How did you come to get involved with this project?
A: Stephanie asked me and Lauren at Oz was very supportive as well.
S: Lauren Snelling at Oz (who I had worked with the last couple of years as a teaching artist on Family Day, and in curating a large physical poem event) approached me about this project. We brainstormed about ways to incorporate a poem in the physical landscape and both got excited about a collaboration between myself and Andee. With the short timeline and rather high stakes, it was great to quickly assemble a team that we knew would mesh well.
How would you describe your artistic style?
A: Expressive and collaborative
S: Classic approaches to literature with innovative and accessible ways of meaningfully connecting with audiences.
Please describe your vision for this project.
A: To find a clear and concise way to visually interpret Stephanie’s words while working with the other art and the flow of the project.
S: My hope was to write a poem that would feel familiar and joyful in its meter and rhyme, while exploring contemplative subjects. This poem is intimately tied to its location and can be read quickly at a glance, or broken down on a dozen different levels over many readings. It’s as direct or as complex as a person wants.
How did you come up with the creative concept?
A: Countless hours of trial and errors and then many long hours in the hot summer sun to complete the work.
S: I researched the Sounds stadium/Sulphur Dell history and thought a lot about how people would be moving through the mini golf course space today. I also pulled in a fascination I’ve had with the Fulani language as a possible secret mode of communication for people who were enslaved in the United States. A lot of the words that appear to me made up, playful sounds actually come from the west and central African language. Poetry and most art forms often attempt to show relationships between ideas, objects, people, and places (through symbolism, metaphor, rhyme, etc.) I felt like bringing all of these things together — history, sports, family fun, linguistics, & ideas about failure/perseverance — into one poem would be a fun and meaningful challenge. Most of all though, I love the sound and texture of the poem. I wanted people to enjoy speaking it out loud.
Please describe your process for fabricating/creating the project.
A: Once I received the poem, I was inspired! Stephanie and I both agreed we saw COLOR and movement in the visual interpretation. I partnered with a concrete specialist immediately as I needed to better understand the surface. Once I understood the cure time for concrete and the quick turnaround time from cure to opening day, I began to experiment. I tried letterpress, pressing letters, stain, paint, freehand lettering, airbrushing and more! What became the solution was a water-based spray, 40 custom stencils based on lettering used at Opryland (a former amusement park in Nashville), a handmade golf ball stencil and over 12 gallons of hand rolled STINKY sealer.
S: …Andee was the hard-working genius behind the poem’s installation.
What did you enjoy most about working on this project?
A: The collaboration with multiple artists including Stephanie Pruitt, Rick Lobdell, Dante Bard. I also enjoyed working with people who enjoy pushing what and where art can be like Lauren Snelling and OzArts Nashville, Max Goldberg, the Arts and Business Council and the Nashville Sounds.
S: I loved being a part of such a big, arts-rich vision that connected so many aspects of our community. This is a recreational project, a business project, a public art project, and a vision for families and friends. And with all of those elements, the organizers saw that local artists, given creative freedom, and appropriate resources — were central to making it all happen. What a joy!!! And the collaborative energy was astounding. Cheers to Andee Rudloff, Lauren Snelling, Max Goldberg, Tim Ozgener, the Sounds organization, and so many more!!!
What piece of advice would you give to aspiring artists?
A: Value your voice. Ask for help and find mentors. Work hard, work harder and always work smart.
S: Stay true to your creative vision, while always pushing yourself to learn and create beyond your own expectations. Learn how to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ appropriately.
Empower people to value your work. Do things with integrity, honesty, joy, curiosity, and kindness – and you’ll never ever regret it.