auguri 3. ?001 - |M t «
She also played a lot o f volleyball in high
look like, what it’s going to be. I’ve got 24
school and once was told by a scout she was
hours to finish it, and if it sucks, well, so be it,
too short to play college ball. Edmunds’ lip
right T' (It didn’t.)
curls. “ 1 was like, ‘O h yeah?’ ” Sh e went to
The wall drawing is a series of symbols that
M ontana State University soon after on a vol
make up a kind of shorthand text only Edmunds
leyball scholarship.
can decipher. At the opening people spoke with
Edmunds’ nomadic youth prompted her to
her about creating similar pieces in their homes.
think about ways in which people can connect
“They have to give me a story that they would
and communicate, which led her to study film-
want to say to someone, and then I abstract it
making. She was one o f only two women in a
into this translation,” Edmunds explains.
department she calls “the good ole boys club.”
T he ink monoprints were finished in sim i
She recalls one of her male professors saying
larly speedy fashion. “My time is very fragment
to her, “ 1 don’t know why you are pursuing
ed and fractured, so I deploy myself with
majoring in cinematography and directing when
absolute focus for short bursts of time.”
the only job you’re going to get in Hollywood is
In the course of our discussion, I have become
a script girl.” Much like the volleyball incident,
concerned about something. Does she ever sleep?
she says, “It galvanized me right into over
Am id laughter, Edmunds admits she does.
achieving.” (G ee, isn’t this the familiar story of
“ Again, in short bursts o f highly focused con
half the lesbians you know?)
centrated time,” she jokes. “Sleep to me is this
Edmunds went to Berlin on an
thing that I wish we didn’t
educational program with other
need. Because, damn, there’s a
students to work on a film and
lot to be done.”
eventually came back to M ontana
Edmunds does her sleeping
State to teach avant-garde cinema.
in her inner Southeast Portland
Bursting the good ole boys bubble,
home with two cats and one
she was given the task o f writing
Irish wolfhound. “H ave you
and directing an art piece com bin
ever seen an Irish wolfhound?
ing different disciplines that were
T hey’re huge and really laid-
in the process of being departmen-
back, sweet. He com es to work
tally merged. She created a multi-
with me sometimes.”
media program utilizing visual art,
What does Edmunds do
architecture, film, theater and
when she’s not sleeping or work
dance. To round out her experi
ing? She can’t think of anything.
ence, she took acting classes.
I make several suggestions.
Kristy Edmunds
“I started realizing all these
Yoga? Gourmet cooking? Clubs?
huge connections between the different art
“N ope, none of it,” she insists. “ In fact, it’s
forms and the language that goes on in visual
actually hard for me to take vacations because
art, in film, in theater, in dancing, in all of
when I’m on vacation, it’s like, what do I enjoy
them,” Edmunds shares, “and I started thinking
doing? I enjoy seeing art. S o pretty soon, no
about how to bring these different elements
matter where I am, if there’s any art around....
together.” She went to grad school at Western
T h en I’m meeting with so-and-so and doing a
Washington University, earning a master’s
studio visit. I end up working again.”
degree in both playwriting and directing theater.
I suggest loving your work isn’t such a bad
Then she came to Portland.
thing. “My life is very intertwined with my
work,” Edmunds replies.
Besides acting as director and curator for
P IC A , Edmunds sits on the boards o f the
A nd now that PICA finally has enough o f a
Northwest Business Com m ittee for the Arts,
staff to depend upon, she can slow down just a
Artists for a Hate-Free Am erica, the Western
wee bit. “It’s not quite the Mach 10, hair-on-fire,
Front Alternative Space and the Portland Arts
if-you-don’t-do-it-nobody-will” it was for the
Alliance. She is also a creative consultant for
first few years. “Now it’s much more about being
various architectural firms.
able to step back and have a more humane life.”
Som ehow she found time to serve on the
Like, maybe she’ll take some yoga?
G overnor’s Executive Task Force for Develop
Edmunds hesitates.
ing a Cultural Policy as well as on various
“ M aybe.. .maybe. It’s probably going to be
national arts panels. In addition, she is the lead
letting myself make more art, making my own
consultant to the Ford Foundation for their
thing. Because there are so many things I want
Internationalizing New Works Initiative,
to do.” J H
which is developing practices for international
performing arts exchanges.
The P ortland I nstitute for C ontemporary
A rt is located at 219 N.W. 12th Ave. For more
Oh, and then there’s her own art. Her series
o f monoprints and wall drawings will be on
information call 503-242-14/9, e-mail
view at Savage Gallery through Aug. 4.
pica@pica.org or visit www.pica.org. Entrance to
Edmunds was between out-of-town jaunts when
exhibitions is $3, free to members.
she created the drawings directly on the wall.
“ I had one day to do the wall piece. It’s a
LlSA B radshaw is a free-lance writer from
big experiment; I don’t know what it’s going to
Portland. Just a writer, nothing more.
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