Sustainability, an idea that is becoming more relevant to students and is being used in all areas of the art world. Locally sourced materials give an advantage to artists, giving them the opportunity to be mindful in their work. The Bright Angle and the Democratic Cup are displayed in the Rutledge Gallery in McLaurin hall, open to all students on campus.
Nick Moen, the designer for The Bright Angle, does a lot of collaboration within his work. Moen established The Bright Angle as an organization in 2016, in Asheville, North Carolina. “Eight years ago I was driving around the country picking up hitchhikers for three months,” Moen said, “my car ended up breaking down after 8,000 miles and I said, ‘Well, this must mean something,’ so I settled in and called Asheville home.” Moen was interested in the craft and makers community in Asheville and decided to become a part of it by starting projects out of his basement. “I wanted to create jobs for people to be able to become involved in the Asheville creative community,” Moen said, which caused him to start the organization.
The upper level of the gallery houses pieces from the organization, brought in from Asheville, North Carolina. Moen designs the pieces the organization creates, but he has a production team who works through them. “We are a premier mold making and design studio so we are able to work with companies and retailers who want to bri[dge] the gap between industrial design and productions,” Moen said. The company wanted to be able to step away from strictly craft or design, so they combined the two. The Bright Angle can take a sketch from a company and turn it into a product for them through their 3D molds.
Nicole Davenport, Assistant Director of Winthrop Galleries gave insight into the creative processes used by Nick Moen. Moen created a list named, “The Steps for Creation.” The list is specific to what they do with ceramics, “but can also be applied to any design process an artist is going through,” Davenport said. Davenport gave insight on the process each piece goes through while being curated by artists. “The artists came up with a modular system,” Davenport said, “the clay is turned into ‘slip’ and then poured into the plaster molds they have pieced together.” Davenport went on to say, “the molds are then strapped together to suck the moisture from the clay, creating a type of ‘skin’ or layer of clay.”
Moen uses the ‘slip’ method to create pieces for lighting. Davenport explained the benefit to using clay instead of glass for the pieces. “The way the light is diffused, is the reason an artist may choose to use clay,” Davenport said. Moen was tired of the now popular trend of exposed lightbulbs, and decided he wanted to know how he could change that into something that is a little more “soft and inviting,” Davenport said. The light presented from the clay pieces give a more intimate feeling compared to the harshness of exposed lightbulbs. Moen explained, “a year ago we decided to pursue translucent porcelain lighting because of the way lighting can affect your mood, create a source of ambiance in a space, and be used as an essential part for any human space setting the tone for what is happening there.”
The Democratic Cup, presented in the lower level of the gallery is a huge collaboration Moen did with ceramicists from around the world to show civil dialogue. “I was interested in what Ayumi Horie was doing as a social activist for the ceramics community and wanted to collaborate with dozens of designers and illustrators to make ceramic objects as catalysts for change.” Therefore, he collaborated with Horie to start the Democratic Cup to encourage people to talk about their social and political issues.
The Rutledge Gallery at Winthrop is not a collecting gallery, which means they bring artists in from outside the university to feature. “We spend a lot of time looking, searching, and visiting museums and galleries to find these artists.” Davenport said, “this is how we found Nick Moen.” The Rutledge Gallery is in McLaurin Hall on campus. According to Davenport, “many students come through the building, but do not know the gallery is there and tucked away.” Students are welcomed to come by the gallery during the hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Students can learn more about The Bright Angle on the organization’s website, www.thebrightangle.com.
Photos: Sam Ross/ The Johnsonian
