Crystal Wagner, TAMIU visiting artist and creator of the project known as ‘Rhizome,’ will share her vision for a historic large-scale campus installation in an Artist Talk Tuesday, January 23 at 6:30 p.m. in TAMIU’s Center for the Fine and Performing Arts (CFPA) Theater.
TAMIU Visiting Artist Crystal Wagner
The spring semester installation will provide opportunities for the campus and community at large to be engaged in its creation.
“The talk will be very much an introduction to my art practice, my professional experiences, and who I am as an artist. I want to provide context for what is about to happen here at TAMIU. It is about generating excitement. I’ll share my inspiration and ideas for my large-scale works and my art practice,” Wagner said, noting, “I’m hoping that by sharing my practice we can begin to generate interest for participation by TAMIU students, faculty, and members of the local community.” She continued, “TAMIU classes will work on projects centered around ‘Rhizome.’ We’d love to have students and artists from throughout the community join us for this exciting, collaborative project that includes tactile, visual, performance, and soundscape elements. These elements will combine to create an immersive, encompassing experience on a scale never seen before here.”
Among the opportunities for public participation in the installation are Open Build Days and Printmaking Workshops. Open Build Days are scheduled for every Friday, beginning Jan. 26 and continuing through March 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants will meet at the CFPA main lobby.
Printmaking Workshops are scheduled on Saturday, Feb. 24 and Sunday, Feb. 25, from 1 to 5 p.m. in the CFPA Printmaking Studio, room 220 A.
The final installation will be presented in a full performance targeted for early April 2024.
Wagner is a contemporary interdisciplinary artist represented by Mirus Gallery in Los Angeles/San Francisco, CA; Ryan Joseph Gallery in Denver, CO; Kirk Gallery in Denmark, the David Block Gallery in Marrakesh, Morocco; and Fort Works Art in Fort Worth, TX.
Her interest in combining two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms and massive site-specific installations has led to exhibitions of her art around the world. Notable commissions include works for NIKE, Bombay Sapphire, TOYOTA, The Flaming Lips, The United States Embassy, Warner Brothers, and two installations for Viacom, one of which is a 117- ft. piece at their Times Square, New York City headquarters. It was featured by The New York Times and broadcast on national television on VH1’s Top 20 Countdown.
Wagner received AN MFA from the University of Tennessee in 2008, a BFA from the Atlanta College of Art in 2004, and an AFA from Keystone College in 2002. In 2013 she was awarded the highly coveted Pollock-Krasner Grant.
To view other large-scale installations by Wagner visit: https://crystalwagner.com/installations/
For more information on the TAMIU Rhizome Project, contact Wagner at rhizome@tamiu.edu or call (956) 326.3044.
CUTLINE FOR RHIZOME ART
“Rhizome” is a multidisciplinary contemporary art project organized by Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) Artist and Visiting Assistant Professor Crystal Wagner that will be created on campus in Spring 2024. It involves the collaboration between faculty and students in the music, art, dance, theater, and humanities and the community at large to create a fully dynamic conversation on art, culture, community, place-making, and sustainability. “Rhizome” uses RPET fabric made from recycled plastic bottles. The installation explores sustainability and awareness at the intersection of art, environmentalism, and community.
