The SECAC chair for Breaking Stereotypes: Recontextualizing Underrepresented Voices and Communities was Alexander Alvarez from the University of Central Florida. Alexander is an Orlando, Florida–based multidisciplinary artist and educator whose work blends iconography, mythology, and contemporary issues to explore memory, identity, and the human condition.
The first speaker was Jason Burrell who is an Assistant Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Central Florida’s School of Visual Arts and Design, where he also serves as the Graduate Coordinator for Studio Art. His talk was titled, Office Supplies Disruptions: Rethinking Studio Art Practice Through Radical Material Accessibility. Jason is often rushing from meeting to meeting and began to sketch on post it notes which are readily available in any office setting. This easy access to materials lead to ongoing practice of using post it notes in his work. Jason had colorful post its on a side table during his talk, and encouraged the audience to take some. I decided to just place the post its on my sketch replacing what I had sketched on the screen.
Jason pointed out that many beginning artists feel that becoming an artist is inaccessible since art supplies are so expensive. Jason makes that idea mute since he embraces supplies that are often available but overlooked. His presentation showed many artists who use office supplies in their work. One image showed an artist recreating a scale model of NYC on his hands and knees using nothing but staples to make skyscrapers. Another artist used push pins to make pointillist portraits. The wide variety of artists using found and repurposed office supplies was fascinating and made me want to rethink how art is made.
I immediately started thinking I should have my travel sketching students do thumbnail sketches on office post it notes. Stella Arbeláez Tascón also started thinking about using office supplies for a class project. Jason offered a straightforward presentation that flipped the expectations of what supplies should be used to make art. I have always thought that a pencil and a small slip of paper are all that is needed to document life with a sketch. Creative sparks come from the simplest of supplies.