October 2011

Candice Ivy Presents Collaborative Sculptural Installation, Rhizome, in a Vacant Church in Charlotte, NC

Rhizome, Candice Ivy’s collaborative sculptural installation is located in a vacant church at 1201 Central Avenue in Charlotte, NC’s Plaza Midwood neighborhood. The installation will be open to the public Saturdays and Sundays, from 2-6pm, Oct.1 -30, 2011.

Rhizome is a temporary site-specific installation that combines elements of local architecture and history to create a memorable experience for the viewing public. Born out of a collaboration between International Visual Artist Candice Ivy, Architect, Antonio Martinez, UNC Charlotte Students of Architecture, Logan Chambers, Cherish Rosas, Sean Wilson, Will Allen, John Winstead, and Faculty Advisor, Jennifer Shields, Rhizome was developed and realized over a span of 9 months.

Formerly a site of strong personal experience and a central gathering place for community members, Rhizome is located inside a historic former church and embodies and reflects the history, culture and changes of Charlotte. Similarly, the Plaza Midwood neighborhood surrounding the church has a significant relationship with the greater Charlotte community - once affected by economic decline, the neighborhood is now experiencing growth and renewal.

Focusing on these characteristics as well as the architecture of the historic church, the team employed structural elements and video to construct an installation that reflects transformation and growth.

“I have long been drawn to working within spaces that are both architecturally and historically diverse,” explained Ivy. “The challenge of working with students of architecture provided new perspectives on ways of organizing and constructing space, as well as how issues of culture, community, and history can be considered.”

“A major goal for the project was to create a charged atmosphere that intimately considers the existing architecture, the history of the space, and the community,” said Ivy.

A multi-media artist born in Hartsville, SC, Ivy received a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at Coker College and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in Boston, MA.

“Her senior exhibition, more than ten years ago, was an installation of large clay and vine forms,” recalls art professor and chair of the department Jean Grosser.  “It has been especially gratifying to see that imagery evolve in her drawings and installation work over the years.”

Ivy’s works have been shown nationally and internationally including in the Old City Jail in Charleston, SC, as part of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival and at the Sguardi Sonori Festival in Venice, Benevento and Frascati, Italy. Her video work has been shown in such venues as GASP in Boston, Boston University’s 808 Gallery, the Massachusetts College of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Rhode Island International Film Festival in Providence, RI, and in the Berkeley Small Film Festival in Berkeley, CA.

Ivy received the Bartlett Award from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 2006 and in 2010 was awarded an artist residency at the McColl Center for Visual Art. In 2011, she was granted artist residencies from both the Taipei Artist Village in Taipei, Taiwan and ALTER-Auberge in Montreal, Canada. In the Spring and Summer of 2011, Ivy created the site-specific installation A Sounding for St. Ann’s Park in Montreal, Canada and her solo exhibition, Feral at TAV’s Barry Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan.

Rhizome has been made possible through the support and generosity of The McColl Center for Visual Art, UNC Charlotte, John Hatcher Realty, and the Nichol’s Company.

For further info on this project e-mail Ivy at (candiceivy@gmail.com) or visit (http://fluxwurx.com/installation/).

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