The first Friday of every month, Grace Aberdean Habitat Alchemy features an artist in its gallery to amuse the eyes of the observer. This Friday evening at 6 p.m., Grace Aberdean is partnering with Creative Campus to bring a new multisensory art experience called, “Senses of Creativity,” to Tuscaloosa.
“Senses of Creativity” will provide an experience for art lovers that blends two or more of the senses together in interactive works of art.
Ally Mabry, a sophomore majoring in digital media and printmaking and a Creative Campus intern, said the idea for “Senses of Creativity” was inspired by one of her own experiences with her cousin.
“It started when I wanted to paint a portrait of my cousin who is blind,” Mabry said. “I wanted to paint him because he is really important to me and inspires me. He is my age and one of my role models. I thought, ‘How could I create something he can see with his hands?’”
Mabry said that after many conversations with other Creative Campus interns, it was decided to create a multisensory art show that would allow people to not just see the art, but also experience it.
“It’s a different kind of art show for Tuscaloosa,” Mabry said. “It has never been done before. Art shows often have a theme, but they are not necessarily multisensory and interactive in this way, and we wanted to see what Tuscaloosa could bring to that.”
Some of the art pieces may include sculptures inspired by paintings, pictures and sound put to poetry in a slideshow and mechanisms constructed to make sound waves tangible.
At the very least, Mabry said there will be six or seven different pieces.
In line with a typical First Friday celebration, there will also be music and food in addition to the displayed works of art. Local Tuscaloosa band, Kadesh and the Perfect Strangers, will be performing to entertain the ears, and there will be lots of free food, including a mix of sweet and salty to entertain the sense of taste.
“It is a really cool experience, and it will be a lot of fun and it is free!” Mabry said.
Claire Siepser, a graduate student studying book arts and printmaking, will display her three-part book series at the show, “Lies our Parents Tell Us,” “Lies We Tell our Parents” and “Lies We Tell Ourselves.”
Her work will include pictures as a performance component to go along with her book art and also a little bit of candy.
“There is an ever-expanding definition of art,” Siepser said. “Art is implied, and art is not just for the eyes. It is however you define it.”
For Siepser, food, music and automobiles can all be art, too.
“It is about intention, not definition,” Siepser said. “If you intend something to be art, then it is.”
“It is important for students to see what other students are doing, and it will be a different environment for asking questions,” Jamie Cicatiello, owner of Grace Aberdean said. “It is a place in which you can nurture an idea and also show it to the public.”
