Middle Child is a curatorial collaborative partnership between two middle children, Agnes Ray and Melissa Vogley Woods. As middle children we know that everything isn’t about us.
We are not the favorites.
We are not the stars.
And we’re ok with that.
We are the peacekeepers, the negotiators, the double-agents. We are native born to the in-between and translation is our mother tongue. Middle Child is the platform so that others may be seen.
MINT Collective, Collaborative Exhibition at Springbreak's Brooklyn immersive Brooklyn, NY.
MINT is a collaborative, multidisciplinary collective founded and operated by artists located in Columbus, Ohio. Abidingly fresh, adaptable, and dynamic, our mission at MINT is to support underrepresented and developing artists, to cultivate relationships within the community, to embrace alternative projects, and to remain persistently disobedient to traditional thinking.
WILL PLAY FOR SPACE 2017: MEATBALL originated from a proposed basketball tournament in which local artist-run spaces would participate: our gallery, a former meat processing facility, transformed into a nearly full size court, Columbus’ art community as players and spectators in a communal performance. MINT Collective has since vacated our former facilities, alleviating undue financial burden and mitigating friction between our physical operation and city administration. Without a home court, WILL PLAY FOR SPACE is recontextualized into a broader conversation about displacement and nomadic participation, sustainability, and alternatives to alternatives,
PROJECT: TRACERS TAKES OVER
Hopkins Hall gallery and Ace of Cups, OSU Interactive exhibition, panels, workshops, rock concert. August 25- Oct 3 2014
Organized by Jen Reeder Founder of Tracers and Melissa Vogley Woods.
Tracers Book Club (TRACERS) is a diverse, inclusive and publicly engaged collective dedicated to promoting feminism and all forms of human equality. Tracers is a radical initiative committed to social justice and gender lawlessness. Tracers proposes and promotes self-determination as a civil right. Tracers is for EVERYONE. Tracers is the revolution. Tracers Exhibition, lecture series, workshops occurred at Hopkins Hall Gallery from August 25-October 4th with a collection of revolutionary artifacts, a feminist reading room and an interactive timeline of the history of women’s experiences among other radical ephemera. Associated events include a series of panel conversations about feminism and intersectionality and a youth poetry day camp at the Hopkins Hall Gallery on the campus of OSU and a grrrl rock show at Ace of Cups.Participants in the Tracers events included:Participants: C0-Organizer Jen Reeder, Micol Hebron's Gallery Tally: Equality in the Art world Poster Project, Mytheli Sreenivas, Tracy Zollinger Turner, Macrorie Dean, Maria K DiFranco, Lisa McClymont, Laura Larson, Cathy Waggoner, Dr. Treva Lindsey, Dionne Edwards , Krista Benson, Gretel Young, Erin Fletcher, Susan Saltzburg; the bands “Katherine” , “The Girls” "DIdi", DJ Chris Conti, Jenna Rochelle, Capitol Crushers; Poets, Hanna Stephenson, Colleen Morrissey, Kim Leddy and Students from Mosaic, with assistance provided by Hopkins Hall Gallery and curator Merijn Van der Heijden.
ROOMS TO LET temporary art space 2010-
Hopkins Hall gallery and Ace of Cups, OSU Interactive exhibition, panels, workshops, rock concert. August 25- Oct 3 2014
Rooms to Let Temporary Art Space was founded in 2010 by Artist Melissa Vogley Woods. The impetus for this now ongoing platform was to create a situation that facilitated the use of houses for herself and for other artists. After several months looking and reaching out the developers she made a contact that was willing to give her a house. This began the first Rooms to Let project, that came together as a collective of 5 artists who in turn brought in many more for the first exhibition.
Rooms to Let Columbus facilitated for artists a new experience that was then shared with an audience. The Project continues as a place for artists in various locations.
Open source: Rooms to Let is an open source platform for participants in other cities and towns to put on their own projects. We are available to discuss your project plans and help you.
Curators, artists, and scholars of any medium are encouraged to consider this program fine art, performance, writing, graphic design, music, video, textiles, science, etc. There is virtually no limitation to the nature of proposals. Contact me to get involved - melissavogleywoods at gmail dot com
Participating Cities and Groups will have their projects hosted on our site and we will help get the word out about what you are doing.
ROOMS TO LET PRESS:
including project curated and organized by Vogley Woods in Columbus. All project in Cleveland are organized by local artist and civic associations of slavic village.
Spring 2014 | CAN Journal, Collective Arts Network|Cleveland
Rooms to Let: Cleveland Joe Duffy
http://canjournal.org/members/rooms-to-l
Saturday May 17th 2014 | Cool Cleveland, VIDEO: Over 30 Local Artists Transform Abandoned & Foreclosed Homes In Slavic Village.
http://www.coolcleveland.com/blog/2014/0
February 21 2013 | TAXI, Journaling ideas since 2003, Abandoned Houses Get Transformed Into Temporary, Pop-Up Art Museums, By Dorothy Tan
http://designtaxi.com/news/356001/Abando
Monday February 17, 2014 | Fresh Water Cleveland, 'rooms to let' to transform vacant slavic village homes into pop-up art galleries
http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/devne
February 27, 2013 | concept plus object
post #10, Columbus, Ohio by Ken Nurenburg
February 26, 2013 | Popular Offerings
Recession art: Rooms to Let, Columbus Ohio
February 21, 2013 | Lost at E Minor
December 22, 2011 | Columbus Alive!
Year in Review: Best in the Arts 2011
Oct. 11, 2011 | Huffington Post
October 2, 2011 | The Columbus Dispatch
Concepts of home reside in empty house by Melissa Starker.
September 8, 2011 | Columbus Underground
Local Artist Spotlight: Melissa Vogley Woods by Walker Evans.
September 4, 2011 | Chairs & Buildings
June 10, 2011 | Columbus Alive!
ROOMS TO LET 3, 2014
PARTICIPATING PROJECTS AND COLLECTIVES:
Velvet Mirror, Elijah Funk, House: 219 N 22nd Street, Date: Saturday, May 18, House donated by:
Tumbleweeds, Nicole Crock, Lot: Scattered around houses, Project Date: Saturday, May 18, House donated by: Homeport
Timothy Smith, House: 219 N 22nd Street, Date: Saturday, May 18, House donated by: Homeport
Tell/Tale, Curator: Andrea Myers, House: 219 N 22nd Street, Exhibition Date: Saturday, May 18 House provided by: Homeport Andrea Myers, Liz Trapp, Josh Welker
The Proper Organ of Vision, Jeremy Stone, House: 219 N 22nd Street, Date: Saturday, May 18, House donated by: Homeport
Nostos Curator: Cat Lynch, House: 219 N 22nd Street, Exhibition Date: Saturday, May 18, House provided by: Homeport Past participating artists*:Kathleen Ryan, Laura Hruska, Hannah Barnes, Jacinda Russell, Original performers:Kristin Rochelle Lantz & Susie Underwood, Jen Gillette, the teens of Project Pivot, The Art Club Collective
In the Dark, Curator: Philip Spangler, House: 214/216 N 20th Street, Exhibition Date: Saturday, May 18, House provided by: Homeport Participating artists:Jessica Naples: Photography, Amanda Kline: Photography & installation, Liam O’Connor: Installation, Chris Harvey: Performance & installation, Leah Frankel: Installation, Page Phillips: Contemporary dance, Nick George: Photography & Sculpture, Amy Ritter
Home Manual, Elena Harvey Collins & Richard Rozewski, House: 194 N 22nd Street, Date: Saturday, May 18, House donated by: Homeport
Family Album, Artist: Sue Harshe, House: 219 N 22nd Street, Date: Saturday, May 18, House donated by: Homeport
CURB APPEAL, Curator: Liz Maugans, House: 194 N 22nd Street, Date: Saturday, May 18,, House provided by: Homeport Participating artists:Liz Maugans, Corrie Slawson & Marc Lefkowitz, Dana Depew & Jeff Chiplis, Michael Loderstedt, Mely Barragan
Treading: 468 W Town Street, December 13, 2012, Fall 2012 Columbus College of Art & DesignJunior Seminar Installation: Student Collaborative Project., House provided by Kenny Mollica.
CURATING: ROOMS TO LET 2, 2012
468 W Town St Organized & curated by: Melissa Vogley Woods House donated by: Kenny Mollica
PARTICIPATING ARTIST: Linda Diec | Columbus, Ohio, Elena Harvey Collins | Columbus, Ohio, Paul Elsner | Dresden, German, Clare Fox | Detroit, Michigan, Monika Laskowska | Columbus, Ohio & Poland, Bydgoszcz, Micheal Litzau | Columbus, Ohio, Ryan Mandell | Boise, Idaho, Lauri Lynnxe Murphy | Columbus, Ohio & Denver, Colorado, Jennifer Purdum | Cincinnati, Ohio, Suzanne Silver | Columbus, Ohio Mariana Smith | Columbus, Ohio, Timothy Jude Smith | Boston, MassachusettsHannah Stephenson | Columbus, Ohio, Tatiana Svrckova | Columbus, Ohio & Cadca, Slovakia, Melissa Vogley Woods | Columbus, Ohio
Rooms to Let II featured nationally and internationally-recognized artists within a gutted house, located in the near west neighborhood of Franklinton. Each work was site specific and responded to the constructs of the unique environment within the house.
CURATING: ROOMS TO LET 1, 2011
249 Martin Ave, June 3, 2011 in Franklinton.
PARTICIPATING ARTIST: Melissa Vogley Woods, Shauna Merriman Deseden Germany, Elizabeth Gerdeman Leipzig Germany, Mary Jo Bole, Columbus OH, Matt Flegle California, Sarah Weinstock Columbus OH, , Undine Brod New York, Candace Black-Housh Columbus Ohio , Ash Kyrie Wisconsin, Timothy Jude Smith Columbus OH, Sylvia Doebelt Germany,
House donated by Franklinton Development Association. Made possible with generous support from Greater Columbus Arts Council.
CURATING: OBJECT/IMPRINT
Urban Art Space curated by Josh Foy and Melissa
Vogley Woods, Winter, 2012
Exhibiting: Mary Jo Bole, Patrick O'Rorke, Maidens of the Cosmic Body Running, Josh Foy, Melissa Vogley Woods
Workshop: Installation Art conducted by Melissa Vogley Woods
Object /Imprint showcases the work of regional artists who expand on the contexts of object in their approach, and art category. The conceptual aim of Object/Imprint is to exhibit artists who have transitioned from traditional art making mediums into non-traditional realms while maintaining a fixation on objects that typify those root traditions. These works address object obsession, proliferation, memory, and value; adapting and shifting through media, idea, place, or situation in an attempt to expand their work conceptually and go beyond the object it self.
CURATING: Housewarning
Ohio State University Hopkins Hall Gallery 2010, Organized by Tina Beifuss and Melissa Vogley Woods
Exhibiting Artists: Leah Ballis, Tina Beifuss, Anja Bruggemann, Stefanie Busch, Amy Casey, Paul Elsner, Matt Flegle, Eckehard Fuchs, Helma Groot, Scott Hocking, Esther Klaes, Maja Linke, Michael Litzau, Ryan Mandell, Fredrik Marsh, Ardine Nelson, Tim Portlock, Guido Reddersen
A house is a structure that keeps us safe and provides comfort from the elements. However, the concept of a house has ever-shifting connotations. We see the house as status, as burden, as security, and as a symbol of accomplishment. Changes in environment, societal structure, and circumstances can change our feelings about where and how we dwell, transforming this structure from cozy to claustrophobic, from ours to theirs, from real to idealistic.
HouseWARNING began as a conversation between curators Tina Beifuss (Dresden, Germany) and Melissa Vogley Woods (Columbus, Ohio) in 2008. This was at the onset of the US housing market collapse, and our discussions centered on differences and similarities in our cultural understanding of what constitutes a home: ownership vs. rental; scale vs. convenience; comfort vs. location; urban vs. suburban. These talks lead to the concept for this exhibition. Artist in this exhibition came from Germany, New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit and Columbus.
Public Lighting
CURATING: PUBLIC LIGHTING
Organized by Ry Wharton and Melissa Vogley Woods, Spring 2012
Exhibiting: Ryan Agnew, Michael Bell-Smith, Nick Bontrager, Stefanie Busch, Paul Elsner, Leah Frankel, Peter Luckner, Erin McKenna, Shane Mecklenburger, Scott Neal, Danielle Julian Norton, Ken Nurenburg, Sara ODonnell, Patrick O'Rorke, Mike Olenick, Chris Purdie, Umar Rashid, Suzanne Silver, Timothy Jude Smith, Austin Stewart Michael Stickrod.
One night invitational exhibition of light based work in a unique setting. The work in the show will be the only illumination in the space-- creating something that is neither gallery nor theater. Both projections and installations using (artificial) lighting as an integral component are welcome. The show will take place at tan large empty 2-story warehouse in Franklinton just east of the tracks on West State St. which features wide open architecture-- large windows, many columns, and corridors that can support works of varying scales.
CURATING: 11 AT 400
400 rich gallery,COlumbus OH. Exhibiting: Ken Nurenburg, Leah Frankel, Ann Heener, Evan Dawson, Tim Smith, Jen Aneble, Nick George, Sarah Weinstock, Peter Luckner, Stephan Takacs. This collection of artist on exhibition in association with Urban Scrawl weekend Art festival.
Pomerene Center for the Arts 2010 - 1 week + Every 3rd grader in Coshocton County, Examining Identity, Place, Hopes and Dreams 2011
This week long residency I was invited to conduct workshops in association with the Bicentennial celebration, 200 Years Moving Forward We traveled to many schools and centers to reach every third grader in the county so they could participate in this workshop, the students drew from copies of images from the past, focusing on important architecture of Coshocton, and their changing form and function mixed with self portraits and a quote from their present selves exploring identity and imagining how their future hopes and possibilities. The workshop and project, 200 Years Moving Forward was organized by Ann Cornell of the PCA and I was honored to be the guest artist. The project was executed in the style of quilt drawing that I utilize in my artistic practice. An important aspect of the workshop was to link stories of the past with hopes for the future translated by these students of Coshocton.
PUBLIC PROJECT : URBAN QUILTING BEE, 2008-9
Winter-Summer, Organized by Melissa Vogley Woods 2008 & 9
Roving public quilting bee, traveling from Ohio Art League, to Junction view Studio, to Kent State University, to Short North, to Columbus Arts Festival Ohio State Fair. 350 people participated sewing and leaving their signature in the community quilt book. The project was an experiment in sharing and collaboration between strangers through a shared act and purpose. From 2010-12 the Urban Quilting Bee Project has been extended into libraries across Columbus as quilting bee workshops.
Sewing, drawing and quilting workshop, conducted across the City of Columbus. This ongoing Project creates a place for learning, sharing and conversation. Neighborhood communities who have participated are: Driving Park, Franklinton, Gahanna, Hilltop, Linden, Livingston, Martin Luther King, Whitehall, Whetstone, South High, Shepard.
C.A.M.P. Community Arts and Mural Projects: 2006 - 2013 :
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PUBLIC PROJECTS: CAMP: COMMUNITY ARTS AND MURAL PROJECTS 206-2010
Goodwill Collaborative Mural 2009 Mural created and painted with Residential and Disabilities Services participants. Mural was based on the participants drawings and artwork and the large scale mural was collaboratively painted with residence and Artists.
Garden Stage Mural and Stage Project 2008 Godman Guild, Weinland Park (Supported by the Greater Columbus Art Council) Columbus OH (in Collaboration with Helma Groot and Trish Dehnbostel, Weinland Park Community Gardens)
Columbus Public Art Day 2008 (now Art Alfresco) project includes: One-day public art exhibition matching businesses and building owners with artists for a temporary exhibition to take place annually, Short North Neighborhood, Columbus OH (in collaboration with Short North Business Association)
Flight: (in collaboration with Helma Groot) 2007 Collaborative Mobile Project with a permanent installed artwork. Artwork was painted by patients and families who where staying for extended periods at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (Supported by the Greater Columbus Art Council) Columbus OH