From the bottom outward

Although I am focusing on ideas of inclusiveness tonight, the basement laundry room of my apartment building has been my exclusive freespace this week. I haven't been able to work down there until recently because it has been too hot. The basement is a seasonal workspace only comfortable (even though I think good art can come out of being uncomfortable) from October to May. There's a limit to being uncomfortable while artmaking.

I actually set out attempting to make the basement more hospitable. I intergrated art books into the communal bookshelf, by placing a Vito Acconci book within the out-of-date travel books and by placing an inspirational but useless book on flower arranging amongst old books on yoga (which will reappear in some of my drawings) and "The War on Choice" as well as a book about coming out of the closet. I also placed a big, thick 2-year old copy of ArtForum within the community magazine rack along with a new issue of ID magazine.

After setting the mood, I sat down to work and chatted with a couple of folks doing their laundry. I finished up before one of them finished folding but not before feeling that this freespace had become a pleasant social space.