I've got two great artists to share with you today! Ron Saunders and Mackenzie Bristow have been accepted to an artist residency in Rauma, Finland, and are trying to raise awarness of their trip as well as raise funds for a book.  Raumars is a competitive program for artists or collaborative teams that include a social element with their work. Their project? Art for Finland, Made by Americans. We were lucky enough to sit down and chat with Ron and Mackenzie about their project, are, and more. Here's what she had to say...

WE: Please tell us more about Art for Finland, Made by Americans…

RS: This is the name of our Kickstarter page, which is the platform we are using to raise funds for the production and distribution of our book.  This book will include the art we create at the Raumars Artist Residency Program in Rauma, Finland.  While there, we will work with two communities, recent immigrants and Rauma dialect speakers under the common theme of nostalgia.

 Saunders, untitled, digital collage, 2009

WE: What led you to this project?

RS:  As a team, we create art that includes a social element.  We often ask participants to take control or contribute to the art making process.  This mission is shared by Raumars, so it was a perfect fit.  In addition, Mackenzie lived in Finland as an exchange student when she was sixteen.

WE: What is your travel and art background?

RS: Its no coincidence that my business card has the title “artist, teacher, vagabond” on the front.  For three years we lived in South Korea. Mackenzie taught English and I taught both English and Art.  When we arrived, there was not much happening with the expatriate art scene.  We created the Seoul Art Collective (SAC) to bring artists together, to exhibit our works, and to create a dialogue between expatriates and Koreans alike.  The group is still very active in Seoul and also on Facebook.  While in Asia, we also traveled throughout Southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia) studying different art forms, doing workshops, and making art when we could.  Before that, we lived in Southern California for three years.  Collectively, we have had over thirty art exhibits, nationally and internationally, in a variety of cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Seoul. 

WE: Tell us about your upcoming projects in Finland..

RS:  We will be doing two projects while we are there, one starting in April and one in May, and both will be completed by the end of June.  These projects will explore the topic of nostalgia.  For the first project, we will interview recent immigrants, refugees, and local Finns about objects from their home countries that have sentimental value.  We are equally interested in where they display these objects in their homes.

For the second project, we will interview Rauma Dialect speakers (a Finnish dialect that is disappearing) telling childhood stories, folktales, and myths.  We will then take the audio and go to local schools where children will illustrate the stories.

From both of these projects we will create a new set of drawings and collages with the participation of the community in Rauma.  All of the documentation, art, and interviews will find their way into the book as images, text, and an audio insert.  In the end, we hope to explore how objects people collect and language help shape their identity, and how this process relates to nostalgia.

Finnish Lace hand woven by: Maija DeRoche, Photograph taken by Ron Saunders

WE: How can our readers help?

RS:  There are two ways that people can support our projects. First is to visit our Kickstarter page to preorder a book, follow our blog or even purchase original art. All funds raised through Kickstarter will go towards the printing and shipping costs of the book.

The address for the Kickstarter page is:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/Finland/art-for-finland-made-by-americans

Another way to help would be to either purchase a work of art that has already been created or to preorder a commissioned piece of art directly through us.  To see if you like our art, visit my website at:
http://www.ronlsaunders.com/

WE: Do you have plans to exhibit your work?

RS: We hope to show portions of the project in Finland at the end of June through the residency.  Back in the United States, we are already planning to show the work in our local area (upstate NY).  We have been asked to show a portion of our work in the Spotlight Gallery and at The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes, and also possibly in Boston.  We are also in the process of searching for other venues as well.  

WE: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

RS:  We just want to thank wandering educators for covering this story and to the readers for taking the time learn about our project.  We are so excited to be inspired by Finland and all of our future journeys.  We would like to leave you with two quotes:

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“People travel for the same reason they collect works of art: because the best people do it.” Aldous Huxley

WE: Thanks so very much, Mackenzie and Ron - your project is exciting!

All photos courtesy and copyright Mackenzie Bristow and Ron Saunders.