My favorite de Young pattern is…

Last week Tuesday was the installation of the Patterns exhibit and residency at the de Young Museum. Because of the holiday weekend, the installation was the same date of the deinstallation of August’s artist. The Kimball Education Gallery was jammed packed with pieces from two artists. Surprisingly, a fire drill occurred and had to pause the installation. Wanting everything to be “perfect”, unnecessary worry overcame me. Would the exhibit be displayed in the time frame allotted to fit my “standards”?

Yes! My installers (Norton Fine Art Handling) came to the rescue along with the guidance of experienced museum staff. Norton worked on hanging the seven-piece acrylic hanging installation and artworks throughout the gallery. The museum technicians applied the large 65-inch circles and exhibition title decals meticulously on the walls. The next day, the artwork information labels with write-ups and QR codes were displayed. My fabulous interns painted the walls to remove the marks from pervious exhibits to make the space appear clean and crisp. Museum staff adjusted light fixtures to enhance the pieces properly.

The last few days have included prepping my large in progress 42 x 360 inches drawing. The interns marked every ¼ inch of a large rectangle on the paper totaling 2,950 tiny lines. The shape had to be measured properly in order for the planned pattern to look aesthetically cohesive by the end of the residency. The drawing is inspired by Andy Goldsworthy’s Drawn Line and Herzog & Meuron’s (de Young Museum architects) Dominus Estate in Yountville.

Drawing up close and personal. — May the lines begin.

Friday, I was able to start drawing and making lines for the base composition. The museum was open that evening and visitors watched me draw. The gallery was packed from people all over the world sharing their interpretations and feelings about the artwork. I spent time explaining how the artworks on display were created and influenced by the architecture and/or artworks from the museum’s collection.

Part of the week’s prep and organization has included the interactive visitor activity titled: My favorite de Young pattern is… It was very difficult to pick just one weekly favorite. As a result, here’s my top three:

No name and the paper was torn... — No name and the paper was torn into sculpture.

Abby!, from the House of Lima on 9/7/13.

Overall, the engagement of the diverse audience from young to wiser has been amazing. I’ve met artists of all mediums, educators visiting with their classes, journalists, poets, culinary artists, architects, musicians, enthusiasts, advocates, and admirers. Looking forward to the next 3 weeks…