Thursday 17 May 2007

Nancy Shaver

Chimneys and ladders 2000, acrylic, metal on paper 14x11 inches

Nancy Shaver is a sculptor and runs a store in Hudson, NY, named Henry. The following excerpts from a text by Ann Lauterbach for an upcoming catalog on the artist and shopkeeper, refer to both.


'We, Nancy and I, share a love of necessary objects; objects that were made of necessity, in need.

With a purpose in mind.

With, sometimes, limited material means.

We believe, also, that art is necessary.

The necessity of art is somehow implicated in the relationship between materials and purpose.

There is a fine line between purpose and use.

Nancy and I share a pleasure in these fine lines....

Worn objects are the material equivalent of wise.

This thought has been with me since the first flea market.

It has nothing to do with the frippery of antiques, nothing to do with the advancement of investment, nothing to do with Roadshow inheritance....

Well if nothing else, art has given me a way to live, she said one day as I was leaving Henry's inventory of foundlings. ...

A Minimalist instruction: material and process revelatory of each other. Making as content. ... A tender, humorous delight in things as they are.…

Nancy as alchemist of this inception.

The new as/is insight.'

Nancy Shaver is showing sculpture at Feature Inc in New York until 19 May.

4 comments:

Susan Kruse said...

One of the negatives about the web and art is that the image is flat. This means that we loose the surface quality of the work, the delicious pleasure of materiality. The 'isness of stuff. The sublime, erotic, estatic, oozing joy in materials that is the great reward, need, drive of being an artist.

Feltbug said...

I do agree. Don't you find that we become accustomed and lazy in looking - having this web at our fingertips always seeing art on the computer screen - it becomes insatiable the need for more inspiration - I am definitely working less.

shula said...

As a manifesto, I can't fault it.

shula said...

As a manifesto, I can't fault it.