PARK RAPIDS — Inspiration for art can come from the most ordinary moments.
It could be a fleeting visual which catches the eye — examining a race car or asphalt — or a spark of an idea during mundane household tasks, like folding towels. Minnesota-based artist John Fleischer knows this firsthand.
When he found himself in a living situation working with a family that wasn’t his own, he found himself enmeshed in their routines. The new surroundings with new people opened his eyes to small differences from his own upbringing.
“One of the things that stood out to me was the way that they folded towels was different than the way our family had always folded towels, and it held my attention,” Fleischer told Area Voices on the KAXE Morning Show. “I was also just sort of interested in the fact that it interested me. Like, why am I so interested in this?”
Fleischer was moved to get seven matching towels for his painting studio. Before each painting session, he would unfold the towels. Then, at the end of the session, he would refold them with the new method.
“Part of the point was just allowing myself to explore an impulse that I didn’t understand," he said.
The routine of folding towels led him to consider the towels' purpose of touching and caring for the body, and it became an inspiration for his art.
“They were kind of like props for me or others to interact with and actualize certain motions in the body," he said. "And eventually that became sculpture. All of that interest in performing with an object was directed into the form itself.”
Fleischer works in drawing, sound and performance, but his sculpture work is the focus of his current exhibit at the Nemeth Art Center in Park Rapids.
His sculptures vary in style and are assembled from a mix of objects. The pieces that inspired and excited him the most were those with unexpected elements.
“I began to organize studio processes in a way that might cultivate surprises. ... Maybe the thread running through the work is the same, but the form itself might look a little different and activate the senses in a slightly different way," Fleischer said. "That became the established pattern where I'm kind of looking for those places within the practice where I can surprise myself.”
Fleischer comes across objects in everyday life that inspire him. Sometimes it takes a more conscious effort. For example, he found that materials that filled cracks or connected were of interest to him, like mortar or filler for asphalt.
“Sometimes I just run across something, and at other times I’m kind of searching out materials that have certain characteristics or ways of being in the world," he said.
While there will be no actual drawings at the Nemeth Art Center exhibit, Fleischer believes his sculptures are rooted in drawings.
“Every form in the show has in it a line that runs through it," he said. "And that line is pulling on the form in a way that is literally generating tension.”
Fleischer has enjoyed working with the Nemeth Art Center and meeting people in Park Rapids. The Nemeth is housed in the historic Hubbard County Courthouse, and he has found the building and the light in the rooms remarkable.
“The way the light moves throughout the day and comes through those large windows, it slowed me down more than expected during installation," he said.
He appreciates the quiet of the Park Rapids area as well. Living just outside the Twin Cities, it is a rare experience to not hear a car, airplane or lawn mower.
“I had that experience multiple times of only hearing natural sound, which was rewarding as well,” he said.
More of Fleischer’s work can be found on his website. His exhibit at the Nemeth Art Center runs until July 18. There is an artists’ reception from 4-6 p.m. on Saturday, June 27.
Listen to the full conversation with Fleischer about his early days in art, how he finds time for different art practices and working with space in exhibits by clicking above.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
