Mel Chin http://blog.nola.com/dougmaccash/2008/02/mel_chin_hopes_to_cleanse_thro.html http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/chin/index.html
Biography Born in Houston, Texas in 1951 Born to Chinese parents First child in his family to be born in the U.S. Raised in an African-American and Hispanic neighborhood Family owned a grocery store http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/chin/index.html
His artwork Started creating art at an early age His artwork is not easy to classify Brings art into unlikely places *such as destroyed homes *landfills *popular television (to provoke greater social awareness and responsibility http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/chin/index.html
Received his BA in 1975 from Peabody College in Nashville, Tenn. Earned Fellowship Scholarships from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1988 and 1990 Presently lives in North Carolina http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/chin/index.html
What do we humans have in common?
Our emotions and our connection to the earth and it’s people
Every human being is eternally connected to the earth, it is what makes it possible for each one of us to survive.
Mel Chin brings creative awareness to issues that haunt the earth and our present day society
“He promotes works of art that have the ultimate effect of benefiting science or rejuvenating the economies of inner city neighborhoods” Mel Chin http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/chin/index.html
“KNOWMAD”
A video game that is based on rug patterns of nomadic people from the Middle East who are facing persecution “KNOWMAD is a digital re-weave of patterns that have been around for thousands of years, that we know nothing about.” art: 21 Season One Mel Chin
Dollar Project fundred.org
Project inspiration Chin was asked to go to New Orleans to see what he could about the large amounts of lead in the soil He was overwhelmed by the problem, but involved young students by having them each create their own “fundred” dollar bill that was then sent to congress, in hopes of additional funding for mending the soil Chin recognized the importance of allowing young people’s voices to be heard http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/chin/index.html
And… what the bills looked like http://blog.art21.org/2008/03/03/mel-chin-the-fundred-dollar-bill-project/
Why is it important to hear from young people?
It was the children who were mostly effected by the lead in the soil and they are the ones who cannot vote! This project allowed the voices of the youth to be heard.
Transformation Revival Field Project Toxic earth becomes healthy earth Brings science, botany and alchemy together Alchemy= altering something of little value into something of higher value Toxic earth becomes healthy earth Transformation http://www.satorimedia.com/fmraWeb/chin.htm
art: 21 Season One Mel Chin “Re-sculpting something dead into something living”. Mel Chin art: 21 Season One Mel Chin
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/chin/index.html
“In Michelangelo's days he would have a block of marble and he would have an image in his mind, incredible images in his mind, that he would take the chisel and carve away at it until we see something as remarkable as ‘David’. In our contemporary times our material has changed, we still use marble, but it can also be stuff that we’ve never dreamt of using.” Mel Chin art: 21 Season One Mel Chin
art: 21 Season One Mel Chin Special Projects Agriculture Worms Neighborhood art: 21 Season One Mel Chin P R O J E C T
Mel Chin went to Detroit hoping to find something creative to do with a burnt house. He ended up taking the structure and pivoting it and used the basement as a place to grow worms to support local business… the best fishing worms in town. TRANSFORMATION art: 21 Season One Mel Chin
“Uses the internal organs of a place to create something new, a different form of reconstruction… Taking something that has no meaning and giving it meaning through conceptual art.” Mel Chin art: 21 Season One Mel Chin
BIG IDEA? I think it is transformation. His projects are contributions Art 21 says that it is Consumption…. I think it is transformation. His projects are contributions that continue giving long after he is gone.
Bibliography http://www. pbs. org/art21/artists/chin/index Bibliography http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/chin/index.html art: 21 Season One Mel Chin http://www.transformaprojects.org/ACESOTIS+fundred+dollar+bill+project http://www.satorimedia.com/fmraWeb/chin.htm http://blog.art21.org/2008/03/03/mel-chin-the-fundred-dollar-bill-project/