Wish List @ Gallery Project in Toledo, OH

The amazing Gallery Project held "Wish List" in an abandoned department store in downtown Toledo (Ohio) last summer. One of the curators invited me to show in the collection, and I think was hoping for a piece on LGBT rights. I had considered that, but with the pending SCOTUS ruling, I was hesitant to do anything that might look outdated once the show opened in August.

The movie "Superbad"  inspired me. 

So, I channeled my inner seven year old and drew a penis.

A REALLY BIG PENIS.

Here's my Artist's Statement for my piece "Size Queen"

My best friend in high school worked in an adult book store our senior year. Many afternoons when I was off “studying” I was actually at the bookstore with my friend using a razor to open the goodies displayed on the shelves of the store.

Many of the magazines available in the clearance bin were from the seventies and had that delicious raunchiness to them that so defined that decade. Needless to say, my aesthetic, when it comes to porn and what I find erotic, has that very same vibe to it. I think I was also scarred (and scared!) for life by the likes of John Holmes and Al Parker, two porno superstars with gigantic penises.

As young boys, we all wondered if we would be “big enough” downstairs and that hope is the theme for my “Wish List” entry. Yes, the porn industry finds the models with the biggest butts, the biggest tits, and the biggest cocks, after all, it’s a fantasy. But when you’re an insecure teenager, these fantasies can fuel lust and doubt in your mind.

I’m not curing cancer or doing anything that is actually helpful with my Wish List, I’m just presenting every boys’ wish…  a giant dick and the hope that he somehow measures up.

The Artist Is Present

The curators noted that my piece was one of the most photographed, natch. 

on our high horse

Cell Block 7 Show

This is from last year's show at Cell Block 7 here in Jackson.

Prison program students’ works featured in Cell Block 7 exhibit

     

The works of students in Jackson College’s Prison Education Initiative art classes will be featured at Cell Block 7 in Jackson starting Wednesday, June 3 and continuing through the fall.

 “Doing Time With the Masters” features artwork and artifacts collected by Assistant Professor Tom McMillen-Oakley during his classes at Parnall Road and Cooper Street facilities this year. Incarcerated students enjoyed reaching beyond their confines through the journey of art history. From historical periods through the modern era, they learned to understand art both for its cultural significance, as well as interpreting their own experiences through new perspectives. For example, a discussion on the Renaissance and the “rebirth” of the world lead to a discussion of how the students were being changed for the better behind bars.

“I hope the community enjoys viewing the art works as much as I enjoyed teaching these amazing students,” McMillen-Oakley said.

Jackson College’s Prison Education Initiative offers inmates the opportunity to earn college credits through self-pay, or with assistance from a Pathways from Prison to Postsecondary Education grant from the Vera Institute of Justice.

Learn more about the Cell Block 7 exhibit, by visiting www.cellblock7.org.