Downtown Springdale Alliance with funding from the Tyson Family Foundation is once again collaborating with curator Dayton Castleman and selected artists to activate the windows at the Famous Hardware building in Downtown Springdale. This time the artists hail from the East and Midwest and will fill the windows with everything from musical instruments crafted entirely from wood, to a twelve-foot tall sculpture, to a device constructed out of hardware store components.
Mike Rea’s The Rhythm, The Rhythm includes a grand piano, drums, keyboards, a guitar, amps, and a gong.
The art installations take place throughout the year and make art accessible to the Springdale community and create new experiences for people visiting the downtown. Each installation will be curated by Dayton Castleman and feature different artists.
“It’s a personal passion of mine and part of our commitment at the Tyson Family Foundation to increase access to art in everyday life—especially here in NWA,” says Olivia Tyson of the Tyson Family Foundation. “The more creative work we have at our fingertips, the more vibrant our communities. It’s been exciting for me to watch each artist’s interpretation of the space throughout this series, and I’m eager to see if it acts as a public forum for intrigue and inspiration in Downtown Springdale.”
Dayton Castleman, a conceptual artist based in Northwest Arkansas and Director of Visual Thinking at Verdant Studio, a Rogers-based firm focused on art and architecture, is a natural fit for this collaboration. His work has been largely focused on site-specific installations in architectural and public space for the past 16 years, most recently as Museum Manager at 21c Museum Hotel Bentonville.
Albert Pedulla’s Fully Analogue Manually Digitized Electronic Photographic Display (Variable: Elliot) is composed entirely out of hardware store components, including dimmer switches, ceramic light sockets, and LED lightbulbs.
The artists featured in this second installation are Mike Rea of Chicago, Illinois and Albert Pedulla of Jersey City, New Jersey. Mike Rea explores pop culture through large sculptures, installations, and performances constructed from wood. Rea’s exhibits can be found worldwide – from San Francisco to Switzerland and now here in downtown Springdale. Albert Pedulla is an artist, curator and occasional writer. His work ranges from sculpture and installation to experimental photographic practices. It’s appropriate that Pedulla’s installation is constructed completely out of hardware store components.
“We loved working with Dayton and two thought-provoking artists on the first installation and we’re thrilled to continue this collaboration and see the works of these new artists, says Jill Dabbs, Executive Director of Downtown Springdale. “I think these installations will surprise and delight people coming into the downtown.”
The Famous Hardware Building is located at 113 West Emma Avenue. The artists and curator will be available during a community happy hour on May 8 from 5-6PM. The art installation will be in place from May 8 through July 23, 2021. Explanations for the art installations will be translated into Spanish and Marshallese.
