EVENT: Wired on Venus
Saturday, August 25, 2001 1-4 pm
St. Petersburg artist, teacher, writer, and amateur ghost-hunter
Brandy Stark brings her signature-style wire sculpture to the Dalí.
Looking briefly at Dalí's own forays into mythological subject matter
(including the Venus de Milo), Stark will introduce participants to
the art of making free standing, 3-D sculptures of gods and
goddesses out of metal wire (no welding or glue required). Stark's
sculptures have been exhibited at Salt Creek and the Museum of
Fine Arts in St. Petersburg as well as the gothically-clepped
Necronomicon and Dragoncon. $3.00 materials fee for all
participants.
August 28, 2001
LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FOR BRANDY STARK
On Saturday, August 25, 2001, Brandy Stark taught a very successful three hour-long art workshop at the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. Titled "Wired on Venus," the class kicked off the Museum's Fall series of workshops and offered to teach adults the basics of making wire sculptures-Stark's chosen art form.
The Dalí Museum's workshops are traditionally offbeat, single-day, "make and take" classes that in some way incorporate Dalí's work, Surrealism, or the visiting exhibition on display at the time. Brandy's workshop fit right in. After a short slide lecture examining Dalí's fascination with mythology, the goddess Venus, and the Venus de Milo in the context of the current exhibition A Disarming Beauty: The Venus de Milo in 20th Century Art, Brandy spent the next two hours and forty minutes guiding her students through the creation of their own individually-designed versions of the Roman goddess. Believe it or not, by the end of the day, workshop participants who found the warm up exercise difficult (bending wire into the shape of a star) took home remarkably complete and accomplished figures-and a confidence that they could do the same at home.
"Wired on Venus" was extremely successful in terms of attendance; Museum workshops are capped at 15 participants, but high demand for Brandy's convinced us to expand the class to 18. Even more so, however, I was impressed by the rapport that Brandy immediately established with her students. An articulate instructor, she provided the right amount of individual guidance, and she even managed to pay particular attention to two middle-school students who joined the all-adult class at the last minute. Brandy also teaches at Creative Clay, Inc., a local organization that provides learning opportunities in the arts for people with developmental disabilities. The apparent ease with which Brandy adapts to different levels of student ability-as well as her energy and professionalism-is the mark of an experienced and accomplished instructor. In planning Museum events in the future, I will certainly look for ways to work with her again.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at extension 3024.
Mike Chasar
Associate Educator
