Solo Show titled "Nature's Pulse" at Suffern Free Library

Nature's Pulse, artwork by artist Callie Danae Hirsch,

On display at the Suffern Free Library, Feb. 5th thru Feb. 29th, 2012. Open to all!

Energy vibration, the life force of our universe, serves as the inspiration for the series of work presented by Callie Danae Hirsch. Curated for children and adults alike, Ms. Hirsch’s show is a compilation of pieces painted on traditional surfaces as well as an electric guitar (in collaboration with guitar maker, Brian Slyman), and two skateboards. In addition Ms. Hirsch showcases photographs of the MTA Commissioned work, VAST to be installed on the 105th Street A/S train platform in Rockaway Beach. Ms. Hirsch illustrates the pulsating rhythm, energy as a life force, and artistic possibilities in everyday objects.

Each painting demonstrates an attempt to resolve the conflict between personal identity as a living body and its place in the natural world. This discussion is shown through seductive patterns and flowing streams of energy represented by dots through the plains of the painted surface, which make the depth of movement magical. The natural world is visually alive in Ms. Hirsch’s work with all the twists and turns in which it travels. The patterning of dots represents this movement of natural energy and is threaded throughout the work.

“The paintings here are a glimpse into one person's process; finding conflict or resolution by creating forms inseparable from anthropological, spiritual and natural forces . . . cycling one's past into the present and back into a common past.” P. Lie, Designer

Nature’s Pulse will be shown at the Suffern Public Library
from February 5th through February 29th.
210 Lafayette Avenue, Suffern, NY (845) 357-1237 www.suffernfreelibrary.org

Parsons School of Design

http://regardingdesign.parsons.edu/2012/01/callie-danae-hirsch/

2011 | 01.23.2012Posted in Alumni Profiles

Callie Danae Hirsch, BFA ’86

Photography
School Of Art, Media, And Technology

“I look to make art more accessible and enjoyable, so that it becomes an everyday experience for people,” says Callie Danae Hirsch.

Hirsch’s work Vast was recently installed in New York’s Rockaway Beach subway station as part of the MTA Permanent Arts for Transit Program, allowing thousands of commuters in the Rockaways to encounter her art daily. Her mural, consisting of 15 faceted-glass panels mounted on an outdoor platform, superimposes a translucent seascape over the view of the Atlantic Ocean. “I want viewers to consider and embrace their own connection to the natural world,” Hirsch explains.

Hirsch enjoys having her art seen outside the confines of an art gallery, although she has frequently exhibited in New York City and was invited to show at the Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte Contemporanea in Florence in 2001. Hirsch’s designs appeared on packaging for the popular Sweetriot candies, and her paintings were recently purchased by Hotel 718 in Brooklyn.

www.callieart.com

MTA Arts for Transit , Artist Callie Hirsch

From the MTA Arts for Transit page:

Beach 105 Street

CALLIE HIRSCH

Vast, 2011

Faceted glass

For the Beach 105 Street station, Callie Hirsch created fantastical aquatic creatures set against rich blue and green backgrounds of water. She worked with fabricator Erksin Mitchell, who interpreted her artwork into three groupings of faceted glass panels. Each is a striking portrayal of organic ocean forms made radiant by the strong light that reflects off the nearby ocean.

Hirsch, inspired by childhood experiences, explores the universe beneath the seas through her artwork. As a child, she was fascinated by the family fish tank filled with creatures taken from the ocean. As a teenager, her interest was heightened when she began sailing and scuba diving. The variety and vibrancy of life beneath the surface continues to be a major interest to her.

With a love for the Rockaway landscape, Hirsch says the ocean is one of the most desirable places on earth. Through Vast, she hopes to encourage viewers to acknowledge and respect the beauty of the sea and consider their own participation in the power and wholeness of the natural world."

Anyone in Pittsburgh?

Box Heart Gallery, PA

4523 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA

Phone: 412.687.8858

11th Annual Inter/National Exhibit

Public reception: Jan. 14th, 5 - 8 pm

Show dates: January 10 - February 4, 2012

If you are in the hood, please come by and check out the art! Some hot works are on display.

Charmed by Nature, 31" x 23" Iridescent acrylic on black cotton etch paper

Callie Danae Hirsch

MTA, Arts for Transit Commission, The Process...

Vast, Coming to Fruition...

This has been a three-year process. Mostly the time frame is due to the renovations being done on the station, the art is secondary.

To the left is called a cartoon. The glass fabricator creates this to indicate where the glass will be cut. After my original designs were accepted by the MTA, I then lay them out to fit the panels that will be installed at the station. The Fabricator takes it from there. First a sample is made from a design I send to the fabricator, which had elements from the three pieces.

On the top is one of the completed panels. There are five panels to each of the three artworks, making 15 panels in total. It is faceted glass embedded in epoxy, making it a very tough material, perfect for people height art.

I am hoping to have a platform party sometime in the end of November, but the platform is still under constrution (but still open), so the North side is not installed as of yet. I found a great bar down the road to warm up in afterwards, hope it's not mid-January!

MTA Arts for Transit Commission!

105th Beach Station in the Rockaways, is being transformed. Callie Art is moving in, after a three-year planning period. The station attendant today seemed quite happy with the new art.

I still remember the day I got the call telling me that I won the commission. They had brought in about 15 artists to present our work for five stations in the Rockaways. I had heard about the open call for art from the Rockaway Artist Alliance, which I have been a member over the years. My love for the sea brought me out to Fort Tilden initially. My friend wanted a car sticker to park there, so agreed to bring me to meetings. I was living in the city at that time, so it was quite a hike, but well worth it.

Fort Tilden is a quiet place, with a lot going on. They have a small theatre, fields for rugby and baseball, a garden, an art gallery and studio space. I digress, this story is about the commission, and so I will get back on track here! So a bunch of us were chosen out of hundreds of entries and we brought in design boards with our station concepts and the process was explained to us. Artists were chosen by neighborhood boards and the MTA. My work reflected the ocean and the creatures residing there. So I guess it was a good fit! It meant so much to me to taken on such a serious level as an artist. My day job manager has been trying to convince me that "IT" is my profession, that art was a hobby. I am trying very hard to prove her wrong. Many famous artists supported themselves and families for years by being insurance agents, accountants and other everyday professions until they made it, or died. I hope to support myself as an artist for at least a few years before leaving this world.

Back to the commission. After being given your station address and a huge contract to abide by, you have to choose a fabricator. I choose one that had done another station that I was impressed with. The MTA also decides the material in which your art will be created in for the station. Mine was to be in faceted-glass and epoxy; I had never worked with glass before. My fabricator told me that my artwork translated very well into this medium. I am, of course, thrilled.

So three final designs are sent to the fabricator who then translates them into "cartoons". He sends the life size cartoons to us (the MTA and me) for approval. We mark them up and send them back. Then I make the big trip, down to Baton Rouge to look at glass samples. Part of your payment from the MTA is used for this trip. I meet Erskin, who is a lovely and talented man, and then his wife, who is entertaining as all heck! I see where the work is to be created, tell him that I want glass with impurities in it. I want to imagine seaweed, eggs, and seawater in the glass. The piece is titled Vast, and it contains three panels, Egg Masses, Jellyfish, and Creature. I am not very good with titles. I am not afraid of words, but would much rather paint then write.

That said, here I am writing a blog that is way too long by now. Have I still got your attention? If so, I shall continue. So Erskin creates the panels, but this is all done only with the OK from the MTA about each step taken. Three years later the station is done with it's renovation, the thing that makes this all happen in the first place, and the panels are ready for shipping. They arrive while I am on vacation. It is not until three weeks later that I finally get out to visit the install. Two out of the three panels are up. I am thrilled and finally get to do my photo shoot!

OK, it all comes down to my love of photography. In this instance I got to be part of the creation in what I was shooting. The panels are brilliantly vibrant and the light coming through is amazing. I am so excited that they turned out so well. When you give up total control of a creation, you never are quite sure what you are going to get. This was a great ending to a three-year venture in the realm of artist collaboration, working with the MTA and having people believe in my art so much that it will be there for the next 100 years, hopefully.

Next up, planning their coming out party. I found the perfect pub for everyone to gather at after seeing the work. So I am good to go! Thank you for listening to my journey. Callie

Leaving your comfort zone!

Roger Manning, 1987, photo by Callie Hirsch

Get out of your comfort zone! Give up that which is cozy and warm. Take a chance on something you would love to do, but have been too afraid to try.

How can we learn new things if we do not put ourselves out there? I just finished reading Patti Smith’s book, titled “Just Kids”. It was about her starting out her life in NYC with the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe by her side. I read this book as slow as I possibly could, loving it the whole way through. We all need to feel not so all alone, hearing her story made me realize that everyone has the same fears, and we all have the means for survival.

I went to the places she spoke of, but so many years later. I came to New York City to attend college in 1983; she came to get an education from living life in the city. My night life consisted of Danceateria, the Limelight, and the Palladium. In 1985 the Palladium was converted into a nightclub by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager of Studio 54 fame. My friend P. worked as a graphic designer for them, her office was in the basement. We used to go there at night, seeing Steve in the Michael Todd room in the back where Basquiat painted the wall behind the bar. Keith Haring painted the backdrop on the stage, and Kenny Scharf decorated the basement walkway to the bathrooms infur and neon. I was lucky enough to see Andy Warhol in person, judging some drag talent show there. They held the MTV awards there one year and I was standing on the balcony with Tina Turner while Grace Jones was on stage. It blew me away to be so close to so many people I respected and admired.

Today it is a residence hall for New York University, which is where I happen to work. Life can be funny that way, time certainly changes things. It makes you aware of the need to appreciate things in the moment.