Visual
During the winter months, hibernation is an acceptable way of living. But as we edge closer to spring, a cadre of creative cohorts are, once again, coming out of their dark dens and into the muted light. We caught up with Winter Commission organizer Marie Biondolillo to find out what this season’s offering is all about.
CW: What’s the overall aim of this artsy extravaganza?
MB: The goal of Winter Commission is always celebration and collaboration. Between the 40 or so artists, the people involved in the films, the bands, the MCs, the DJs and the volunteers, we’ve probably got more than 100 people involved in creating a single evening of entertainment.
CW: How did the first Winter Commission come about?
MB: We started Winter Commission because we wanted to stay busy during the winter—to give ourselves a project to focus on, with a deadline, that would keep us working on art and interacting with each other, instead of moldering inside and drinking warm beverages.
CW: What’s up with the “Disaster” theme?
MB: 2012 is supposed to be the year the world ends, so we thought a disaster theme would be a cheeky way to acknowledge that. In addition, between all the natural, economic and political disaster afoot, this year has a very apocalyptic feel. Artists have taken a lot of approaches to working with it, from the very broad to the very personal.
CW: Will there really be people dressed at St. Bernards and a fire-themed photo booth?
MB: Gillian Myers sewed a made-to-measure St. Bernard costume for Steeb Russell, and he’s going to go around offering people free hot chocolate from a cask around his neck. Jubal Sather and Brittany Beug made a photo booth that looks like a house on fire, and people will be able to pose for Polaroid photos in it.
CW: What else?
MB: We’ve also got a collage station where kids can create their own disaster art (don’t worry, no scissors!). We’re going to have a bomb shelter area as well, where people can recuperate. At periodic intervals, poets Elissa Ball and Kate Lebo will call on bullhorns for an emergency dance break, and everybody will have to drop what they’re doing and dance furiously for at least a minute.
CW: Will the art be for sale? Will it all be disaster-related?
MB: The art at Winter Commission will definitely be for sale, and it’s all disaster-related. The organizers came up with a list of historical disasters and some of the artists chose to do pieces based on these. We’ve got a mini-exhibition within the art show depicting artists’ interpretations of these disasters, which range from elephant stampedes to devastating fires.
CW: Is everything created specifically for Winter Commission, then?
MB: Yes! Virtually all the art made for this year’s Winter Commission is tailored to our disaster theme. All the visual art is new, and the singer-songwriters wrote historical disaster songs just for this show. There were bands formed just for Winter Commission, as well. The films were all made specifically for Winter Commission, too.
CW: What do you enjoy about being part of the Winter Commission?
MB: Winter Commission is sort of like Art Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Easter all in one—you’re celebrating your own and others’ work together, you’re discovering what your friends have been working on all winter for the first time.
CW: Why should people come?
MB: We’ve got so much stuff, by so many people, that it’s impossible that you’re not going to see something that you like.
CW: Is there anything different about this year’s Winter Commission?
MB: We’re bigger and fancier than ever. The disaster theme is going to give the whole night a more dramatic tone. I’m not worried, though—if it gets too intense, you can always go lie down in the bomb shelter and have Steeb minister to you with hot chocolate.
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