Michelle Constantine

150 Miles

2011-10-03T17:21:00.001-07:00

For the past 3 years, I have participated in the MS Challenge Walk. My friends and family have supported me with their generous emotional and financial support. I raised over $2500 each year in order to participate in the event by selling each mile. And, every year, I've documented the miles walked.

2011

MS Challenge Walk 2011

2010

MS Challenge Walk 2010

2009

MS Challenge Walk 2009

The Latino Museum

2011-04-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

The Latino Museum & the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music are hosting an event celebrating World Music and Art. I'm showing a series of collages in this show.

The art show opens this Friday, April 8, 2011 at 6 pm.
514 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
RSVP – events@thelatinomuseum.org
Free Admission
www.thelatinomuseum.org

Four countries will be featured and share their art and music. The Consulates of Lebanon, the People’s Republic of China, Spain and Israel will be in attendance and the art of these four countries will be featured.

Buy What You Love 2011

2011-03-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

The Rema Hort Mann Foundation Charity Show

Thursday, March 24, 2011, 6:30–9:30pm

Marianne Boesky Gallery
509 West 24th Street (10th Ave)
Chelsea, NYC

http://www.remahortmannfoundation.org/bwyl/

91344, collage on paper, 8.5x11

Lake Tahoe area Polaroids

2010-09-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was in the South Lake Tahoe area on vacation. We spent most of our time hiking and jumping into freezing lakes.

Looking at Lake Echo from the path above and cruising on a boat.

Cave Rock beach, South Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

On the way to Lake Angora; Boats on Lake Angora.

Hiking the Lake Echo water pipeline.

Silverlake Jubilee, We Come in Peace, Zine fort installation

2010-05-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I participated in the Zine fort installation curated by Mike Kelley from Junc Gallery.

http://silverlakejubilee.com/silver-lake-jubilee-description/arts-village/

We Come in Peace is a collaborative Installation that will unite a cross section of galleries, artists and independent DIY culture, in the form of zines, books and printed matter. Far from being removed we seek to create a public forum in which visitors can learn about art, interact with artists and be inspired by the potential of their own creativity. The show will feature contributions from galleries, small press publishers, and artists working together to build a zine fort created specifically as part of the Silver Lake Jubilee. The Village will have over 100 zines, art and hands-on workshop. The public is invited to come out to view, make art with and experience the culture of artists in their community and beyond.

Zines and art by:
Sean Mcgauhey, Rami Kim, Jeana Sohn, Demon Babies, Souther Salazar, Kiyoshi Nakazawa, Darin Klein, Gilda Mavidian, Minami Mouse, Keyla Marquez, Restitution Press, Island Folds, Luke Ramsey, Hardland Heartland, Sumi Ink Club, Drew Beckmeyer, Demon Babies, Mike Plante, Christa Donner, Christopher Bettig, David Magdaleno, Jessica Lee Harrison, Kate Guillen, Brian Rush, Julie Murphy, APAK, Sean Cassidy, Owl Eyes, Paul Evans, Mark Todd, Esther Watson, Matt Lock , Calef Brown, Helga Fassonaki , Erik Ullanderson, Kevin Scalzo, Kelly Coates, Molly Colleen O’Connell, Michelle Constantine, Jessica Lee Garrison, Kelly Coats, Carroll Yang, Synchronicity Gallery, Junc Gallery Projects, Drippy Bone Books, Little Paper Planes and growing!

The installation will be held on the site of the Silver Lake Jubilee Festival in Silver Lake, May 22 and 23.

Here are some photos of the zine I made for the installation (I don't usually make zines, so this was a fun experience!)

It only takes 2 F16s
Hand bound zine, transfer and fabric collage on paper
Edition of 5
5x7 inches

Oodles of Doodles at Tinlark Gallery

2010-04-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I showed a piece in a group show at Tinlark Gallery in Hollywood. The show is up until May 16.

"It only takes 2 F16s"
Transfer on fabric with stitching
16.75x19.75 inches

http://www.tinlarkgallery.com/

Studio Party!

2010-04-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, my studio mates, Aaron Bjork, Aaron Smith, Beverly Klein and I threw a small studio party. There's still room at the studio for 2 more artists, so we used the empty space as a gallery. Aaron, Aaron and I hung some work. Beverly, who makes jewelry, had some recently made jewelry in her workspace.

Alan looking at my works in progress board.

Anya and Toby.

Friends and art.

Friends, food and art.

That's Murphy, Aaron Bjork's sculpture/costume.

Aaron Smith conversation.

(The last 5 photos are courtesy of Aaron Bjork)

The Rose Parade 2010

2010-03-14T19:16:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, I decorated Rose Parade floats at Fiesta Parade floats. I've been volunteering at Fiesta for 14 years and have been a detail artist for about 5-6 years, mostly working on animals and animal heads. This year, I spent a couple days working on the large, central gorilla on the Rainbird float.

This is what the float looks like when it's ready for the organic materials.

We start with the eyes so the skin and hair can overlap.

Adding the grass for hair.

This is the finished Gorilla Head!

Here's the Rainbird float at the Rose Parade.

Instant GRATIFICATION: A Polaroid Party (Part 2)

2009-12-01T00:24:00.000-08:00

The Polaroid show is coming to Los Angeles!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0FQJ6aUVBQ

Insert Exclamatory! ((the opening))

2009-10-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

The opening was really exciting. Friends and family drove up to Sacramento from Los Angeles. Here are some photos:

Installation of my show at Space07

2009-10-06T17:39:00.001-07:00

Installation of my show, Insert Exclamatory! A Seemingly Random Collection of Work Thematically Connected at Space07

Insert Exclamatory! A Seemingly Random Collection of Work Thematically Connected

2009-10-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

Michelle Constantine, Solo Show
Space07, Sacramento, CA
OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, October 10, 2009, 5-10 pm
October 10, 2009 – December 6, 2009
CONTACT: lainya@argotandochre.com

Curator, Lainya Magaña, and Space07 are pleased to present Insert Exclamatory! A seemingly random collection of work thematically connected, a solo show featuring the work of Los Angeles-based artist, Michelle Constantine. The work for Insert Exclamatory! centers around the thematic connection of unexpected situations that have gone wrong in ways both specific to the artist and non-specific in terms of cultural and historical contexts. Constantine’s work thrives in these “wrong” situations; they are her best inspiration. By exploring these unexpected events through the unexpected use of bright, happy colors, Constantine finds peace in what has gone wrong and, ultimately, acceptance. For Insert Exclamatory! Constantine employs the folk craft of quilting to tell certain stories. Other pieces included utilize the techniques of printmaking, collage and photocopying.

I will post photos of the show and opening as they happen.

300 miles of walking

2009-09-22T17:38:00.000-07:00

That's over 11 marathons. That's how far I walked this summer.

If you know me, you’re probably wondering: why? Why would Michelle, who always strives to find the closest parking spot, who doesn’t find long walks on the beach romantic, purely because they’re “long walks,” and who would never be described, by anyone, as “the athletic type,” why would she walk 300 miles?

A few months ago, my good friend Nicole asked if I wanted to walk 50 miles—that’s like walking from Pasadena to Irvine—to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. I thought she was crazy. Training in the summer? Heat and humidity, it certainly didn’t sound like something I’d want to do, or possibly even be able to do, physically. But, I decided it’s something that’s important to me, so I accepted the challenge, the training and the commitment.

Blisters, sore muscles and all the other things that go along with training, I dealt with on my own. The daily challenge of staying on my commitment and training even when I didn't feel like it; doing things like making up for miles missed on days when I just physically couldn’t do it, that too I did on my own. Although, many of my friends joined in for training walks.

The part I needed help with was raising the $2500 necessary to be a part of the MS Challenge Walk, a 50-mile fundraising event. I sent people in my life a map of the route and assigned each mile a dollar value based on what I anticipated the difficulty of that miles to me. As I walked each person's mile, I texted or called them. I also documented the miles throughout the walk and sent thank you emails with photos of each sponsor's miles.

With over 50 sponsors, and miles double bought, I raised almost $3800.

Here are some photos from the walk.

Oh, and I’m also making a celebratory “mapquilt” for this event and all my generous supporters will somehow be incorporated into that project as well.

**The MS Challenge Walk 2009 was on September 11, 12 and 13. About 280 walkers participated. We walked from Carlsbad to Downtown San Diego. Walkers could only participate if they’d been sponsored for a minimum of $2500. The money raised will help fund research as well as programs for people with MS in the Southern California.

INSTANT GRATIFICATION: A Polaroid Party

2009-08-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

I'm showing a handful of Polaroids at the INSTANT GRATIFICATION Polaroid Party. It opens this Friday, August 7, 7pm. Details on the flier below. I'm also posting a few polaroids I submitted for the show.

Riflemaker Gallery, London UK

2009-01-22T18:31:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to go to London for the opening of the group show my quilt was in. The show was well curated and the work was really good.

Riflemaker Gallery, London
"Voodoo: Hoochie Coochie and the Creative Spirit"
Group show, January 19-April 4.

Here are some pictures of my quilt at the gallery and of the opening.

2008-12-01T23:09:00.000-08:00

This is a double sided map quilt I made for a show at Riflemaker Gallery, London.
It's 73x63 inches.

Here is a detail shot of the people's journey:

"The Unintentional Spread of Voodoo"
Religion is a bond between people; it maintains community while supporting individual and cultural identity. When slaves were taken from Africa, the tragedy wasn’t just in the loss of life and the inhumane physical and emotional treatment of people; it was in the extreme loss of identity through the forceful repression of the religion of Voodoo. My work deals with things that have gone wrong; strange situations juxtaposed with bright, happy colors (and sometimes glitter.) This piece, “The Unintentional Spread of Voodoo,” reflects an injustice in the world; the loss of individual and communal identity through Christianity’s overpowering of Voodoo.

My Website!

2008-12-01T23:03:00.000-08:00

This is my website:

www.michelleconstantine.net

(Designed and built by Morgan Corum of www.3TD.com)