Amy Chaloupka, a curator and new member of the Bellingham Arts Commission, works with museums to develop exhibition programming. Her hope in bringing installations and curated exhibitions to any art community, and to Bellingham specifically, is to open the door to art experiences in a non-intimidating manner, so that both those who might seek out art and those who have never stepped into a museum before feel invited into the experience. She approaches this task by presenting a broad range of ideas and access points that promote inclusion, wonder, and scholarly questioning through multi-layered projects.

PV: Why did you want to do a show about color? How did Colorfast originate?

AC: The idea to propose a show to the museum about color came when my then three-year-old son came up to me one day and attempted to describe a brownish, purplish, blackish color that he was making with paint in another room. He finally just gave up trying to describe it and invented the color name “broosh” and was happy with that. It got me thinking about color and language and the failed attempts at using language to communicate a color experience. When researching artworks and artists for the exhibition, I was interested in conveying a color experience within the phenomenal space of the Lightcatcher Gallery. I sought works that first and foremost hit me on impact with their intense, color-forward compositions. I have a background in creating site-specific installation and public art, and I’ve always been excited as a curator to work with artists to achieve, not just new works, but works that respond directly to their surroundings. It’s a scary, exciting, unpredictable way to make art and there is a lot of energy, planning, and intuition that go into this kind of work. It is the first time the Whatcom Museum has worked with artists in this way and I appreciate the opportunity they gave us to really run with it. I think the end result is work that not only engages the architecture but also communes well within the space to create an entirely immersive color experience.

PV: Tell me something about the installation that you’ve learned since the show’s opening.

AC: The space feels entirely different when you’re the only person in there. It’s very quiet, meditative. When there are several people in the space the focus shifts to an awareness of scale and interaction. The floors add an especially reflective quality that I did not anticipate being so integral to the work. The farther away, the more amplified the reflection appears. As you move around the space, things are constantly changing and each work has multiple viewpoints to explore.

PV: Where do you find creative satisfaction in what you do for museums and galleries?

AC: There’s a lot of creative leeway when it comes to conceptualizing an exhibition, particularly when it is a group exhibition built around a unifying theme. Making decisions, such as which artists and artworks will be included in the exhibition as well as where they will reside in the gallery in relationship and juxtaposition to each other to amplify certain conversations (exhibition design), is also a creative aspect of curation that I love. The development of the writing surrounding the exhibition is also a creative challenge that I love.

PV: Earlier we spoke about your tendency to step back from the spotlight, but with this photo essay and interview, you are allowing more attention on what you do and who you are. What are your thoughts about curators becoming more of a figure?

AC: I think the idea of “curating” has grown more common with editorial design, Pinterest, Instagram, and blogs where people “curate images and products” in idiosyncratic ways. Maybe there’s more awareness of what it means to aesthetically organize images or objects in a curated manner, but there is obviously a lot involved in museum curation that goes beyond display of works. Thankfully, because of this cultural awareness, more and more curators are being recognized or featured in articles or reviews for presenting a unique lens through which to view art and they have something valuable to contribute to culture in this way. The fact that more and more people are taking notice of the process of curation is a good thing because it means that this work is being considered by a broader public and there are more voices in the mix now than ever before. Personally, I try to focus on improving my craft with each new project and doing my best to challenge audiences with questions about art by addressing topics I feel passionate about. I can only hope that the work I develop has broad reach and touches viewers who choose to engage with it.

PV: What do you think Bellingham has done well as a creative/artistic community over the last 20 years?

AC: I definitely feel like there is more of a presence of visual art in Bellingham now than there was 20 years ago, and I know that more is yet to come. It’s exciting to see how the development of the former GP site will play out and how much art will be integrated into that project over time. I like seeing the efforts put forth to create an arts district in Bellingham and new galleries and creative spaces like MakeShift and Dakota Gallery are starting to make their mark too.

PV: How would you like the art scene to evolve?

AC: I would love to see even more galleries, alternative spaces and art spaces in general pop up in Bellingham. Whether they become established or temporary sites for exhibiting art, the more creative voices that find venues in Bellingham the better. We have mastered the independent music, film, craft beer scenes. It’s time for the visual arts to stake their claim!

PV: I have observed the university and the community seem to be close but not yet fully connecting in the art scene. Do you agree, or are you seeing more collaboration/reciprocation?

AC: It’s starting to happen and I think will continue to do so. Bellingham is spread out and the University is as difficult to access and get to as it is for those attending the University to find their way down to Bellingham. The beautiful geography contributes to that. So I’m not sure how that hurdle can be avoided, but maybe someone needs to invent a free culture shuttle!

PV: What is your routine for creativity? Do you have habits or tendencies that have proved fruitful?

AC: I wish! I spend a lot of time caught up in email correspondence to move projects forward and I often feel bogged down by that. That seems to sideline the creative aspects of work. So it helps to turn the email off for a day or two to consciously focus on writing every now and then. I always find it re-charging to go to art fairs and visit with artists in their studios, to see work in person, connect face to face, and hear artists speak about their work. So any chance I get, I try to make those opportunities a priority.

PV: As a curator, what do you suggest other professional creatives do to contribute to the opportunities happening in Bellingham and the region?

AC: Share ideas. Be open to and supportive of one another. Develop a community. Start new things.

PV: Can you leave us with recommended authors, artists, thinkers, books that you find relevant?

AC: Hans-Ulrich Obrist’s book, Age of Earthquakes, is pretty terrifying and totally relevant to a lot of contemporary anxiety that I know I’ve been feeling lately related to the idea of “the Extreme Present.” With the Colorfast exhibition, I read a lot of theory and observations on Color, and David Batchelor’s opinions on color related to culture are particularly wonderful; Chromophobia, The Luminous and the Grey, and Colour.

SUPPORT FROM:

RESOURCES

LOCATIONS
Lightcatcher Museum

COLORFAST ARTISTS
Elizabeth R. Gahan
Crystalized Growth II {multicolored geometry}
Katy Stone
Ray and Horizon {yellow and blue}
Ashley V. Blalock
Keeping Up Appearances {red}
Damien Gilley
Event Horizon {green}