Breakfast of Champions

This summer I have the opportunity to work with Veronica Cianfranco, a local Philadelphia artist, and her artist group CHER (Champions of Empty Rooms).  Each week is so new and different, as my tasks are constantly changing depending on what Veronica and her group is working on. I am fellowing alongside Lydia Guadagnoli, and the experience is pretty new for the both of us since we are illustration majors and the fine arts realm is new to us.

In my first week Veronica and I helped Lauren McCarty make a stop motion video for her to use on Kick Starter, to help raise funds for her project. Lauren’s project is titled Stuff Hero, where she asks people to become Stuff Hero’s themselves by adopting items that she has found in thrift stores, trash bins, or on the street. The “Hero’s” then document their experiences with these items, like how they interact with it, where it is placed, and how its meaning evolves as it becomes a staple in their life. By asking these questions Lauren hopes to figure out how we as a material culture interact with used objects that come with histories and identities.

My job was to act as an extra pair of hands. I had several chores like wiping down the dumpster, reflecting light for the camera, assisting with costume change, and applying sparkle tears. The actual production went really smoothly and it was the fastest stop motion project I have ever been a part of. We spent four hours in the back parking lot of Oregon Diner, and were done by 7 p.m just in time for dinner.

I even got to be in the video as a Stuff Hero; I adopted a lamp. And after the movie was wrapped we went to the Oregon Diner, where Lauren treated us to a nice dinner. We discussed how taxes work for artists, and setting up lesson plans as art teachers.

 

You can see the final Kickstarter video at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/486878143/the-stuff-crusade. I really love how Lauren put her own touch on things with all of her sequins and illustrations. She has 26 days left and has already raised $852. Way to go Stuff Hero’s!