st. croix apartment complex houses about 10 of uf’s mfas/recently graduated.  Last night they opened their doors and invited the public into their homes to look at the art that they “live with” on a daily basis.  some apartments transformed into pristine gallery spaces and some transformed altogether.

i started at the door which had the biggest crowd when i arrived.  gleefully that crowd seemed to shift organically around the the complex through out the night.  galen olmsted’s monolithic wooden structure covered in porcelain poops stood surrounded by kalina winska’s large ethereal paintings.

next i moved upstairs.   drew avakian’s cut and reassembled, structured pots contrasted nicely with donna flanery’s soft, painterly cups and teapots.   rob kolhouse’s futuristic busts held court alongside them.

back downstairs i found that varian wolf and charlie cummings, both big advocates for the florida springs, had filled their apartment with water and fish in order to allow us to experience life under the water for ourselves.  luckily we were able to enjoy it without getting wet from the comfort of chairs outside, where we could observe the underwater goings on through the front windows.  their projections of spring life at times presented compelling narratives that we wouldn’t otherwise be privy to.

down a ways, in jen clay’s apartment, large, long legged birds had taken over the everyday living room scene.  they seemed to be jumping on everything, their blue, white and black feathers leaving a puffy trail.  In the kitchen, one of clay’s “friendly unknowns” seemed to be having a fit over spilled milk and dry cereal.  though clay’s apartment itself was the least changed, her creatures inhabiting the space transformed it into a wild unknown.

kate helms’ door was closed but in her absence she had placed a sculptural replica of herself, complete with overalls and a conductor’s cap.  one of her works memorializing the cabbage palm was also displayed.

lastly, i visited the apartment of one of the organizers.  several 2d works were hung, and when you ventured back into one of the bedrooms turned gallery you saw Jessika Normington’s light and string installation.  The bright cacaphony of color and light against a fluffy white cotton clouds turned x-mess lights into firefly crackles of electricity.

after popping our heads up into the light scape some of sat on the floor and chatted.  eventually the night died down.  doors closed.  a pie-zilla and coke showed up upstairs. good times were had by all.

unfortunately i didn’t get pics of everything but here are some pics from galen’s facebook.

nice night team st. croix!