48 Hours: Artists/Writers Lock-In

"I learned more about the visual arts this weekend than I have in my entire life. It was magical."

— Eric Mobley

What happens when you lock nine artists and writers into a LowerTown studio for two days and two nights straight? Great art, of course, and some amazing new insights.

The Artists/Writers Lock-In, held the evening of Friday, October 24 through the evening of Sunday, October 26 in Alonzo Davis' A.I.R. Studios, 621 Madison St., was an experiment in artists and writers living in a small space with one another and creating art that reflects their experience.

Visitors could watch the live action via a monitor placed in the front window. The Canvas Room graciously donated a large piece of canvas for the group to create a collaborative piece on.

The event was part of the new Paducah Arts Alliance, which promotes the growth of our local artists and art community. The Alliance plans other special projects and events, including an artist in residency program to bring other artists to Paducah. For more info on the Paducah Arts Alliance, just send an email.

Meet the artists and writers and read what they have to say about their 48-hour experience:

Gabe Camacho
Over the course of the weekend, we created some beautiful and deeply personal works of art. We learned so much about each other in regard to what brought us together. We learned that although our mediums are different, our goal is the same: to connect.

As for me, I learned a lot about myself as well. This experience is one that I will carry with me forever. I look forward to our next Lock-In. I think it will be interesting to see how we have grown from our first gathering. This is the ultimate art experiment.


Freda Fairchild
The experience illustrated one possible answer to the question: How do people connect and communicate with each other, especially from quite different places? It's necessary that we all live together peacefully. The first step, I believe, is to switch the focus from ourselves to each other. When this happens, we see wonderful things.





Niaz Khadem
I walked through the streets of your painting,
turned the corner,
and found myself standing
face to face with the stories
I will tell my children.
Thank you.



Paul Lorenz
Each of the nine participants brought an energy, freshness and perspective that permeated the space and affected the work...whether collaboratively or individually. Not being a collaborator by nature, I found new ways of looking at comfortable ideas by just having the people around me, un-compromised time and the drive to go beyond myself and live up to the potential of the room.

Having our work as the thread that connected all of us, we were able to laugh, to argue, to learn and to find resolve with no hesitation or preconceived notions. We all were exhilarated and left richer for the time spent.

Nikki D. May
What a great experience to be confined to one space with such a diverse group of talented people! Our ages spanned about six decades and our backgrounds, experience levels, knowledge and skills were equally diverse.
We all learned from one another, taught one another, worked both individually and collaboratively and came out of the experience richer than we went in.

Everyone had a chance to work on their own projects as well as with each participant. Personally I found it fascinating to observe the writers in the creative process of their craft, which is so different from the way we visual artists work. I especially loved Lacy's idea of having the writers draw and the visual artists write something for her to combine into a collaged piece!

Eric Mobley
When Teri first approached me about the project, I thought it was a really great and novel idea — sort of a forced artist commune. As the time approached however, I became a little anxious. I did not even know some of these people, and being a writer, I am used to a solitary and rather particular working environment.

All my fears were groundless, because I now have new friends, closer relations with old friends, new ideas and four new pieces. Between the small group projects (we exchanged personally created cards), and the big personal projects, I figure we created over 100 different works of art. Songs, poems, visual arts, photographs.

We created new collaborative bonds, and gained a deeper understanding of each other's mediums. I learned more about the visual arts this weekend than I have in my entire life. It was magical.

Teri Moore
I go into a small space I would share with eight other people.
I am one person.
I thought I would share art.

WE shared art.
WE shared each other.
I didn't realize how much we would share each other.

WE come out of the small space WE shared with eight other people.
I am one person.
One person with a bigger understanding of what it means to be an artist. One person with a bigger understanding of what it means to be a person.

I am bigger than I was when I went in.
This feels beautiful.

Snacks













Lacy Williams
Coming into this project as an art student, this was all a learning experience for me, to learn new things as an artist, and to capture these moments through photography. As the weekend went on, I learned that we are all still learning. As artists, you never stop.

All of us have grown so much from this experience — not just as artists, but as people. We bonded in such as way, none of us ever got sick of one another. It was such a great weekend with amazing artwork, awesome collaborations and great poetry and music.