Scott Wayne, Indiana [or bust]
Thursday, November 22nd, 2007TJ Norris (me): No jive turkey in the haus this T-giving. Here’s to free time chatting w/art bud Scott Wayne Indiana. Hi there….
Scott Wayne Indiana (Scott): Hello Mr. Norris, that’s what you told me to call you, right?
me: Easy does it. It’s only mister if yo nasty! So, 2007 has been a big year in your world…yes?
Scott: I guess so.
me: Well, you’ve done your Braille Project, the stick figures, ‘M_US__EUM‘, the Portland Art Coloring Book, and your recent solo painting gig in Los Angeles.
Scott: And American Testimonial. Do a Google image search on “Hope Atherton.” Yes, Los Angeles is a nice city. I like it there. Most people say they abhor the traffic. Me? I adore it. Take out hor and add a door. Abhor becomes adore. (Sorry, I’m trying to be witty for the google chat interview, and I guess I’m failing.)
me: I will get to that…yes, I saw one of those pieces up in Seattle on a public street pole. Your work is often in the streets. I’m interested in the feedback you get from folks, from stangers.
Scott: I do get feedback. Mostly on the horse project.
me: Besides from the media, what do the people in the street say…any common responses, any crazy ones?
Scott: Hmm….actually, nothing out of the ordinary. Mostly it’s people who love horses and are from the country, so when they saw a horse in the city it made them feel at home.
me: Fair enough, horses are cool. I only came a few feet close to one, face to face, since I’ve been here in Oregon. They are so docile. So, the horses gallop still?
Scott: It does. I put 10 or so out with my mom a few weeks ago. It was some nice bonding time. She was really surprised and enjoyed the connections that we made with pretty much every who walked by. However, I don’t put many horses out these days. The project has taken on a life of its own, and most of the horses that are out and about now have been installed by other people.
me: Very cool. I enjoy the domestic cross between art and leisure. Well, it’s great to see the attention given to the lil’ guys. Very much in keeping with the whole concept of ‘relational aesthetics’, yes?
Scott: Ok.
me: Speaking of which, didn’t you just recently meet up with Harrell Fletcher’s class?
Scott: Yes. Harvest and I took a few orders of nachos to Harrell and his class of grad students in the new MFA in the social practice program. That was great. Then it somehow prompted Harrell and his undergrad class to ask if they could come observe a math class at the high school where I teach. The Nachos were the third event in a project Harvest and I are doing called, “The Nachos Project.” We have a date in December with Steph Snyder.
me: Can you say anything about this ’spicy ritual’?
Scott: The first two were with Joe and Annette Thurston, and Bruce Conkle and Marne Lucas.
me: Is this a potluck with friends?
Scott: It’s a wide open project. Very loose with no real rules aside from 1) we take nachos and 2) we all talk and 3) they have to come up with some form of documentation. We’re going to invite a lot of people in the new year to let us bring them nachos.
me: On this eve of thanks, knowing that my Tofurkey Day will be filled with sushi, I must note that I heart nachos.
Scott: We must bring you nachos Mr. Norris. January?
me: Ba-ring it!
Scott: Cool, you get to request where you want them from too.
me: Oh, you don’t make them?
Scott: No. We buy them.
me: Wow, that’s wild.
Scott: We are wild.
me: Special orders don’t upset you?
Scott: No, not in the slightest. It’s all good. Just don’t send me to Beaverton.
me: Bonified! Now, how was LA? You had a show with Harvest? You worked on the GEO Chain?
Scott: Yes and yes. It went well. It was my first show outside of Portland, Harvest’s second.
me: Where at?
Scott: Little Bird Gallery is a pretty sweet space down there and I felt lucky to get to show down there. Or, fortunate.
me: Tell me about your work?
Scott: The paintings are sort of an evolution, I hope, from abstractions I was working on a few years ago. I’m interested in composition, and basically creating an expression of something that I inherently feel is within me that I either can’t express with words, or am too scared to express with words, even to myself.
me: Was this a two-person show?
Scott: Yeah, 2 person show, me and the H Bomb.
me: A first?
Scott: Our very first show was at an Everett Station space called Pepper run then by Daniyel Hicks, a good friend of ours. That was a 2 person she, her and me as well. Nothing since then. That’s, a 2 person show
me: Oh yes. Is Pepper still around? I saw Daniyel playing a live music show recently.
Scott: No, it’s not. He plays in a band called Cicada Omega comprised of his pals from Kentucky.
me: Yeah, there was also a guy in his band who I used to see who works at OHSU - steel guitar and all. Anyway, I digress. How was your work received down yonder?
Scott: There were something like 65 openings that night across L.A., but we still had a pretty good turnout. TJ, I’m going to be honest with you, people loved the work.
me: Figures! What was the word? Like did people buy them up…were they chatting you up? Did they talk deep psycho analytics with you til dawn?
Scott: I was sort of withdrawn. Some people said they saw motion in the work. Out of the 5 pieces in the show, only none sold. Harvest sold a piece though. We’re still somewhat optimistic. About sales. I’m not as excited about painting as I used to be. I am going to do an installation at Ogle in April, and I can’t wait.
me: Did you see Stephen Slappe’s show Character at Tilt this month? What does excite you?
Scott: Yes, love Stephen’s show. Also met him for the first time. I’m often saying to my class something like, “everyone think of an elephant right now,” and then I point out how they all have different pictures in their heads, yet we all agree on what an elephant is. Small time psychology or philosophy or whatever, but still fun. I thought Slappe’s show played that same game, only including a drawing test.
me: It reminded me of some ideas you shared with me is all.
Scott: What excites me: making people smile and laugh while causing a pause for reflection at the same time. Oh yeah, I forgot about those ideas! Yeah, I’ve abandoned those ideas for the Ogle show.
me: OK then. It was my first thought when I entered, as you would well imagine. So tell me anything else on the horizon…
Scott: Show at Ogle in April which I keep mentioning. And basically trying to get people to do the coloring book pics, nachos project, add to the geo chain, maybe a new project or two in the months ahead - - - someone named Mary Boone called the other day about something in Chelsea, but I’m not sure if I’m feeling up to it.
me: ok…aha…er…Well, any questions for me before I wish you a healthy feast?
Scott: Yes, of course.
me: Hit me.
Scott: This class you’re teaching that I wish I could take but can’t, what’s one or two personal goals that you have for it? And, do you think the cost of an art piece is fused with its meaning? Or, instead of an art piece, the cost of any object. (Think fake Rollex vs. real Rollex.)
me: Would you mind rephrasing the second part of that questions and reverse it? I think my goal is to get a larger dialogue going, whether it be through more quantifyable, academic writing (and thinking), as well as simply growing the cultural dialect, even if from scratch.
Scott: Ok, when it comes to an artist like Jeff Koons, do you think it’s relevant to discuss the prices of his art when discussing its cultural or philosophical value?
me: That certainly has something to do with it, yes. Value is a multi-splendored thing. It’s universal, the wallet that is.
Scott: You don’t think that detracts from it somehow? I agree with you in that I think an object is meaningfully placed in a culture, subjectively, and its value in the culture will largely shape its meaning.
me: We agree to agree then?
Scott: A counter argument is that bringing how much things cost into the discussion is not only irrelevant, but detracting from the more interesting discussion. But yeah, we agree.
me: I think a $3M photo is worth discussing from that perspective yes. It puts an artist in a different tax bracket after all. Perhaps radically alters lifestyles? I mean, I assume you have to give up food stamps at that point?
But the meaning and impact of the work is universally separate, yes. Anything else to share?
Scott: I’d like to thank Harvest for putting up with me all these years, and Abi and TJ for supporting me so much all this time. Also, I’d like to thank Harrell and Brad for responding to my semi-harassing emails, asking them questions because they are geniuses. I’d like to thank Gavin at the Portland Art Center as well as Joe and Annette Thurston. I’d also like to thank everyone in the coloring book. Also Mylissa down at Little Bird, and Andrea out at AZ West. Sofia with Current TV and Richard Speer for being such a rock star all the time. Thanks to the Pardue’s as well as P Middy and the Portland Horse Project Team. Thanks also to Bruce Conkle, Chris Brown, my agent Gella Dellar, also thanks to Jane Beebe. It’s been one heck of a ride and I wish to express that dreams really do come true. Thank you Portland.
me: peace, out.
Scott: Hah, ok. Bye






















