A Summer of PLAY at AAC

You’ve probably heard by now that this summer we’re presenting PLAY: Tinker, Tech, & Toy, an exhibition featuring thirteen mid-Atlantic artists who use playful methods to experiment, find inspiration, and create artwork that invites viewers to contemplate, reminisce, and engage in play as an essential part of life. The show opens Saturday, July 11, and you don’t want to miss it! Join us for the reception that evening, 6 – 9 PM.

Wanna know more about the artists of PLAY and their work? Here’s a snapshot of what to expect when you walk into the galleries this summer:

• John James Anderson

  invites the viewer to color in his custom Coloring Book, featuring examples of artworks and artists throughout history.

• Jason Corace & Sam Sheffield

  present Mr. Yums Inc, an installation that embodies the internal logic of a video game through playful interactions with sculptural forms.

• Annette Isham & Zac Willis

  explore a love for competition through a multimedia installation featuring a 40-yard field goal challenge, a Missouri tomahawk throw, and target shooting.

• Steven Jones

  invites the audience to explore the complex relationship we have with food through a series of artist-designed kiddie rides.

• Becca Kallem

  draws upon her experience as an educator to create a unique installation of painting and sculpture that incorporates the structures and visual vocabulary of games and educational toys.

• Randall Lear

  engages the ideas of humor and stupidity in art through a playful display of mini sculptures and paintings presented on a painted wall.

• Carolina Mayorga

  presents an interactive floor-based game that addresses the idea of immigration, allowing the viewer to hop their way from the South to North, and back again.

• Catherine O’Connell

  transforms scavenged and discarded objects to create an installation of “game pieces” that interact with small-scale sculptural playgrounds.

• Scott Pennington

  borrows from his background in carpentry to explore his interests in labor, consumer culture, and simple pleasures to create a temporary wonderland of carnival culture and game play.

• Marty Weishaar

  presents an interactive installation that mirrors the size, shape, and objects of his studio

• Cory Oberndorfer

  transforms the lawn of the AAC into a field of discarded toys that allude to the Center’s past as the Maury School.

Roxana Alger Geffen

also opening this Saturday, July 11 is Screenshot. In the Wyatt Resident Artists Gallery on the Upper Level Roxana’s work explores the structure of domestic life using imagery from the digital game Minecraft. You can also visit Roxana in her studio during the reception.

To go along with the exhibitions, we’ve scheduled some fun activities, so break out your calendars and start planning a summer of PLAY with AAC:

• Gamer Symphony Orchestra
  • University of Maryland’s Gamer Symphony Orchestra will perform for us on the opening night of PLAY

• PLAY with Ballston Bid
  • Each First Thursday of the month from July through October you can find us with games and toys and artists at Ballston’s Mega Farmers Market. Check out the highlights from our tent earlier this month!

• Community Picnic & Pop-Up Games – Sept. 12, 1-4 PM
  • Everyone is invited to join us for a picnic and games! Our friends in the Interactive Arts and Game Arts programs at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) will be bringing the games, all you have to do is show up!

PLAY is sponsored by the Ballston Business Improvement District (BID). Public Art by Cory Oberndorfer was developed with and supported by Arlington Public Art. Community picnic pop-up games designed by Maryland Institute College of Art’s (MICA) Interactive Arts Department and the Game Arts Concentration students.