糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock alumna lends artistic touch to NYC exhibit
Mel Chin, Wake, 2018, multimedia
Courtesy Chelsea Lipman for Times Square Arts Little Rock artist never stops looking for new ways to collaborate on art. And that is precisely how the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock alumna recently found herself in New York City鈥檚 Times Square helping install 鈥淲ake,鈥漮ne of conceptual artist Mel Chin鈥檚 new works.鈥淲ake,鈥� commissioned by is a 60-foot-tall animatronic sculpture that resembles a cross between a shipwreck and the skeletal remains of a marine mammal that rise up from Times Square. On the ship鈥檚 bow is the figurehead of Jenny Lind, an opera star known as the 鈥淪wedish Nightingale鈥� and for whom the USS Nightingale tea clipper and slave ship were named. Chin鈥檚 other piece, 鈥淯nmoored,鈥� is a digitally interactive mixed reality counterpart to 鈥淲ake.鈥� Together, the two works 鈥渙pen a physical and virtual gateway to the future of human existence, inviting participants to contemplate their place within the world鈥檚 transforming climate,鈥� according to Times Square Arts.Faculty, students and staff at the engineered and fabricated the structure of 鈥淲ake.鈥� The head of the female figure gently nods, and her chest rises and compresses, as if she is breathing.Sell, who was an artist-in-resident at UNC in March, was one of many people who worked on the elaborate project.鈥淢y primary role was to construct, then carve, the figure鈥檚 dress,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was a fantastic opportunity to share my experience with the team and engage in collaborative thinking.鈥�Sell worked on the piece for four weeks, leading up to the sculpture鈥檚 installment on July 11 in Times Square. The structure was built with segments in mind, so it could be deconstructed, shipped then reconstructed on site.鈥淚 was extremely excited to come in and lend a hand in the last 24 hours of installation,鈥� Sell said. 鈥淭he team had worked extremely hard, and it was a pleasure to bring some fresh energy to help with the last push. The opening day was great, and so many people showed up.鈥�
Times Square is just one location for art that is part of the larger exhibit 鈥淢el Chin: All Over the Place鈥�,鈥� co-produced by and the . The exhibition spans nearly four decades of Chin鈥檚 work 鈥� at sites including the Queens Museum, Times Square, the Broadway-Lafayette subway station, and streaming online with Soundtrack 鈥� creating an infinite loop of the artist鈥檚 thinking about our world and how we choose to occupy it.
鈥淲ake鈥� will remain in Times Square Plaza through Sept. 5.
Sell is back in Little Rock now, where she retired after her 21-year career in the U.S. Army. 聽She enrolled at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, completing a Bachelor of Arts in 2008 and a Master of Arts in 2014. Sell has also served as an apprentice to Little Rock artist Robyn Horn, who was instrumental in helping 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock get its Windgate Center for Art and Design.Her creative pursuits led her to the , where she was a studio assistant for wood sculptors Stoney Lamar and Brent Skidmore. Skidmore, who directs the Craft Studies program at University of North Carolina at Asheville, then invited Sell to fill an artist-in-resident position at the university earlier this year. Soon after, she became involved working on 鈥淲ake鈥�.A wood carver by choice, Sell also paints and does some work in found object dimensional painting. Her work is in the permanent collections of the , the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, and the Historic Arkansas Museum, along with many private collections.Since 2007, Sell鈥檚 work has been featured in over 30 exhibits in the United States.Top Right Photo: Mel Chin,聽Wake, 2018, multimedia. Courtesy of Chelsea Lipman for Times Square Arts
Faculty, students and staff at the engineered and fabricated the structure of 鈥淲ake.鈥� The head of the female figure gently nods, and her chest rises and compresses, as if she is breathing.
Sell, who was an artist-in-resident at UNC in March, was one of many people who worked on the elaborate project.
鈥淢y primary role was to construct, then carve, the figure鈥檚 dress,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was a fantastic opportunity to share my experience with the team and engage in collaborative thinking.鈥�
Sell worked on the piece for four weeks, leading up to the sculpture鈥檚 installment on July 11 in Times Square. The structure was built with segments in mind, so it could be deconstructed, shipped then reconstructed on site.
鈥淚 was extremely excited to come in and lend a hand in the last 24 hours of installation,鈥� Sell said. 鈥淭he team had worked extremely hard, and it was a pleasure to bring some fresh energy to help with the last push. The opening day was great, and so many people showed up.鈥�
Times Square is just one location for art that is part of the larger exhibit 鈥淢el Chin: All Over the Place鈥�,鈥� co-produced by and the . The exhibition spans nearly four decades of Chin鈥檚 work 鈥� at sites including the Queens Museum, Times Square, the Broadway-Lafayette subway station, and streaming online with Soundtrack 鈥� creating an infinite loop of the artist鈥檚 thinking about our world and how we choose to occupy it.
鈥淲ake鈥� will remain in Times Square Plaza through Sept. 5.
Sell is back in Little Rock now, where she retired after her 21-year career in the U.S. Army. 聽She enrolled at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, completing a Bachelor of Arts in 2008 and a Master of Arts in 2014. Sell has also served as an apprentice to Little Rock artist Robyn Horn, who was instrumental in helping 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock get its Windgate Center for Art and Design.
Her creative pursuits led her to the , where she was a studio assistant for wood sculptors Stoney Lamar and Brent Skidmore. Skidmore, who directs the Craft Studies program at University of North Carolina at Asheville, then invited Sell to fill an artist-in-resident position at the university earlier this year. Soon after, she became involved working on 鈥淲ake鈥�.
A wood carver by choice, Sell also paints and does some work in found object dimensional painting. Her work is in the permanent collections of the , the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, and the Historic Arkansas Museum, along with many private collections.
Since 2007, Sell鈥檚 work has been featured in over 30 exhibits in the United States.
Top Right Photo: Mel Chin,聽Wake, 2018, multimedia. Courtesy of Chelsea Lipman for Times Square Arts