On Friday, July 29 we are excited to have guest artist Chris Olszewski give a presentation of his Vision Quest project. Come early for the Summer Sounds concert that evening to hear about Olszewski’s travels and mission, and take a moment to contribute to his interactive art experience.
Olszewski is retracing the 1500-mile trek of Antoine Cadillac by driving his 1998 Cadillac DeVille from Detroit, Michigan to Quebec City, Quebec and back.
From the artist’s website:
The Cadillac Motor Car Division of General Motors is named after Antoine Cadillac, and the company’s crest is based on his coat of arms. Cadillac is a symbol of American luxury, style and elegance, and the DeVille is one the last remaining vehicles assembled in Detroit (Motor City). For this trek, I will be driving a pearl white DeVille. In Native American tradition, the albino has healing powers and is considered sacred and magical. When my journey is complete, the vehicle will be ceremonially shot, skinned, ground down and used for medicinal purposes.
Along his journey, he is collaborating with universities, art centers, tribal colleges and Native peoples, interviewing people along the route and visiting reservations, museums, battlegrounds and ceremonial sites to research Native American art collections. From this he’ll be producing photographs, videos, collage and watercolor drawings while developing collaborative works that are site-specific and time-based pieces.
He invites each individual he meets to decorate the vehicle “skin” he’s created. “At the beginning of the trek, the vehicle skin will be a blank canvas, and each mark, sticker, dent and repair will be a testament to the rich cultural dialog of the journey.” He says this project, “is the convergence of years of dedicated research into multicultural identity and the positioning of Native American artists in a contemporary context. It is also a means of transitioning my theories about cultural identity into a tangible body of work.”
We are excited to have Chris in the Art Park. You can learn more about Chris Olszewski on his website. Anyone interested in attending his presentation and participating in the project can arrive before 6:30 on July 29 and please stay for a fantastic concert from Drew Hale.
