Over the last three months, we have had three planning meetings for Dan Lutzick’s Arrays exhibit which will open in November 2025. One of the most challenging aspects is defining the appropriate scale for this show considering the proportions of the Winslow Studio Artists Gallery where this exhibit will be installed. Here are Dan’s thoughts on where the show stands:
NOTES FROM DAN
Since our November 2024 update the creative process for the exhibit has been evolving. In order to determine what a collection (array) of my work would look like in the AMM WSA Gallery I created a 1 inch to 1 foot scale model of the gallery and started populating it with scale versions of my sculptures. The larger sculptures will pose a few challenges when it comes to disassembling and moving the sculptures into the museum, and it is worth having a well thought out plan to avoid unnecessary labor.
Those little versions of my sculptures in that model forced me to think about the experience the viewer will have in the exhibit. Are the sculptures all lined up against the wall with a barrier between the viewer and the objects? Are the sculptures spread out like a grove of trees that the viewer wanders through? Are there multiple arrays, or one large array? What is the orientation of each sculpture in the array? What does all of this look like through the 14-foot windows that create two of the walls in the WSA Gallery? In short, having the model and meeting with Allan, Lori and Ann-Mary to discuss the exhibit ended up raising more questions than it answered, but these were good questions, and in their way, they reflect the consideration I give to the placement of objects in Snowdrift.
While thinking about all of that planning, I looked at salvaged materials long stored in the Snowdrift basement studio and was newly inspired to create a series of sculptures.
I created three figures that utilize old storage bins from the maintenance rooms of the Plaza and La Posada Hotels as elaborate heads, and I assembled two anthropomorphic sculptures from recovered HVAC duct work that was removed from the Turquoise Room during the renovation that took place 24 years ago. That is one of the benefits of having a 10,000 square foot basement, it gives you space to collect and store all sort of found materials.
These new sculptures will find their place in the exhibit which we now call the “Arrays”, as the plan has evolved to include at least four distinct arrays of objects.
Designing the Arrays exhibit also forced me to acknowledge that there are two additional exhibits I must prepare for as a result of this show. Removing a large body of work from Snowdrift means that Snowdrift (a 22,000 square foot building) will need a significant rehang of the remaining work for the year (November 2025 to November 2026) that the show is exhibited at AMM, and another rehang of Snowdrift will be necessary when the work returns in 2026. Ann-Mary and I live and work in every part of Snowdrift, and it will require some planning and effort to keep Snowdrift looking the way we like it, but there also is a real opportunity here to dust off some cobwebs and rearrange our world into new and inspiring configurations.
Lori’s Meeting Notes
Primary Points Discussed:
- The layout of the gallery space
- The look of the show
- Ideas for putting together the book
- Continued video gathering for the film
- Creating pieces for outside the gallery
- Planning a wall panel for the show
- Utilizing downtown spaces for promoting
January 15, 2025
In mid-January, Dan and Lori did a walk through of the space, with Allan joining via video conference. One of the issues discussed, was the entry space into the WSA gallery. Originally, Dan thought this would be a spot for a timeline of Snowdrift Art Space, however, with such a narrow hall, it might be too much information for a small space. Instead, we decided on a monitor tower on the south wall showing that timeline in more visual way.
As an option for this entry space, Lori threw out the idea of taking some of the thoughts on Arrays from Dan’s journal, and enlarging them on the wall to set the tone of this exhibit. Instead of making a broad show on the history of Snowdrift and the scope of Dan’s work, we talked about narrowing the focus strictly to the Arrays.
January 27, 2025
Later in January, we met again, this time at Snowdrift, with Dan, Allan, and Lori. A key element of planning a show when working with large pieces is to understand how they will interact with the space, but without being able to test layouts, it is difficult to do. That is where models come into play. While we had a foam board model used for Paul Ruschá’s LIFE MASK, Dan shared with us the new larger scale model of the WSA Gallery. The model on its own is spectacular and should be part of the show!
February 17, 2025
In February, Dan, Allan, and Lori met at the WSA gallery so Dan could walk through some of his ever-evolving ideas of how to lay out the show in a way that creates the kind of experience he is envisioning.
Dan also shared details on a series of new sculptures he is creating for the show.
We discussed ideas as well for outside the large glass windows of the gallery, including adding onto the wall mural we did for Paul Ruschá’s Life Mask show with wayfinding to the Winslow Studio Artists spaces, and also, the possibility of adding sculpture to the dirt lot in front of the WSA gallery.
Exhibit Film
As for the film, Lori and Dan both continue to gather video. Lori followed along on February 16th as Dan gave this group of knitters a tour of Snowdrift Art Space.
