catapult for charity: kara smith x orkestai farm
watch this venture catapult as we pair artist's work with merchandise to raise money for a good cause. our first limited edition pairing features artist kara smith with proceeds going to orkestai farm. a second run for community access to the arts will be run immediately following this first edition.
orkestai farm is a non profit ecological farm exploring the relationships between ability, ecology, agriculture and art in oyster bay, new york. orkestai runs an educational farm apprenticeship for adults, including those with autism and other developmental disabilities.
kara smith is an artist and educator living and working in the berkshires. with a masters in art education she currently works for community access to the artsand manages CATA direct, a crafts cooperative. she took the time to answer a few questions we had below.
what was the inspiration behind your featured painting?
this painting titled friendly spaceships is from a series of work i call silent music. i began these paintings after i discovered a collection of player piano music rolls. i have been experimenting with these rolls of silent music using stenciling to visually transcribe the music.
please tell us a little about your role at community access to the arts.
community access to the arts, is an non-profit art organization that nurtures and celebrates the creativity of people with disabilities. through shared experiences in the visual and performing arts we provide multi-week intensive workshops to teens and adults with disabilities. i teach, curate and coordinate our visual art exhibits, and support the many administrative variables that go into providing over 1,000 workshops a year. i also manage our weekly crafts cooperative to create products that are sold in retailers throughout the berkshires and beyond.
could you discuss the therapeutic qualities art yields for your students?
i’ve learned that all my students come to the table with their own unique set of abilities. i find that they benefit from a community setting, working side-by-side, connecting with, and learning from other students. it can be gratifying, calming and meditative to lose yourself in the exploration of a material or artmaking technique. we’ve all had those experiences doing what we love, when times slips away, and you look up to discover an hour has gone by in the blink of an eye. for many students, this ability to slow life down, and get lost in a moment, can be very beneficial. add to that, the sense of accomplishment you feel when you see a project through to it’s end. i think the therapeutic qualities of artmaking shouldn’t be overlooked. i am always excited to see the satisfaction on the face of a student who has created something they are truly proud of.
100% of proceeds from the sales of these totes are donated to orkestai farm.
SHOP OUR FEATURED TOTE
kara-smith.com
follow on instagram @samonymitzfiddle & @orkestaifarm
Yellowbirds video for "Young Men of Promise."
What fun it was to collaborate with pal Sam Cohen of the band, Yellowbirds, on a video for their single, "Young Men of Promise." Sam is a stopmotion wizard and it was such an exciting proces to see how he imagined my work coming to life. I especially loved working together to create the painted animation sequences.
Rocketship Park's Cakes and Cookies
Rocketship Park’s second album “Cakes and Cookies” is a sweet and twangy treat created by my dear friend and renaissance man Josh “Kaufi” Kaufman with a talented collective of comrades supporting the cause.
The first 100 7” lps were pressed on black and white split vinyl like a black and white cookie. Hand numbered and letter-pressed. Each order came with a delicious homemade cookie from the Kaufman-Nero kitchen. Coolest package ever.
Suz Slezak's "Watching The Nighttime Come"
David Wax Museum's Suz Slezak, "Watching the Nighttime Come" is a collection of original lullabies for all ages. I have such great memories of listening to these songs up in Vermont one summer as I worked on the painting for the album artwork. So happy to have been included in such a great project.
