‘Made in the USA’ accepting submissions

Made in the USA (MUSA), a unique multimedia art exhibition opening October 2, will be accepting hand delivered works to be juried this Friday and Saturday. Housed in one of Raleigh’s abandoned furniture warehouses, MUSA will feature local and nationally known artists whose work examines what it means to be ‘made’ in the post-industrial USA. Making use of the unique space the factory affords, the exhibit includes installation pieces, sculpture, film, performance and two dimensional pieces.
To get a piece in the running, go by 320 South Harrington St from 11-4 either day. Look for the big MUSA banner hanging outside the building.

A bit about the exhibit:

As visitors enter the MUSA space, they will have the opportunity to view clips from the film entitled “With These Hands” of The Unheard Voices Project.  The films produced by Matthew and Cornelia Barr are dedicated to collecting and recording the thoughts and stories of working people concerning their occupations and the impact of global and technological change in their lives and their families.  An exciting collection of photographs by Dave Alsobrooks will be projected in a blackened space in what used to be the primary “spray room” where all the furniture was painted after assembly.

Continuing toward the main exhibition space through the artisan painting and worktable area, Matthew Zigler explores the dying past time of pigeon breeding popular among blue collar workers through an installation containing a series of oil paintings. Carter Hubbard reflects the state of the human condition by examining expectations of society in the workplace and beyond in contrast to the individual.  The auxiliary spray room hosts Jody Servon’s work highlighting the history of the room’s paint and the hallway gallery contains Sara Botwick’s portraits of the back bone of the American workforce; Latinos.

The main exhibition space opens out into a large open space that was the main area for cutting, assembly, and shipping.  This space will include an array of artists such as Andrew Ross and his response to the former furniture business in relationship to the circle of birth, growth, death, decay, and rebirth in man’s use of trees, and local graffiti artist, Blake Burnette. David Newton correlates the “Golden Mean” to the heart and soul of the building and its owner through a striking overhead installation. The work of Julia Gartrell explores the demise of the American industry through an interactive installation of slowly eroding, unfired clay. David Finn portrays people performing the ordinary work of making things produced everyday in the US, all with imbued dignity. International sculptor, John Barlow Hudson spotlights the dying art of felt hat making. Mark Dixon, performance artist, and his group called “Invisible Sounds” will be using traditional musical instruments and found objects typically tossed aside or neglected to create a site specific music.

MUSA website

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