The artists Roy McMakin and Jeffry Mitchell live in Seattle, Washington. Pulliam Gallery is in Portland, Oregon. To prepare for a joint show in September, 2009, Roy and Jeffry traveled to Centralia, Washington — located at the center point between these two principal cities of the Northwest United States — to look for objects they responded to. Centralia features, alongside a superb Mexican restaurant, outlet malls, and a storied place in regional history, an unusually large number of antique malls.
Roy and Jeffry were looking for a dozen objects, but they returned to Seattle with several more than that. Over the next week they edited this selection down to twelve. Each artist then made twelve new pieces ( for the most part without discussing them with each other) in response to both the found objects and the process of finding them.
The full, finished project, called “Joy and Reffry,” comprises twelve pieces, each made up of one found object, one original by Jeffry Mitchell, and one original by Roy McMakin. The buyer becomes a collaborator, determining the mix by selecting whichever found object and whichever originals he or she pleases. Each piece is priced at $3,600, paying $1200 to each artist and $1200 to Pulliam Gallery.
On the occasion of the show, Roy, Jeffry, and Rod Pulliam asked Matthew Stadler and Publication Studio to prepare a catalog of images documenting the pieces and the method. The catalog has two volumes, (this is the first); the second volume will be published at the end of the project (when the twelve final pieces have been assembled by their buyers). The catalog is designed and produced by Publication Studio, Portland, Oregon, which Matthew runs in collaboration with Patricia No.
Click on each image for more info.
Click on the links to read articles and reviews:
Review: Roy McMakin and Jeffry Mitchell at Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery
Chas Bowie for The Oregonian
Joy and Reffry, Pulliam Gallery, Portland
Eva Hagberg for Wallpaper
Roy McMakin and Jeffrey Mitchell
Stephanie Snyder for Art Forum
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