Dynamic Duos: Art of Collaboration features nine artist pairs – including six painters, two printmakers, two sculptors, four mixed media artists, one potter, and three photographers. In the fall of 2021, PenArt’s Director of Public Program and Exhibitions, Crystal Chesnik invited nine artists to participate. Then, she asked each of these artists to invite a collaborator and produce a work of art. The resulting collaborative works will be shown alongside an example of each artist’s individual work – lending insight into how the collaboration took shape. Featured artist pairs are:
Ginnie Cappaert, Egg Harbor, WI & Jill Birschbach, Evanston, IL
Steven W Stanger & Arlene Stanger, Baileys Harbor, WI
Anne Kelly, Fish Creek, WI & Mary Beth McGinnis, Chicago, IL
Renee Schwaller, Egg Harbor, WI & Jeanne Kuhns Sturgeon Bay, WI
Christy Kelly-Bentgen, Sturgeon Bay, WI & Karen Gallup, Ann Arbor, MI
Meg Lionel Murphy, Sturgeon Bay, WI & Robin Millard, Plymouth, MN
Shan Bryan-Hanson, Sturgeon Bay, WI & Scott Leipski, Gladstone, MI
Julia Redwine, Sturgeon Bay, WI & Dale J. Vanden Houten, St. Paul, MN
Tom Friese, Green Bay, WI & David Graham, DePere, WI
Collaboration in theatre and music is becoming mainstream, but the fine arts tend to gravitate toward solitary expression. Many artists dodge even the thought of art collaborations because they are so accustomed to working alone or they don’t want to give their creative process away, but the merging of materials and style through artist collaboration can create some of the most groundbreaking artistic works. History has shown us that artistic expansion happens when minds like Andy Warhol & Jean Michel Basquiat, Walt Disney & Salvador Dali, and Jackson Pollack & Lee Krasner meld their creative genius and complementary skills.
What’s key to successful art collaboration is the conversation between the artists that unlocks each artists’ creative potential and benefits both artists. What you will have when you are finished is a visible record of the ‘give and take’ in the artistic conversation that has manifested itself into a piece of art.
Some of the artist pairs worked together in-person – even simulateously, on their collaboration, while others, like Bryan-Hanson and Leipski, worked mostly remotely. “Since we live several hours from one another in different states, this project was largely done remotely with one in-person meeting, at which we developed the format for the work. We freely discussed ideas until coming up with the final design. After the initial meeting, decisions were made via email, phone, and text exchanges.”
One of the greatest challenges for the artists was collaborating across media, like printmaker Dale Van Houten and painter Julia Redwine. “While both our techniques utilize layers, painting in oil and cold wax is rather free form, while printmaking requires exactness in the creation of the plates. Given the inherent qualities of each medium it became evident that a layered approach was our way forward.” said Redwine. The resulting piece East Meets West, lets both artists work come through while offering up something new and altogether different from their individual works.
According to curator Crystal Chesnik, “Typically each artist’s creative contribution is discernible in the new work, and it’s the juxtaposition of the two styles that create a transformative effect.”
Dynamic Duos is on display in Peninsula School of Art’s Guenzel Gallery. The Gallery is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8am-5pm through April and Mondays through Saturdays beginning May 2.
