Cindy Tower : Viewers as Creators

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These works are in response to the fact that Americans are no longer making things. The following projects attempted to transform consumers into actual creators themselves.

Viewers as Creators

"Gardenia", Installation, New Jersey Center for Visual Arts, Summit, NJ
Community transforming fans into flowers for exhibition

Tower held a series of summer workshops to make parts of the upcoming exhibition with community members.

Cindy Tower Viewers as Creators Model blowing colored bubbles, canvases, participants

"Fountain of Vinitas", Oglethorpe Square, Savannah, GA, 1/3 2010
Model blowing colored bubbles, canvases, participants

In 2010, Tower and a group of SCAD graduate students conducted a series of painting experiments throughout Savannah, GA, in hopes of transforming consumers into creators.

Blank canvases were given out to the public for free. Viewers were then invited to create their own "bubble" works of art on location. The "model" blew bubbles with different colors mixed into the bubble-solution. Participants had to "catch" bubbles with their canvases in order to render images.

"Fountain of Vinitas", Savannah, GA, 2/3
Model blowing colored bubbles, canvases, participants

Blank canvases were given out to the public for free. Viewers were then invited to create their own "bubble" works of art on location.

Cindy Tower Viewers as Creators Exhibition of "Bubble Works"

"Bubble" works of art created from the "Fountain of Vinitas" happening, 3/3
Exhibition of "Bubble Works"

"Fountain of Vinitas" was a collaboration in which Tower and graduate students conducted a series of painting experiments throughout the city of Savannah, in hopes of transforming consumers into creators.

Blank canvases were given out for free and viewers were invited to create their own "bubble" works of art. Eventually the work was shown in a white space.

"Gardenia" exhibition
1998
mixed

"Gardenia", New Jersey Center for Visual Art, Summit, NJ

Show in which the entire community in Summit, NJ participated in creating parts for the exhibition in a series of public workshops conducted by the artist. The exhibition functioned as a giant, indoor public garden visitors were invited to explore.

"Laundry bottle flower" collaborations with girl scouts

"Gardenia" exhibition

Girl Scouts photographed with created works (not Pom-Poms) that they made for "Gardenia"
1998
mixed

"Gardenia", New Jersey Center for Visual Art, Summit, NJ

Cindy Tower Viewers as Creators Traffic cones lent by local highway department with gladiola flowers grown by the local garden club.

"Gardenia" Installation
1998
Traffic cones lent by local highway department with gladiola flowers grown by the local garden club.

"Gardenia", New Jersey Center for Visual Art, Summit, NJ

Cindy Tower Viewers as Creators Oraqnge traffic cones and Gladiolas

Cone detail from "Orange u glad"
Oraqnge traffic cones and Gladiolas

Shown at Trans Hudson Gallery, New York, NY

"Gardenia" Detail

"Spring" Installation, Jessice Fredericks Gallery, New York City

"Gardenia" Detail of waterfall

"Gardenia" Installation with waterfall

Cindy Tower Viewers as Creators Muffler Garden

"Gardenia"
Muffler Garden

Muffler garden from "Gardenia"

"Barrel Garden"
1998

"Gardenia" Installation with cones and barrels donated by highway department. Community lent umbrellas as well.

Detail from "Gardenia"--a community-made garden.

Tower Working on Tank

Tower spent the summer of 2002 gutting out appliances from a Texas landfill for "Tank". Community members painted the structure and created illuminated gels of fish and aquatic animals that were inserted into appliance fronts under glass.