Kinetic art is an umbrella term for art that either moves, or is about movement in some way. Last fall, I proposed this class at the Studio. Teaching a kinetic arts class presented itself with many challenges — space, time, and figuring out how to make big ideas come to life. The artists who signed up were more than ready to take this challenge on!

The people who come into the studio are some of the most prolific and incredible people I have met in my life. I also know that not everyone knows this. I know that a lot of the time, they get told “no” or they “can’t” more often than not. When you’re under a microscope and told what to do 24/7, which is a reality for a lot of folks with disabilities, your creativity suffers. You get told how not to do things, rather than encouraged to try to figure it out on your own. This class was meant to shake up this need for perfectionism that can be sowed by this type of socialization.

During this course, I asked a lot of the artists who participated! I asked them to shed expectations, try new things, use materials they had never touched before, and to push past comfort zones. I do not take for granted that there is a great deal of trust involved in this process, and could not be more proud of these artists.

There were incredible works that came out of this class, including huge mobiles (which were up for view in our Good Sports exhibition, on view through July), explosive kinetic drawings, and detailed maquettes of proposed public art pieces. There were also more than our fair share of failures. Something I found profound during this class was watching the artists’ relationship to failure shift. On week 1, there was a lot of frustration. By the end of the 16 week class, artists were trying things they had never done before, and accepted whatever outcomes happened.

I believe that failure is a part of the creative process, and I am really proud of the artists who pushed themselves to try, and fail, and try again.