This is the first in a series of articles highlighting the artists whose work will be on exhibition at KickstART Gallery. To kick off the series we thought it was appropriate to start with artist Ted Hadfield, the founder of Artpack Services, Inc., and the guest curator of exhibitions at KickstART.
Ted discusses some of his primary influences, along with sharing his thoughts on curation and selecting work to exhibit in the gallery.
KickstART Farmington: Which artists (historical or contemporary) inspire you the most and how do they influence your work and life?
Ted Hadfield: Joseph Cornell, 1903-1972, was one of the pioneers of the assemblage technique. His use of found objects, both 2-D and 3-D, grabbed my attention due to its seeming immediacy to creativity. The choice of every object or paper cutout was directly related to the importance of a life experience, from birth until death.
The immediacy of “the find” and my natural curiosity of found items and how they eventually tie my life to a nice little bundle that one might call ART, has been the tie that binds throughout my career as an artist. Cornell presented me with an approach to art making without confines … a true sense of freedom.
KSF: Which writers, poets, musicians, and filmmakers have most influenced your work and life?
TH: While most of my reading tendencies are non-fictional, I read Vonnegut often as a young man. Regarding poetry, I was fascinated by the unorthodox writing and construction of ee cummings. In a way, he appeals to me in the same manner that Cornell does.
Musically I still have not escaped the fervor of Little Richard … My first 45. I still have it today. “I Hear You Knockin”. I was five years old when it was released. As they say music is the universal language, I could go on forever, instead I’ll just add the Beatles. Filmmakers … a very early influence was Jean Cocteau and La Belle et la Bête. In my opinion, that film had everything a film should have to be memorable. There are the usual suspects in filmmaking that most would agree are great. Currently I enjoy Wes Anderson, although he could be wearing a bit thin.
“… in all creative endeavors in life, taking a moment to explore, to see the creative options through another’s eyes, that is the ultimate reward.”
KSF: If you were to go live on a small island, name one book, one film, one artwork, and one album you would want to take with you.
TH: The Dymaxion World by Buckminster Fuller, and/or The Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin. Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola. Musically, I would first research music by Ravi Shankar and choose the album featuring a great meditative tabla player.
KSF: How do you understand the meaning or purpose of your artistic practice?
TH: To be an artist or not, I seem to have no choice. It’s an activity that I don’t think about. OR I am constantly thinking about my daily moment to moment activity that might result in an artwork. The older I am, the more naturally occurring it has become. The ultimate answer for me is that I don’t seem to require the title of artist. I just enjoy the act of creating.
I do believe the creative act is a necessity and should be highly valued in our lives. Not as a “talent” but more as an adventure in life that you are willing and able to share. Creativity has a price on its head , just like all else in our lives. It has become problematic.
KSF: How would you describe your priorities or criteria when considering which artists to exhibit at KickstART Gallery?
TH: The art that I select or curate whether local or international, has great intentions and expectations. STOP, LOOK and LEARN. Viewing art today is up against the toughest three foes: time, cell phones and a willing ignorance. The goal is to educate. By Stopping to see something different, that you might not understand or even regard as art, we take that moment you’ve allowed yourself to Look, and thereby See what is actually in front of you, and in that process Learn what the artist intended. If we do that, we will without question become better people and a stronger community. Art is for everyone, but we don’t have to like all art, just as in all creative endeavors in life, taking a moment to explore, to see the creative options through another’s eyes, that is the ultimate reward.
Curator’s Corner is made possible through the kind support of Artpack Services, Inc.