Daydreaming Through a Child's Eyes with David Calfo

Opening on Friday May 8, 2015, "Daydreaming Through a Child's Eyes" is a solo exhibition by Pittsburgh artist David Calfo. Through this exhibition, Future Tenant worked with two high school apprentices through our AMP'd program and involved them with hands-on arts management practices. Our apprentices and David transform Future Tenant into an interactive dreamscape, where children and adults are free to let their imaginations run wild. Prior to the exhibition opening, Development & Outreach Manager Christine Nolan conducted an interview with David to know the stories behind his work.

David Calfo, "Cape of Imagination", 2015

Could you give us a brief introduction of who you are and how you became an artist?

David: My name is David Calfo, and I'm a Pittsburgh salvage artist, historical renovator, community activist and adventurist. As long as I can remember, I have been building things. After doing historical home and business renovations for years and creating art pieces on the side, I decided to see where my passion for artistic expression will lead me, and have been focusing on art full time.

Can you give a short description about the concept of the work you are showing?

David: The pieces for this exhibit stem from my love of the Saturday cartoons from my childhood. Back in the days before computer games, we had to create our own adventures. Cartoon characters would strap rockets to roller skates or build gizmos to catch the roadrunner, and in the afternoons we’d head off to the woods with whatever tools we could scrounge up from the garage to build these contraptions on our own. The
Rocket Sled in this exhibit was inspired directly by the creations of Wylie E. Coyote. Others are evolution of my childhood imaginings.

What is your creative process? How long does it usually take you to complete a project or artwork?

David: It really just depends on what I have taken inspiration from. Once I see something in my head, it could take as little as a day to, in this case, about 3 months, to complete. Depending on the medium I’m using to express my vision, whether through photography, painting or more elaborate construction, time can be highly variable. Sometimes I start working on something in my shop only to be startled by the sun coming up the next morning. Some projects I have to draw out first and may spend the next weeks or months gathering materials I need to make it a reality.

How does your work with found objects inspire certain pieces?

David: It really just depends on the found object and how it fits into my internal “cool factor” process. It could be anything from the shape or size of the object, or just how I see it in relation to other things. Inspiration is hard to articulate.

You talked about your work for Daydreaming Through A Child’s Eyes being inspired by nostalgia and youthful play. What sorts of things do you want your audience to take a way from experiencing this show? What were your “youthful imaginings” when you were a child?

David: I want the adults to remember their childhood play and hopefully this exhibit will evoke memories and forgotten feelings of endless summers spent running around, creating games or toys out of whatever we could find. Memories of a happier, simpler time. I‘d like kids to want to put down the game controller and take some inspiration to create their own play, to imagine and to dream up crazy stuff of their own instead of
relying on something else entertaining them. As for me, I’d always imagined being sort of a Superman- able to fly or dive to great depths in the ocean without the need for a plane or a submarine.

Do you admire any other artists?

David: All of the Renaissance artists- not only were they artists in their own right, but they were students as well. If I had to pick one, I think it would have to be Leonardo Da Vinci: inventor, artist, dreamer.

Are you working on any new projects at the moment? If so, where can we follow your work?

David: I’m working on an Earth Day event and a Bike Rack submission for the Cultural Trust. I am always working on new pieces, so the best way to keep up with me is through Twitter: @davecalfo

How did you find out about Future Tenant?

David: Future Tenant actually found me! You selected me to show some pieces from the Arbor Aid show in 2013.

"Bountiful" interview series - with Stephanie Shulman

Today is Thanksgiving! "Bountiful" is now exhibiting at Future Tenant until December 7th, although the space is closed for the holidays, it will be open this weekend on November 29th and 30th. Future Tenant has been presenting the "Bountiful" interview series since the opening of this group exhibition, today we present artist interviews with Stephanie Shulman, conducted by Visual Programming Manager Kate Lin.

Could you give us a brief introduction of who you are and how you became an artist?

Stephanie: Well, I am still figuring out who I am. I could tell you what I am, but I don’t know whether that is the same thing. I come from a Jewish household that has always encouraged me to chase my creative dreams which led me to choosing art. I feel like the way that I became who I am was through a very clear series of choices. I can remember each of the moments vividly. In high school I chose art to be my profession and in the fall of my junior year I knew which direction within the arts that I wanted to go in. It is kind of funny because people say to me “oh, so you are an artist” and for the whole time that I was in school I would reply that I was not an artist yet, but an art student. I still feel like I have not quite reached artist status yet, as I still have so much to learn. 

Please give us a short description of concept to your showing pieces.

Stephanie: The Scale was an experiment, quite honestly. I wanted to take something rigid and figure out a way to soften it. I tried to think of what would be the softest thing to turn wood into, and food was the answer. That was how I initially conceived the idea of making a wooden cake, but I wanted to make it interesting. I thought about my relationship with food. I have struggled with my weight for most of my life and I love food but I hate that it has been such a challenge for me. It also always amused me that something so light, like cake, could add so much weight to me. And who hasn’t wanted to punch their scale in?

What is your creative process? How long does it usually take you to complete a project/artwork?

Stephanie: That really depends. It depends on what I am using for the project and how much iteration it goes through, as well as how inspired I am at the time of creation. Inspiration is the driving force to my independent art making. If I feel the need to get an image out of my fingers, I will paint and work until I am too afraid of screwing it up if I go any more. If I don’t have the inspiration, give me a deadline and that is usually enough motivation to make something.

You mentioned that you’re very interested in human and human relationships with everything and everyone around us. Can you tell us a little more about how you observe people and translate those observations into your work?

Stephanie: I do a lot of people watching. In airports, parks, on the bus, anywhere that I can see people, I tend to watch them. I also have a habit of interviewing people when I am left in a new place with my ipod and time on my hands. I love to ask people what they are afraid of. It is fascinating to hear the variety of responses and one may not expect some of the people to say what they say. I love chatting up random people at bus stops and in airports as well. These people are clearly going somewhere and I like to find out where and why. It’s amazing that every person has an individual set of experiences and associations we would have no idea about and I want to bridge that gap between me and my fellow humans as much as I can. I like finding the differences between people and where we are all the same. Sometimes it is through questions, sometimes it is through observation. I want to get into people’s heads and figure out how their brains work.

I have done pieces and experiments with what I have found out from these encounters which try and create empathy where there is not expected to be. I have done body art workshops that doubled as therapy sessions about people’s body image, face castings where I had people’s fears playing out of the faces’ mouths, and fear sharing therapy where people told each other their fears without knowing who they were exposing themselves to. It is really cool to see people react to hearing the thought processes of another person.

How does food in general relate to you on a personal level (and your art)?

Stephanie: I love food. It’s pretty awesome. I love cooking and trying out new recipes. It is really satisfying to make something that tastes good and makes other people happy. As someone on the chubbier side of the spectrum I have been trying to control my own food consumption, which is where this piece was really important. I have been fighting the scale for many years, trying to lose weight to be healthier, but the call of delicious food is really strong. After this piece, I focused on food specifically in my work only a few times, but more frequently I have worked with body image. 

Do you admire any other artists? 

Stephanie: Of course I do. Within this show I greatly admire Ruby Wang and her work. We were in school together and I always loved seeing her fascination with food really come out in her paintings which are always beautiful. Beyond that, I admire many artists from many fields. My favorite artists from history are always the impressionists, but every day I find new artists who make cool things. At the shops I meet scenic artists who can make any material just with paint, which is so cool to me. My friend Lorena Lopez designs costumes that are just stunning. I admire Lydia Delgado who makes beautiful watercolor paintings of flowers, and I admire all of my fellow classmates who have set out to follow their art. I am sure that there are so many artists that I am not mentioning but the general rule of thumb for me is that I admire artists who make beautiful things.

Are you working on any new projects at the moment? And where can we follow your work? (Blog, website, twitter, Facebook,etc)

Stephanie: Currently I am working as a freelance scenic artist in the NY/NJ area. I work in scenic shops and wherever else I am needed. I have recently painted the production of Avenue Q that is playing in the studio theater of the University of Pittsburgh. I do have a website that you could check out. 

How did you know about Future Tenant?

Stephanie: I remember hearing about the gallery while I was at CMU and many of my classmates had shows at the gallery.