I was fortunate to be able to see an exhibition of works by Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler called America Starts Here at the Austin Museum of Art this week. After Austin the show travels to Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute; and the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati.On rare occasions I have found myself moved to tears by a work of art - the piece called, "The Smell and Taste Remains", was one of those times. It's a 19th century pie cupboard lined with etched glass bottles, filled with a particular scent - with the names and recipes from people who have died, etched on each bottle. It was very moving to think about that in context of people we have known and how we remember them.
If I could sum it up in a few words, it's all about connections.
If you can't make it to Austin, Kansas City or Cincinati - MIT Press has published a comprehensive 216-page catalog of Ericson and Ziegler's work, filled with images of the products and installations from their collaboration, as well as writings from many of the original curators of their shows.
The book America Starts Here: Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler
is available from Amazon. The picture below is a house in Charleston that they painted using colors imposed by the local architectural review board to preserve the historic look of the area. Combining these approved colors and the Charleston's strong military history, the artists came up with this piece called Camouflaged History. It was a real house - there's a model in the traveling exhibit.
1991, Spoleto Festival U.S.A., Charleston, South Carolina, From the exhibition: America Starts Here: Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler, Tang Museum, October 1 – December 30, 2005
