This month Kalabash is doing a 40 day practice challenge, encouraging students to build their skills and a bit of healthy competition with their fellow music-makers. Me, the ship captain, Katie Berns, created a large sticker chart made up of over 4,000 squares to keep track of everyone’s progress. This sizable chart was inspired by the work of Agnes Martin.
When I was first asked to do this, I lit up! I get to create an Agnes Martin-inspired work? I get to step into the method of someone I admire so deeply? What a dream! However, I couldn’t sit for weeks on end and wait for a vision to appear to me. I didn’t have enough time! The challenge was only a week away and I had to move fast. I did, however, do a bunch of meticulous measuring and pencil-sharpening to plan for how big this thing would have to be to accommodate the over 100 students we have here at Kalabash. I would say Agnes would be proud, but I don’t think she’d really care.
I can already hear it you now, “Wait, hold on…visions??”, you might ask. “Sitting for weeks on end??? What are you talking about?”
Well, let me tell you…
WHO IS AGNES MARTIN?
Agnes Martin was a painter born in Canada, 1912. She moved to New York City when she was 20 years old and became apart of the New York School, a group of artists looking to define modern art in America. Her colleges included the likes of Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.
She’s most known for her paintings made up of repetitive grids, stripes and dots. Though her work resembled the minimalist athletics of some of her counterparts, she did not consider herself a minimalist. She rather thought of her work as Abstract Expressionism, depicting the visions she had, most commonly relating to themes of pure happiness, innocence, beauty and joy.
She was a mystic and had a deeply spiritual connection to her work. She would sit and wait for an image to come to her, sometimes sitting for weeks on end until a tiny grid would appear in her mind. This was a meditative practice, honoring her spiritual life, thinking of herself only as a vessel for creation.
REFLECTIONS
I find the repetition, focus and intention behind Martin’s work a parallel to the dedication it takes to complete a challenge of this magnitude. For 40 days, students will practice and place an orange dot on each day they’ve completed. I know it would satisfy Martin’s soul to see each of these 4,400 squares filled with the proof, the intention, of a students dedication to their craft. Maybe this is a stretch, but stretching is good for the body and mind!
The challenge started Saturday, October 8 and will end on November 17, leading us to our open mic!
FAQs
Are there prizes? What are they?! - SURprises
How long did it take to make this?! - Mmm.. this one is hard to track, but I would say 7-8 hours? This includes planning, drawing out the entire grid in pencil, filling in each square with a dot, painting the sign, and placing each students name to their individual column.
How many dots are there?! - Are you ready for this answer?? 4,400 (and counting!)
SNACK BREAK
Anges Martin ate! She did! Just like you and me! She would set strict diets for herself and would often eat a limited diet. Her favorite snack was bananas and coffee. Here is a recipe for Banana Coffee Cake we are sure Agnes Martin would like.
