff Morrical’s local studio. Morrical’s unique paper sculptures were on display, and their creator was there to teach a paper folding technique that he uses as the basis for much of his art.
People were eager to get to know each other, and there was an ‘ice-breaker’ conversation in the space behind the studio, taking advantage of the shade and the breeze. Artists of many different flavors spoke; film makers, dancers, musicians, and painters, all took a moment to trade information on their latest projects. There were also gallery owners, non-profit directors and a few philanthropists in the crowd; an ideal intersection of interests.
Once the papers were handed out and instructions offered, the ‘hands-on’ creation of the three – dimensional structures delighted some, frustrated others, and became a moment to try out a new kind of artistic creation. Morrical generously offered some individual tutoring on the process. He spoke about enjoying origami when he was young, and how coming back to paper as a medium after studying architecture gave him a renewed sense of creativity.
The monthly meet-ups have been a part of the CAF calendar for more than a year, creating connections in restaurants and book stores, and giving like-minded creatives some playtime.
The Artist Meet-Up is on the last Monday of the month; locations are announced a week ahead of the meeting.
The CAF is also sponsoring the ongoing presentation “Projecting Possibilities,” which happens nightly from 8 pm to 2 am at the Helms Bakery District, and is currently featuring the work of Jae Pak.
For more info on the Culver Art foundation, go to CulverArts.org
Photo credit -Dane Twitchell