Lisa Walcott's Exhibition Statement
Specifically feeble and precisely precarious, my work translates elements of daily life, embodies moods, and animates daydreams. The task of locating and giving form to transitions and shapeless sensations like presence, agitation or what it feels like to be full after eating will eventually fail because these feelings can never quite be manifested. However, there is often something more desirable in the always-absent compared to the attainable. The attempt to find shape and materiality for these abstract ideas involves collecting, combining, squinting, and meandering forward.

In Making Space, the location informs the content and form of pieces. The series of drawings are made from memories of visiting the space and neighborhood various time over the last five years. The shapes, temperature, drafts, weeds, demolition, , paths, noises, growth, and levels informed the marks on the page creating crude maps of experience. The installation of mobiles that mimics the motion of bugs swarming. The motion of each small piece is connected to those around them creating an agitating but beautiful visual of interdependence. While activating the space, it references the highly coordinated manner in which a colony can move. Group coordination can be quite simple yet the effective (like an ant finding the shortest distance to food and others following that trail) solves complex problems. At the same time, the presence of bugs can indicate deterioration and change. As the new space for PAR-Projects opens, the past use of the space as a lumber yard -- and the vacancy afterward -- transitions to new possibilities as the community works together to engage with art and makes space for learning.

A statement from the curator
As we open our first permanent space in Northside, Cincinnati, we're humbled and grateful to be welcoming Lisa Walcott in from Holland, Michigan. As an artist, Lisa exhibited in one of our first pop-up exhibitions in 2011. And since, she's stayed in contact with our team during our many transitions.

While away, Lisa has continued making a name for herself throughout the midwest. Showing in over 20 exhibitions since 2011 -- including shows at various universities and museums -- Lisa's work continues to impress the masses with its unexpected use of motors and electronics to create often quiet, yet profound statements. Still, beyond her kinetic work, her illustrations have garnered praise in their own right -- notably when working collaboratively with artists such as Meridith Ridl for "Do you mind if I put this here?".

For this inaugural exhibition, it felt best to offer Lisa access to both of our current spaces at 1662 Hoffner Street -- in the vein of "past meets present," related to our growth. Our shipping container exhibition space (formerly known as #MakersMobile) is where Lisa will present a collection of drawings -- often based on personal experiences -- some of which reference Lisa's travels to and through Cincinnati. She will also help us open the first 1,100 square feet of our 6,000 square foot building renovation with a number of kinetic sculptures.

As noted in September's issue of Movers & Makers Magazine, This Exhibition is a Must See!!


~ Jonathan Sears // Chief Curator // PAR-Projects