It wasn’t quite a sabbatical but the Ballet Des Moines Artist-in-Residence program had the same type of impact on Nathan Wright, the Des Moines-based illustrator.
He is finishing the six-week residency program this week which is held each Fall, Winter and Spring as the lead up to a performance. Wright started on Feb. 19 with Ballet Des Moines as they prepared for Cinderella, which will be performed twice this Saturday at the Civic Center in downtown Des Moines.
Wright had five weeks to create a project that was displayed at a one-night exhibition last Friday at MainFrame Studios in Des Moines. His work is still on display at MainFrame Studios or can be found here.
Wright is the sixth artist to participate in the residency program. The artist-in-residence receives $500 and the work produced during the residency is split 50/50 between the artist and Ballet Des Moines.
Clay & Milk talked with Wright about the program, how it challenged him as an artist and what he’s planning on doing with this experience from Ballet Des Moines.
Wright is also a regular contributor to Clay & Milk.
Our Q&A is below:
How did you hear about this program with Ballet Des Moines?
NW: They take on an artist who comes in and is on sight in the studio for about five or six weeks. That artist creates a work that is inspired their experience.
Every artist has been different, photographer, videographer, doll maker, they had a woman who built a robot that painted abstract things. That was the one where I first heard about it, then through Jami (Milne).
So I thought I’d throw my name in. It’s somewhat competitive, you pitch an idea and they go through each artist and select.
The application was due in January and I found out in February.
It didn’t have to be too specific but I said I wanted to make a comic or some sort of story that has nothing to do with superheroes but is inspired by a day in the life of a dancer. The work they go through, their life outside the studio, that’s all I knew at the time.
Back then I thought we would end up printing comic books but as the experience went on it became apparent that we should just make each page super sized so it’s better for a gallery and show experience.
What made you put your name into the contest?
NW: It’s a really good opportunity to build a complete work in the comic platform. I don’t get a lot of chances to do that with my client work it’s usually whatever they want, corporate interior art, a cartoon, or make this idea come to life for me. So rarely I do I get to do a front-to-end actual comic.
I do some of my own stuff but that falls victim to what else I have going on and my own motivation. This was a great opportunity to do a complete, front to back piece.
And the artists that have been selected so far have been so different that I felt like they were making very interesting and bold choices in who they select.
Talk about those first few days and being around ballet…
NW: Really interesting because I appreciate the ballet world but I don’t have a lot of knowledge of it and I don’t know what goes into it. I just know a lot of hard work does but I don’t know more than that.
My first week they were putting together a runway fashion show before they started Cinderella practice, so I watched that come together in a week. They came into that cold, choreographed the whole thing and executed the show that Friday. That was really interesting to see it put together. And that was their annual fundraiser.
But to be immersed in that, watch how they work, it was really interesting. They show up in their sweats, it’s not glamorous, they work their butts off.
Where are you while all this is happening?
NW: They have this loft area where most of their costume cage is, which is huge with hundreds of dresses and costumes. That’s where the artist stays. You have this perch and can look down on the floor, it’s a great visual.
So I would go up there and sketch. And honestly, it was the best figure drawing class I’ve ever had. Better than college, because of how they move and how they twist their bodies. In college, we had posed and people standing still. In ballet, I couldn’t draw in real time. I had to take a lot of photos and work from those as a reference because my brain just couldn’t capture the movement.
I’d go in for a couple hours each day and sketch.
Was there an adjustment period for you as an artist?
NW: It was a challenge those first couple days. Just immersing myself and getting out of my own head and watching what they do. Then documenting that visually.
I did that for a couple weeks and that inspired the comic book. A lot of the poses I captured became some of the poses in the comic book and led up to that story.
Any takeaways?
NW: Definitely an appreciation for their work ethic, these dancers are artists and professional athletes. I can’t think of another combination like that, so I was just really inspired by how they work and their work ethic. I was just impressed by them and the company as a whole.
Also, to be able to get away from myself for six weeks and be immersed with another creative world was worth it for me. I needed that break and sometimes it’s good to get out of your own head. It’s almost like, you need to go study something for six weeks.
It felt like a college course all over again, you get to go observe and study, then create some output of what you saw.
What weren’t you expecting?
NW: I didn’t expect how much goes into it outside of the dancers. The administrative staff, choreography, I didn’t know the amount of support people that were involved to make this come together.
I would definitely have more of an appreciation for it now.
Is there anything you can use from this moving forward?
NW: I’ve always wanted to work with companies to create either internal or external communication pieces that aren’t just like a brochure. I’m always trying to pitch a five to ten-page comic book. Tell your story that way but I didn’t have anything to show.
This would be a good piece, front to end, the style, how it could unfold, something to try. It wouldn’t be as exciting visually as the ballet one.
So this is something you’d recommend other artists pursuing?
NW: Yeah definitely, any artist that is interested. Just watch the social feeds and then they choose pretty fast. And then you are in there like two weeks later.
The art show was last Friday and technically this is week six. They do have some of my original work that they are selling at the show this weekend, some of the original drawings. It’s awesome and super fun, to go create a body of work. Even the sketches that informed the big piece.
You think companies should pursue a residency program like this?
NW: Like a short couple weeks. It’s a bold thing to do, it could be anything for a company. There’s not a big investment. I don’t know what an artist-in-residence would be like at Kum & Go, but I’m sure it could be fun and interesting.
Why not?