Jo Dery

DeCordova Museum project: Work-in-progress photos

2011-12-29T12:05:00.002-05:00

Here are some work-in-progress images of my project for the DeCordova Museum's Biennial exhibition, opening January 21, 2012. My piece will be in the DeNormandie Library, which is located on the 4th floor of the museum, adjacent to the outdoor Sculpture Terrace. The library houses a collection of donated art books. My goal was to create a piece that still allows for patrons to comfortably use the space while the exhibition is up.

The installation includes an HD video projection, as well as 3 circular books and a set of wooden dice.

Animating in signatures... Each set of 64 pages were animated 7 times, making a clip roughly 45 seconds in length. The 3 books together represent about 2 minutes and 15 seconds. The video looks great, and sounds even better thanks to Scott Reber's score.

The handiwork of bookbinder Deb Dormody, of If'N Books and Marks. Once the pages were filmed, they were sent to Deb, who sewed them into a circle.

Experimenting with a wood burner pen...

These wooden dice will be scattered on the shelves of the library!

You can read the essay about my work for the show catalog here.

Home

2011-12-28T09:38:00.000-05:00

It's lovely to be a visitor in Providence! Below are some photos I snapped in friends' homes, when I came across evidence of my past projects.

Mini-comics on Joanna Howard's ottoman.

Prints on Walker Mettling's wall.

Anti-war sticker on Deb Dormody's filing cabinet.

And a print on Sarah Meyer's refrigerator in Queens!

2012 deCordova Biennial

2011-12-17T19:16:00.000-05:00

This is a video still from an upcoming piece developed specifically for the library room of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, to be featured in the upcoming 2012 Biennial exhibition. The animated video will be accompanied by some other objects to in order create a multi-media installation.

I'm excited to wrap up the work, and pleased to say that I have some great helpers in order to do so! Deb Dormody, of If'N books, will be sewing pages of drawings into circular books, and Scott Reber of Work/Death notoriety, will be composing a score for the animation.

The opening of the Biennial is January 22, 2012!

Yes! at Buonaccorsi + Agniel, October 14

2011-10-04T16:17:00.000-04:00

I'm very excited to be part of a big inaugural group show at Buonaccorsi + Agniel, a new gallery in Providence! Yes!

Opening Reception, October 14 from 6-9pm

1 Sims Ave.

Providence, RI

Screening at Pittsburgh Filmmaker, October 11

2011-10-04T14:48:00.001-04:00

"Echoes of Bats and Men" and "The Great Exodus" will be screened on Tuesday, October 11, at Pittsburgh Filmmakers. You can read all about it here.

Pegacorn Press at Quimby's, September 26

2011-09-05T20:20:00.003-04:00

Caroline Paquita of Pegacorn Press reads at Quimby's!
With Jo Dery and Edie Fake

September 26, 7pm
Quimby's Bookstore
1854 North Ave., Chicago

More info here!

Tiny Showcase Print & Book - $25!

2011-03-31T12:15:00.005-04:00

A new print is for sale on Tiny Showcase, accompanied by a signed copy of my Little Otsu "Living Things" book -- Pheromones!

Part of the proceeds from the sale go to Crossroads, in Providence, Rhode Island.

Last Batch of Cartoon Animals

2011-01-21T12:45:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all the brave souls who let me turn them into cartoon animals!

Cartoon Animals, part 3

2011-01-07T12:01:00.001-05:00

Next up: The symbiosis edition!

More Cartoon Animals!

2010-12-24T14:06:00.001-05:00

Mother's News Portrait Project

2010-12-22T19:48:00.003-05:00

Here are some images from my Mother's News portrait project. I took out an ad in November's issue - offering to draw people as cartoon animals, complete with speech bubble containing the text of their choice. More to come...

My "Living Things" book!

2010-12-03T15:02:00.002-05:00

My new book from Little Otsu is second in a series of small art books called "Living Things." My book, "Pheromones: A Chemical Conversation" can be purchased starting December 8th. And check out the first book released in the series, by Lizzie Stewart - it looks beautiful. Many thanks to Little Otsu for working on this project with me!

Going to NYC!

2010-12-01T11:26:00.002-05:00

I will be crashing Mickey, Jacob, James, Mike T and Caroline's table this weekend at the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. (Thanks guys!) My new book will be ready for sale, hot off the press from Little Otsu. Also very exciting: I will be picking up Edie Fake's new book, out now from Secret Acres!

New HD film transfers up on Vimeo

2010-11-29T09:45:00.002-05:00

New HD transfers of my 16mm films are up on my Vimeo page! And check out this title sequence I created for Holly Hey's feature documentary Rat Stories.

"Rat Stories" Title Sequence from Jo Dery on Vimeo.

New Little Otsu Project

2010-10-29T16:37:00.008-04:00

A sneak peek at my new project for Little Otsu - the first book in a new series titled "Living Things." My book is about pheromones, and will be published very soon!

Friends Making Things Happen, August 13

2010-08-12T11:25:00.001-04:00

18 new small drawings for this event:

Friends Making Things Happen, August 13-25
Machines With Magnets Gallery, Pawtucket, RI

A group show with: Jo Dery, Jen Corace, Mike Taylor, Jaie Devore, Tim Kerr, Mike Leslie, and Jacob Berendes.

Opening reception: Friday, August 13, 6-9pm

MOMA book: Modern Women

2010-08-12T11:19:00.001-04:00

An image of the first "Plant Life For Human Lesson" is included in this new book called: Modern Women: Women Artist At The Museum of Modern Art. There is an essay included about zines, and the Dirt Palace is profiled - along with many other amazing projects!

Cut and Run Experimental Film/Video Tour

2010-07-21T19:57:00.003-04:00

Check out Cut and Run - an experimental film/video screening series now on tour. My latest animation Peeks is included in a new program called: Evolution of the Mind, Body, and Medium.

Show dates:

July 17th- Grand Detour- Portland, OR
July 31st- Artists' Television Access- San Francisco

August 14th- Beatnik Studios- Sacramento
August 21st- Echo Park Film Center- Los Angeles
October 20th-Moviate Microcinema- Harrisburg, PA
October 21st- Mina's Gallery- Baltimore, Maryland

Chicago Screening

2010-05-16T08:51:00.006-04:00

Roots and Culture Gallery
1034 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago
May 30th at 8pm

I'm very excited for this show! Work will be screened on 16mm and video. The program includes 2 collaborative animations I made with the amazing Edie Fake!

Many thanks to Alexander Stewart!

Baseball Hat!

2010-05-11T13:16:00.001-04:00

For The Lifted Brow, friends down under!

discordia Film/Video Project

2010-04-14T11:05:00.002-04:00

Saturday, April 17th, 8pm, Spectacle, Boston, MA

discordiafilms will be hosting a benefit show to help fund relief efforts in Chile in the aftermath of the February 27th earthquake. Donations will help artists that discordia has collaborated with in the past, specifically Chimba Lab in Santiago, whose space was badly damaged.

Come out to see VideoNorte - a fantastic line up of experimental shorts that is now touring the south (Argentina and Chile)!

Participating Artists include:

Mallary Abel, Shane Butler, Lana Z Caplan, Steven Cossman, Jo Dery, encontracosas, Peter Glantz, Asma Kazmi, Ethan Kiermaier, Jamie Mohr, Rachael Morrison, Marcus Owens, Julia Pello & Marcus Owens, Barbara Rosenthal, Fern Silva, Jessie Stead, Katherine Toukhy & Rashin Fahandej, Lisa van Wambeck & Thomas Little.

Many thanks to Ivanna and Anabel for all their amazing work!

Baltimore Print Fair, March 27 & 28

2010-03-10T10:58:00.003-05:00

Cade Tompkins Editions will be taking some of my prints to the Baltimore Contemporary Prints and New Editions Fair at the Baltimore Museum.

Giant Robot LA

2010-03-05T11:12:00.002-05:00

I'm in an upcoming show at Giant Robot in LA! Opens March 13th.

Lifted Brow no. 6

2010-01-25T22:54:00.002-05:00

For sale now - Lifted Brow no. 6 - where my story "Pangolin Tale" is published. Also featuring work by Alec Thibodeau and Brian Evenson of Providence. Hooray!

New England Art Award Nomination

2010-01-18T18:46:00.004-05:00

The Uses and Misuses of Animal Spirits has been nominated in the Drawing and Printmaking category of the 2009 New England Art Awards. You can vote for the show here!

5 Traverse show on view til Jan. 16th

2010-01-07T19:54:00.004-05:00

My solo show, The Uses and Misuses of Animal Spirits, is still on view til January 16th, at 5 Traverse Gallery.

5 Traverse Street, Providence, RI
Hours: Thursdays through Sundays, 12-6pm

Above: Portrait of Rene Descartes, 2009, embroidered linen, fake fur

AS220 Project Space Show

2010-01-04T09:25:00.003-05:00

Jan 3-29, TRASH:A Group Show at AS220’s Project Space With work by Lee Fearnside, Holly Hey, Scott Lapham, Caroline Paquita, and Jo Dery.

I have 2 videos playing on a monitor in this little show at AS220 - Peeks and Woodpecker in Snowshoes.

In the other gallery at the project space is a great show by Steven Subotnick, displaying original artwork from his animated film Jellyfishers.

AS220's Project Space, 93 Mattewson Street, Providence, RI

The End Is Like the Beginning

2009-12-27T11:12:00.001-05:00

This show opened last week!

The End Is Like the Beginning
A Cinders Gallery Silent Art Auction

The auction will feature most of the artists involved with Cinders over the last 5 1/2 years including Allyson Mellberg, Jeremy Taylor, Maya Hayuk, Kyle Ranson, Mel Kadel, Travis Millard, Daniel Davidson, Caroline Hwang, Leif Goldberg, Eric White, Suzanne Sattler, Jo Dery, Noel Freibert, Blokis, Elisita Punto, Mike Pare, Jordin Isip, Kelie Bowman, Sto, Jessie Rose Vala, Matthew Thurber, Monica Canilao, Jungil Hong, David Horvitz, Nick Kuszyk, Erika Somogyi, Raphael Lyon, Denise Schatz, James Gallagher, Sean Samoheyl, Molly OConnell, Mollie Goldstrom, Diane Barcelowsky, Kyle Field, Kiersten Essenpreis, Tod Seelie, Jocko Weyland James Morrison, Allison Corrie and more!

5 Traverse Show Opens December 10th

2009-12-03T17:48:00.005-05:00

5 Traverse Gallery Presents: Jo Dery, Steven Easton, and Olivia Sauerwein

5 Traverse Street, Providence, RI
Opening Reception:Thursday, December 10th, 7-9pm
On view til Thursday, January 16th

The Sweep's Dream, 2009
Jo Dery

Nuweetooun Animation Project Screenings

2009-12-03T17:39:00.004-05:00

Two screenings of How Birds Got Their Song will take place very soon! The Nuweetooun School students made a great animation, complete with original music and song. Check out the Nuweetooun Animation Project website.

How Birds Got Their Song
An animated collaboration between the students of
the Nuweetooun School and Jo Dery

Saturday, December 5th, 1-4pm
Nikkomo Celebration
Nuweetooun School and Tomaquag Museum
390 Summit Road, Exeter, RI

Monday, December 7th, 5:30pm
AS220, 115 Empire Street, Providence, RI

Citizen Jane Film Festival Animation Screening

2009-10-09T12:18:00.003-04:00

Next week, I travel to Columbia, Missouri, to present a program of animation at a new women's film festival called Citizen Jane. The program includes films by Helen Hill, Martha Colburn, Lorelei Pepi, Lilli Carre, Jodie Mack, Janie Geiser, Sabine Gruffat, Amy Lockhart and Laura Heit - as well as 3 films from the collection of animation historian Cecile Starr. Read the complete program here. Many thanks to Polina Malikin, director of the festival, for all her hard work!

Nuweetooun School Animation Project

2009-10-02T09:45:00.004-04:00

This Fall, I will be working with the Nuweetooun School, in Exeter, RI, to create a short animated video. We will be adapting a traditional story: How Birds Got Their Song. Our completed video will have a world premiere at the Nikkomo celebration, on December 5, 2009, at the Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum, and another screening at AS220 in Providence on December 7. Many thanks to Loren Spears, the extraordinary founder of, and teacher at the Nuweetooun School!

You can watch the students make a film here, over the coming months:

http://nuweetoounanimationproject.blogspot.com

Thanks to the Rhode Island Council on the Humanities for assistance in my research into the traditional stories of the Narragansett tribe, and with the public documentation and presentation of this project.

About the school: Nuweetooun School means "Our Home" School. The mission of this school is to educate all students in a respectful, stimulating, and engaging environment. Our program integrates core educational curriculum standards in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Health with a concentration on Environmental Education and Native Culture and History.

College of the Atlantic Screening

2009-09-30T13:39:00.001-04:00

I will be heading up to Maine to show some films!

Monday, October 5, 2009 at 6pm

College of the Atlantic, Gates Community Center, 105 Eden St, Bar Harbor, Maine

for info: 207-288-5015

Electric Literature Single Sentence Animation!

2009-09-23T12:51:00.005-04:00

I just completed a project for a new literary magazine, Electric Literature, out of NYC. For each story in their debut issue, they commissioned a short animated interpretation. You can find my video (and all 4 videos released so far) on their YouTube channel. Many thanks to Scott and Electric Literature, and to T Cooper for a killer short story!

Craftland!

2009-09-05T13:17:00.004-04:00

Craftland is open in downtown Providence, where you can find some totes bags sewn by Muffy Brandt, with pockets printed by me! The store has its big opening party on Friday, September 18, at 235 Westminster Street. These totes are also at Cinders, in Brooklyn!

Peeks

2009-09-01T22:36:00.003-04:00

Last April, I finished a new short animated video - Peeks. In the coming weeks, it will be included in the new compilation from the Journal of Short Film (released on September 15) and in the Chicago Underground Film Festival (screening September 12 and September 14). Thanks to these folks for all their hard work!

Sneak Peek of New Tiny Showcase Print

2009-08-21T17:24:00.004-04:00

I recently made a new print for friends Tiny Showcase - on the left is my print, and on the right is a lovely image I printed for Jen Corace. These will both be bundled along with prints from Alec Thibodeau and Will Schaff, available soon on the Tiny Showcase site!

Pangolin Tale

2009-08-15T13:33:00.005-04:00

This is a story I drew for The Lifted Brow, based in Melbourne, Australia. They are publishing an ATLAS edition of their magazine. Hence, my assignment - Angola!

Drawn at Stairwell Gallery, Providence

2009-07-19T15:51:00.002-04:00

I am in a big ol' group drawing show at Stairwell Gallery!
Opening tonight, July 19th, from 6-9pm. The show is up through August 23.

Stairwell Gallery
504 Broadway
Providence, RI

Mike's Cubicle Poster Art Show

2009-07-17T08:59:00.005-04:00

Mike Gaughan has collected local Providence poster art for years! If this tiny town of mad printers has caught your fancy, check out his website. There are many photos documenting a year-long exhibition of his collection - hosted in his cubicle at work! He changed out the posters every two weeks, organized thematically or by individual artist. Amazing.

In this photo, posters made for the Magic Lantern film screening series!

Let It Find You

2009-07-01T16:23:00.001-04:00

QUIETLY SURE--LIKE THE KEEPER OF A GREAT SECRET
A Review by Rob Clough

This is another beautiful book from Little Otsu: well-crafted, well-designed and lovely to look at. Dery's art has a slightly immersive quality (not unlike Theo Ellsworth's approach) but also makes the reader look at the page perhaps more than read it. There's a loose narrative about a series of creatures searching for meaning or solutions to their woes, all of which wind up eventually crossing over into each other. There are actually some quite clever narrative touches to be found that coalesce after a couple of readings that evoke a certain wistfulness. Dery has the rare skill of being able to modulate the story's emotional content purely through her use of decorative flourishes. A shadow here, a lonely tree there and a set of background designs all serve to move the reader's feelings rather than just one's eye. This is a book about seeking what's missing in one's life: sight, a true home, knowledge, and how finding them is sometimes a matter of letting them find you. This is a book that in many ways is incredibly slight and manipulative by turns, yet is ultimately redeemed by an almost palpable sincerity that matches the artist's skill.

Love is Like Magic at Cinders Gallery!

2009-06-24T21:32:00.005-04:00

This Sunday, a silent auction benefit for Cinders Gallery!

Featuring Richard Colman, Brendan Monroe, Thomas Campbell, Jo Dery, A.J. Fosik, Matthew Feyld, Allyson Mellberg, Jeremy Taylor, Ali Aschman, Brian Chippendale, Travis Millard, Andrew Jeffrey Wright, Diane Barcelowsky, Maya Hayuk, Josh Slater, Jessie Rose Vala, Kevin Hooyman, Noel Friebert, Mel Kadel, Kelie Bowman, John Orth, Sto, Nick Kuszyk, Alex Barry, Mike Pare, Bongout, Mindy Abovitz, Ryan Jacob Smith, Suzanne Sattler, Sam McPheeters, Molly Colleen O Connell, Kim Schifino, Sean Samoheyl and lots more!

Love is Like Magic Sunday June 28th 3-9pm
A Special One Day Silent Auction!

Machines With Magnets, Sat. June 13th

2009-06-05T12:51:00.005-04:00

The Girls Rock! Rhode Island benefit art show and rock show is June 13th at Machines With Magnets in Pawtucket, RI. Many fantastic artists and bands to see, all for a good cause. Here is one of the drawings I have up in the show! Click on the picture to see it BIG.

Show at Metro Space Gallery in Richmond, VA

2009-05-19T12:24:00.003-04:00

I am in a group show at Metro Space Gallery in Richmond, up for a few more days, till May 23.

New Cards!

2009-05-09T14:06:00.005-04:00

Hello there! I just did 2 new cards for Little Otsu.

Check out the Little Otsu Studio Blog, where you can read a Q and A about my book and animation projects. Many thanks to Jeremy and Yvonne!

Recent Print Release from Tiny Showcase

2009-05-09T13:45:00.002-04:00

Quietly Sure - Like the Keeper of A Great Secret published in November 2008, by Little Otsu.

Tiny Showcase recently released this letterpress print - The Physicality of Tortoise. Many thanks to Dan Wood of DWRI Letterpress!

The prints were for sale with copies of Quietly Sure - Like the Keeper of a Great Secret, my book of stories that was published last fall by Little Otsu. Check out their website, and you can watch a promotional animation that I made for Quietly Sure, as well as peruse all their amazing offerings.

Crick In the Neck

2009-05-06T11:17:00.000-04:00