For Keiko Sono’s latest project, she recruited a slew of regional artists, many who will be familiar to Chronogram readers—Anne Gorrick, Polly Law, Jacinta Bunnell, and Wayne Montecalvo to name a few—to answer the question: Why do you make art? The answers, as you might suspect, are mostly unsurprising. Artists tend to fall into two basic camps on this question: 1) I make art because something (engagement with the creative process, exploration of the universe through the creative process, etc.) compels me, or 2) I don’t know why.
This is not to detract from Sono’s project. What’s interesting about her video is the unalloyed enthusiasm the artists have. They’re very excited about creating things—things others often will never see, or very few will. The video makes a joyful and optimistic sound, and one that highlights the Hudson Valley’s vast artistic talents. The show, which is on display through November 8 at SUNY Ulster’s Muroff-Kotler Gallery, combines videos, a projection, wall-based works, objects, and a hands-on animation station—part art show, part living room, part play room.
This article appears in November 2013.
