M12 (artist collective)

Last updated
M12 Studio
Type Nonprofit organization, Artist Collective
Headquarters Colorado
Region served
Worldwide
Founder/Director
 Richard Saxton
Key people
Daniel Eck
Todd Bockley
Matthew Fluharty
Kirsten Stoltz
Margo Handwerker
Kristofer Harzinski
Stuart Hyatt
Jared Walters
David Wyrick
Peter de Kan
Josh Garret-Davis
Marc McCay
Mary Welcome
Chris Sauter
George P. Perez
Trent Segura
Brian Cook
Nancy Kwon
Aaron Treher
Website http://m12studio.org
Formerly called
municipalWORKSHOP (2002-2007)

M12, aka M12 STUDIO, is an American artist collective and non-profit organization that features an evolving group of artist practitioners, curators, designers, researchers, and writers. Now based in Colorado, the collective creates artworks, research projects, and education programs that explore rural cultures and landscapes. After meeting at Indiana University in 2000 the collective was initially formed as the municipalWORKSHOP in 2002 in York, Alabama by Richard Saxton when he was an artist-in-residence at the Rural Studio, an architecture studio run by Auburn University. The group evolved into M12 in 2007 when it became incorporated as a non-profit organization. The evolving group of core members have created over 35 projects since the collective's founding. M12 has been featured in numerous publications including Lucy Lippard's 2014 book "Undermining: A Wild Ride Through Land Use, Politics, and Art in the Changing West," [1] the Whitechapel Gallery's 2019 anthology "Documents of Contemporary Art: The Rural [2] " featuring Kirsten Stoltz's essay "A Country Social: M12 on the American High Plains," the 2014 publication "A Decade of Country Hits: Art on the Rural Frontier," [3] as well as Josh Garrett-Davis' 2019 book "What is a Western?" [4] and many more books, publications, and recordings. The artist collective has been featured in a variety of exhibitions including The Breaking Ring, at the Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, NM; Going with the Flow, SITE Santa Fe, NM; [5] The 13th International Venice Biennale of Architecture, Venice, Italy; [6] The 21st International Art Biennial of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia; [7] and Lone Prairie at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design; [8] among others. M12 has received a wide variety of awards including from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; [9] The National Endowment for the Arts; [10] Colorado Creative Industries; The Gates Family Foundation; The Indianapolis Community Foundation; and the Minneapolis Foundation, among others.

Contents

History

M12 has exhibited at the 13th International Venice Architecture Biennale, The Kalmar Konstmuseum in Sweden, [11] The Chicago Cultural Center, Franklin Street Works, Wormfarm Institute, The 2011 Australian Biennial (SPACED), The 2010 Biennial of the Americas, The Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture at the University of Tennessee, The John Michael Kohler Arts Center, The Contemporary Museum in Baltimore, Wall House #2 in the Netherlands, The Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin; [12] High Visibility: On Location in Rural American and Indian Country, Fargo, ND; [13] The 21st International Art Biennial of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia; Sala Diaz, [14] San Antonio, TX; The Santa Fe Art Institute, NM; [15] The Des Moines Public Art Foundation, Des Moines, IA; [16] Corcoran Gallery of Art, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in Washington DC; The Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, NM; IASKA Australian Biennial, Perth, Australia; Biennial of the Americas, Denver, CO; The Kohler Arts Center, WI; The Contemporary Museum, Baltimore, MD; and The Center for Land Use Interpretation, Culver City, CA / Wendover, NV; among others.

municipalWORKSHOP (2002-2007)

The municipalWORKSHOP was created in 2002 by artist Richard Saxton based on an effort to experiment with the concept of a "rural renaissance" within the small town of York, Alabama. This art laboratory aimed to work with municipalities and communities to develop more creative approaches to living in rural America. [17] The organization's first project was called Utility Now!, a series of pedal-powered street-sweepers and utility tricycles and bicycles for city crews to better maintain York. [18]

From 2002 to 2007, the municipalWORKSHOP created public art projects with local communities throughout the United States. Projects range from a Music Integrated Kiosk Environment (M.I.K.E.) produced for the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin [19] to the AutoTour Vehicle built for the Center for Land Use Interpretation in Wendover, Utah. [20] In 2007, the collective formalized as M12, and expanded its reach to communities in Europe, South America, and Australia.

2007-2011

After formalizing in 2007, Daniel Eck, now Museum Director of the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri; [21] Todd Bockley, now Director of the Bockley Gallery in Minneapolis, Minnesota; [22] and Richard Saxton, now Associate Professor of Sculpture & Post-Studio Practice at the University of Colorado Boulder, [23] incorporated M12 as a nonprofit in the collective's project space EbcoLab in Wisconsin. The collective then shifted its base of operations to Colorado where multiple properties would serve as base of operations between 2007 and 2011 including a property outside of Boulder called Rabbitbrush Ranch and an office space in Denver's Taxi Building. EbcoLab was the site of the collective's first Big Feed project in 2007, the collective returned to the rural west in 2008 for the second Big Feed at Rabbitbrush Ranch.  

2011–2017

Between 2011 and 2017, The Feed Store social project served as a primary fieldwork site for M12. Located in Byers, Colorado, The Feed Store functioned as the M12 office, studio, workshop, and an experimental space for rural cultural activities hosting upwards of 200 artists, writers, researchers, and students during operation. [24] The store served as a transcultural connection point between artists and the regional rural residents around Byers, CO hosting more than 20 exhibitions, performances, readings, and over 15 on-site projects. During their tenure at The Feed Store, M12 produced a variety of creative content and hosted 5 collaborative summits. The Feed Store also served as a central station for the University of Colorado Boulder's Art + Rural Environments Field School Program [25] run by Field School Faculty Director and University of Colorado Boulder Professor Richard Saxton. The Art + Rural Environments Field School Program provided students with experience working in alternative art spaces and engaging with rural communities.      

2018-2022

In 2018 M12 moved their base of operations to the Conejos Fieldwork Site at Rancho la Florida in Conejos County, Colorado. During the collective's tenure in Conejos County, M12 executed the M12 Studio Landlines Initiative [26] to stimulate collaborative projects with visiting artists, researchers, writers, farmers, ranchers, and landowners in Colorado's San Luis Valley. [27] The Conejos Fieldwork Site provided studio infrastructure for M12, visiting project contributors, and collegiate students within the University of Colorado Boulder's Art + Rural Environments Field School Program. The Landlines initiative culminated in the 2024 LANDLINES: San Luis Valley publication featuring writing and content from 18 artists. [28]

2022–present

M12 is currently operating out of a renovated historic building in Big Springs, Nebraska. They recently hosted their first annual Pasture event at the site in 2024. [29] The collective continues to develop projects worldwide.

Projects

Works Published

Other Participants

Kultivator, myvillages, Fernando Garcia-Dory, Adam Gordon, Mimi Zeiger, Matt Slaby, Taman Eggers, Wes Janz, Daniel Bachman, Kurt Wagner, Kristy Duran, Temple Grandin, Zach Boddicker, Ian Hunter, Marco Marcon, Anna Beirbrauer, Sarah Shultz, Jamie Horter, Andrew Valdez, Elliot Ross, Raven Chacon, Dylan Golden Aycock, Chip Thomas, Rio de la Vista, Ronald Rael, Jessica Kahkoska, Buster Graybill, Eric Simpson

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References

  1. ↑ "Undermining". The New Press. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  2. ↑ "Documents of Contemporary Art: The Rural". Whitechapel Gallery. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  3. ↑ Handwerker, Margo (2014). A decade of country hits. Art on the rural frontier. Heyningen: JAP SAM Books. ISBN   978-94-90322-40-3.
  4. ↑ "What Is a Western?". University of Oklahoma Press. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  5. ↑ "SITE SANTA FE | Exhibitions | GOING WITH THE FLOW". SITE SANTA FE. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  6. ↑ "Vitae". M12 Studio. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  7. ↑ m12studiobuffalo (2020-08-07). "Victory Means So Much". M12 Studio. Retrieved 2024-10-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ "Lone Prairie: Video Installation by M12 | Jun 14 | Washington Post". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  9. ↑ "M12 – The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts" . Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  10. ↑ "Making Space for Art: Spotlight on M12 Studio". www.arts.gov. 2014-02-11. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  11. ↑ "Bodycake | Kalmar Art Museum" . Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  12. ↑ "M12 STUDIO". m12studio.org. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  13. ↑ "High Visibility: On Location in Rural American and Indian Country – The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts" . Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  14. ↑ m12studiobuffalo (2020-08-07). "Victory Means So Much". M12 Studio. Retrieved 2024-10-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ "M12 Collective". Santa Fe Art Institute. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  16. ↑ "M12 Collective". Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  17. ↑ Fluharty, Matthew. "Richard Saxton's Vernacular Landscapes". The Art Of The Rural. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  18. ↑ "Utility NOW". Rural Studio. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "M.I.K.E. (Music Integrated Kiosk Environment)". PUBLIC ART NETWORK YEAR IN REVIEW DATABASE. Public Art Network. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  20. ↑ "RICHARD SAXTON'S VERNACULAR LANDSCAPES". Art of the Rural. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  21. ↑ "Dan Eck | Museum of Art and Archaeology". maa.missouri.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  22. ↑ "About". Bockley Gallery. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  23. ↑ "Richard Saxton". Art and Art History. 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  24. ↑ m12studiobuffalo (2020-04-02). "The Feed Store". M12 Studio. Retrieved 2024-10-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ↑ Kuta, Sarah (2016-05-07). "CU-Boulder field school lets students explore mountains, plains with art". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  26. ↑ "Landlines | M12 Studio". landlines.site. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  27. ↑ "M12 STUDIO announces a new award to further support the Landlines Initiative in Colorado's rural San Luis Valley!". www.museumtrail.org. 2021-02-11. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  28. ↑ Landlines: San Luis Valley - ARTBOOK|D.A.P.
  29. ↑ "PASTURE". m12studio.org. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  30. ↑ m12studiobuffalo (2020-04-02). "Last Chance Module Array". M12 Studio. Retrieved 2024-10-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ↑ Yamasaki, Parker (2024-05-26). "8 quirky places to visit in Colorado this summer for newbies and natives alike". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
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