From Us

 

FEATURING: Abraham Lule, Alexis Politz, Anne Ulku, Briana Layne, Booka B, Christopher Alday, Dan Souligny, Dana Christopherson, Destiny Davison, Evan Weselmann, Fiona Avocado, Gina McMillen, Jamie Owens, Jared Maire, Lindsey Made This, María José Castillo, Maximilian Mauracher, Meghan McDilda, Melissa Sisk, Miles Taylor, Milton Un, Molly McDougall, Nicholas Straight, Paige Guggemos, Sara Paul Kahn, Schuyler Huber, Shivani Parasnis, Studio on Fire, Ted Kusio & Thy Doan.


We began with thirty untitled and unauthored poems by Molly-Margaret Johnson & Kareem Rahma. By eliminating titles and byline for each poem, the audience is given an opportunity to connect more viscerally with the work by having to read between the lines without preconceptions of race, gender or sexual orientation. The outcome is an ouroboros of words written by two uniquely different individuals coming together.

Johnson & Rahma’s poetry was then shared with local and national typographers, illustrators and designers who were challenged to conceive a personal rendition of the selected poem of their choice. Through screen print, letterpress, hand lettering, and various illustrative elements, they will produce posters that push the viewer’s interpretation, adding yet a third layer of complexity to the written prose.

The culmination of this process extends to those who will visit the gallery to experience From Us. Featuring bold, fluid, high contrast, and vibrant visual representations, the gallery walls will be filled with content that will connect with viewers. We anticipate engaging, perception-bending conversations filled with an appreciation and respect for differences as the outcome.

ABOUT THE POETS
Molly-Margaret & Kareem are from Saint Paul, MN living in Brooklyn New York. They are gay, straight, Egyptian, American, male, female, depressed, hilarious and love Hamm’s on tap.

Molly-Margaret Johnson is a gay, sagittarius, sex-positive internet freak and writer. She is based in Brooklyn, NY and runs the instagram account @whatswrongwithmollymargaret which covers dating, sex, confidence, queerness, self love and romance.

Kareem Rahma is an Egyptian-American poet, media entrepreneur, and writer/actor/producer living and working in New York City. He runs the instagram account @kareem and his debut poetry collection We Were Promised Flying Cars was released by Pioneer Works in 2019.

OPENING NIGHT: Thursday March 5th, 2020
7pm – 10pm // $5, Free for Members
Music selections by Ramses Alacron & Ruby Hind
A collaborative exhibition of multidimensional artistic processes between poets,Molly-Margaret Johnson and Kareem Rahma, alongside 30 local and national designers.

ARTIST TALK: Saturday March 7th, 2020
11am – 1pm // $10 pre-sale. $15 door • Free for Members
We recommend purchasing in advance. Sweet treats, sparkly beverages, and coffee from Segue will be provided.
Join moderator Jade Patrick alongside poets Molly-Margaret Johnson & Kareem Rahma in a discussion of engaging, perception-bending conversations filled with an appreciation and respect for differences. 

LEVEL UP: POSTPONED
6:30pm – 8:30pm • $40/artist for a 90 minute group session, 30 seats available. Join Amira, of AMF Artist Business Management Services, for an interactive presentation covering strategies to enhance audience engagement.  This event is mostly intended for artists who are looking to increase current sales, though artists at any stage will learn techniques and concepts that will help them sell their art.

COLAB ART NIGHTArt 4 Shelter // CANCELLED
7pm-10pm // $5 • Free for Members
This spring we were going to be creating works to be sold at the Annual Simpson Housing Fundraiser: Art 4 Shelter.
Find original artworks on paper by emerging and established artists -and- a benefit for Simpson Housing Services. Each 5×7″ piece will sell for $35, the cost of housing someone for one night at the overnight shelter :  www.simpsonhousing.org/shop

BEHIND THE POSTER FINALE: Wednesday, May 27th, 2020
7pm // Click link: www.mplsart.com
Hosted with mplsart & Gamut Director Cassie Garner
FEATURING DESIGNERS: Alexis Politz, Anne Ulku, Evan Weselmann, Destiny Davison, Gina McMillen, Fiona Avocado, Ted Kusio, Nicholas Straight, Maximilian Mauracher, Melissa Sisk, and Sara Paul Kahn