Newsletter with Bonus: Story Contest! /  by Daniella Trask

We just distributed our latest newsletter with updates on Ian's website makeover and more information on Ian's residency. Also announcing an open call for story submissions! Check out the newsletter here and make sure not to miss any future updates - sign up for delivery right to your inbox here.

Story Contest!

We've got a surprise for you all. Up until now, Ian has only been asking people who have collected his slide viewer collages to contribute to the book project, but that's about to change. Want a chance to be part of the Strange Histories storybook? We're opening the doors.

The ask is simple: Based on the collage below, write a 1-4 paragraph short story or story excerpt inspired by the image. Interpret it however you like, there's no right or wrong answer.

Deadline is September 29 (the last day of Ian's residency). We will be reviewing submissions and would like to try to include at least one story that we receive into the book and publish it as a blog post. Submit your story to: ian@iantrask.com. We can't wait to read what you come up with!

Strange Histories collage for story contest.

MASS MoCA Residency /  by Daniella Trask

Upcoming residency at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Sept 16th - 29th.

During this residency, I will be kicking off a Strange Histories collaborative storybook project, taking my Strange Histories series one step further. Over the last several months, I have been asking artists, writers and collectors to help me create a collectively written storybook. My goal is to pair my collages with written captions, infusing the images of the past with the imagination of today. I will then compile these caption/image pairings and make a book out of them. I intend to title the project "Together We Create Strange Histories."

The MASS MoCA residency will provide an opportunity for Ian to begin compiling this book with the collected stories.

Collaboration with Artichoke Dance Company /  by Daniella Trask

After visiting the Blister Pact exhibition, choreographer Lynn Neuman approached Ian about a potential collaboration. At the time, Lynn was planning a series of performances for the 20th anniversary of the dance company she co-founded, Artichoke Dance Co. One piece in particular, called "Overflow," was about the nature of water, ocean currents, and rising tides. Over the course of the next year, Ian adapted the stitched plastic panels of Blister Pact into a dynamic set for Overflow - inspired by the massive gyres of plastic debris polluting our oceans. 

Overflow was performed three at the Manhattan Movement and Arts Center. 

Watch the performance below and see photographs of the performance here.

Fighting Plastic Pollution With Project Vortex /  by Daniella Trask

Several of Ian's plastic blister pack creations are now featured on the Project Vortex website. Project Vortex is a collective of artists and designers who work primarily with plastic diverted from the waste stream. A portion of all sales made through the website go to local beach clean-up efforts, and Ian has agreed to donate 50% of any sales to the Friends of Casco Bay organization. Check out Ian's plastic art on the Project Vortex site here. 

Spring Break Art Show /  by Daniella Trask

Big Thanks to curator Krista Saunders Scenna for putting together a great show at the Spring Break Art Show. Spring Break is an up-and-coming satellite art fair that takes place in an old post office building near Penn Station during Armory Week. Her curated show, "A Storied Collective," included some of Ian's Strange Histories slide viewers, as well as his spores and piano piece collages. A review of Spring Break on the Hyperallergic art blog praised Krista's show and mentioned Ian's "witty slide mashups." You can read that review here. In another review of Spring/Break on the travel/culture blog My Fave Places, Ian's "awesome" viewers were put on their "Wish List"!

Watch Krista introducing Ian's work at Spring Break: