Tune in is a creative initiative fabricated by artists at the Art Factory which seeks to focus a spotlight on our most valuable cultural assets; our artists and museums which have been devastatingly impacted by the 2020 Pandemic. The project will center around an outdoor multimedia diorama created by artist Rick Lazes titled “Tune in” which will be exhibited in front of ten US museums.The Art Factory is composed of a group of artists who collaborate in several different mediums including sculpture, painting, film, and theater. The mission of the Art Factory is to highlight voices that have been historically underrepresented in the art world. Tune in is a multidimensional diorama designed to encourage the audience to question how we understand and experience our history, reality, social equality, and personal relationships with each other and media technology. Six vintage TV screens make up the Tune in installation within which a collage of video content is displayed that has been mined f rom hundreds of hours of TV programs f rom the ’50s and 60’s. These video clips come together and break away in sequence to create a digital collage that is meant to catalyze thought. “Tune in” seeks to start a conversation around the television again. In the early years of radio and then TV, electronic media brought us together in living rooms across the nation for a shared experience. We soaked in the utopian content. Often dismissed as mind-numbing entertainment, television pro
programming defined cultural hegemony—and sometimes defied it. With the introduction of the internet, personal com puters, and smartphones, we have become isolated and no longer come together as families to take in a shared media experience. In the 21st century, social media replaced television as our cultural compass and it, too, has been a powerful arbiter of taste and action, simultaneously spreading outlandish conspiracy theories and mobilizing a nation to confront 400 years of institutionalized racism. The quarantine of 2020 has now pulled us back together in our homes and around our TV’s as a family again. The viewer may contemplate to what extent our society has changed over the last generation and where it will evolve in the future. Technology has grown exponentially, but, have we made as many strides socially and politically? What is reality and are we conscious of what ideologies we are internalizing from the bombardment of images and headlines we take in and scroll through every day? . As the sociologist Marshall McLuhan observed: “Any technology gradually creates a totally new human environment. Environments are not passive wrapping but active processes.” Have we “tuned out” to the intimacies of personal interaction as a result of our preoccupation with an alternative digital reality? Perhaps it is time to tune out the distraction of the static emanating f rom the internet and social media. Have we become isolated f rom our neighbors and is it time to turn back to our core values and to reconnect with our families, friends, and neighbors to create a society that is more inclusive? During the pandemic, many of us are waxing for a return to normalcy, however, the reality is that it is unlikely that things will fully return to the way they were prior to quarantine. The good news is that we can create an even brighter future, one that is better for all of us, more fair and equitable, more diverse, and more inclusive better for all races, ethnicities, and genders. Perhaps if we “tune in” to being present we can heal some of the divisiveness that has plagued our
society and bring people together the way that television brought families together in the 50’s and 60s. As the sculpture finds balance within its own construction; it asks us if we can find a balance in our lives and blend the pros and cons of media and technology. During each exhibition, Lazes and his co-director Aaron Atkinson will work with participating curators to interview and film local artists and other creative individuals in each city to document how they are using their creativity to bring hope and inspiration to others. As stay-at-home orders are gradually lifting across the nation and the economic impact of the pandemic crisis begins to settle in, artists across America are spinning beauty from bleakness. Artists in Quarantine™: American Creativity During the 2020 Pandemic is a documentary film about
American artists, musicians and other creative individuals who live in the in the 10 cities that we travel to. Despite uncertainty and economic hardship Americans have found creative inspiration and innovative ways to engage with the public. Despite the pandemic disruption, American artists continue to hone their craft alone in their homes and studios. Some do so in anticipation of better times when cultural institutions re-open and the arts market reemerges, some to soothe and comfort their anxieties, and others want to document this unprecedented moment in world history. Artist, film director, and producer, Rick Lazes has teamed up with filmmaker Aaron Atkinson who will travel to ten US cities to interview artists, musicians and other creative individuals who are sequestered in their homes and studios trying to deal with the 2020 pandemic in the only way they know how - making ART. The documentary film gives us an inside look at artists working in all types of media, and their experiences adjusting to the realities of isolation and social distancing as they create new works, revisit unfinished pieces, and experiment with innovative materials and techniques. Lazes’ documentary will capture artists and other creative individuals adapting to the constraints of quarantine, as they collaborate with other creatives via Zoom and Skype, posts on Instagram, and live stream on social media. Artists in Quarantine™ highlights the innovation and creativity of artistic expression, and the power of art to heal and give hope to our nation along with the cultural background that we encounter in each city that is included in the tour.
Museums, art galleries, and performance venues have been closed since early spring. These organizations are financially stressed and the artists who rely on these institutions for inspiration and exhibition space are deeply affected. While these essential cultural institutions are trying to understand in real- time what “the new normal” will be, they are scrambling to adapt by using social media and online technologies to provide educational content to schools and arts programming to their communities. While the federal government is bailing out airlines, cruise ship companies, banks, and restaurants, we are neglecting our most valuable assets that preserve our creative heritage; our museums, art galleries, and cultural institutions that have lost over $2 billion since the pandemic began Rick Lazes’ professional
career spans multiple industry sectors. He holds patents for several innovative environmentally-friendly technologies, including the “Auto Boom” which has become the gold standard to combat offshore oil spills worldwide. In the entertainment industry, Rick has promoted hundreds of concerts and live music festivals and produced TV shows for HBO and Cinemax. He recently directed and produced, Tough Love, a documentary film about heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis, that examines the question: “who do we revere as our heroes?” The film is narrated by Dr. Dre and premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival.
https://deadline.com/video/lennox-lewis-black-lives-matter-
Lazes has been creating sculptures for four decades. He works in various mediums including marble, wood, plaster, aluminum, steel, and Plexiglass, often building his own custom machinery for his novel processes. His most recent series, Paper Dolls is currently on display at the Cornell Art Museum and the Georges Berges Gallery in Berlin.
You can see more of Rick’s art work at www.RickLazes.com.
To contact the artist: RLazes@gmail.com
