finishing up

A couple of months ago, I spent a long weekend back in Fort Collins, Colorado, installing and celebrating the opening of my Master of Fine Arts show. I had the honor of sharing the venue, the University Art Museum at Colorado State University, with four other talented MFA candidates, all of us finally exhibiting our own thesis works and looking back on three years of graduate school. It was an interesting weekend for me, as I had finished my installation piece, Plic Plac, five months earlier. And, after making such a huge move to New York and learning about what life is like here, the time I spent in Fort Collins seemed like a lifetime away. It was a great time, though, to celebrate the end of lots of hard work, to reconnect with good friends, and to mentally close that folder of my life while looking forward to lots of new experiences and projects. In honor of the show, which closed last week, I thought I would share some images with you!

The building that houses the University Art Museum at Colorado State University.

A view of the foothills from the museum - a sight I surely miss!

Walking into the museum's galleries with Plic Plac in the background.

Plic Plac installation: All 8 of these objects can hang on the wall OR function as chairs on the floor.

A preliminary paper maquette of the project using patterns cut from magazines. Can you see the resemblance?

The "chairs" hang on the wall using heavy-load magnets, so they can just be popped off of the wall and transformed into seats!

I designed a system of hinges and cables that allow the pieces to transition easily from flat wall piece to chair.

They really work! A friendly visitor offered to test the product.

Bright colors and vibrant patterns make the gallery space a little more lively.

It feels good to finish up one project and move on to the next. More to come from my Brooklyn studio!

(All images and designs copyright 2011 Whitney Crutchfield)