Michael Oatman’s whimsical installation “all utopias fell” is always a particular hit among kids, and for good reason: even getting up to the seemingly-crashed airstream trailer feels like a giant adventure. And once inside, Oatman invites visitors to interact with the space — to read the books, sit on the bed, put records on the record player, even to pedal on the stationary exercise bike. On Saturday, August 24th, at 1pm, children and their families can join Oatman himself on a Gallery Quest program as he guides them through his incredible, inventive work at MASS MoCA.
Oatman is an intruiging storyteller in his artwork; “all utopias fell” offers evidence of an imagined character, Carusi, who used to work at Sprague Electric Company and became obsessed with NASA projects and solar energy, and planned to blast off on a space mission. Clearly fond of telling stories, it’s no surprise that Oatman has recently written a children’s book, “Tiny Pie,” which he will read and discuss with families during the event.
In addition to the book reading and artist-led tour of the airstream trailer, families will have the opportunity to make two art projects inspired by Oatman’s work: a colored yarn “God’s Eye” (which Oatman reinterprets with electrical wire in “all utopias fell”; and a cyclidrical assemblage/diorama constructed within a Pringles can, reminsicent of Oatman’s microcosm crammed into a crashed airstream trailer. The event also includes a snack and book-signing.
Saturday, August 24, 2013 1pm
FREE for members / $7 not-yet members
Space is limited, so we urge you to register. To do so, please call our box office at 413.662.2111, then press 1.
