Image courtesy of jamesmcnabb.com.
Creator’s block, the moment when frustration meets creative expression. In that instant, craftsman James McNabb first recognized the artist within himself. His design tension resulted in the creation of The City Series, a collection of unique, narrow, wooden structures that form city-like shapes. McNabb presents his work and shares his journey to success from 8 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov, 5, at Bowers Writers House at Elizabethtown College.
As a graduate furniture design student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, McNabb was in pursuit of a thesis project. Highly technical measurements and portions soon became frustrating. “My escape is to clear my mind,” McNabb said. “I grabbed scrap wood from the bin, started cutting and found release in making something I didn’t know.”
His experimentation resulted in more than a successful thesis project. It kick-started his career. His thesis exhibit included geometric shapes in furniture, including a city within a wheel, inside a sphere and underneath a table.
The City Series uses various pieces of scrap wood collected from discarded materials of other craftsmen. In addition to being cost effective, McNabb noted the importance of this element of transformation in his work. “In the city you have to be willing to make something out of nothing,” McNabb said. “You have to have an ability to make do with what you have.”
You have to have an ability to make do with what you have.”
McNabb grew up in a commuter town in northern New Jersey, a short half-hour drive to mid-town Manhattan. As a child, he always viewed the city as ‘a faraway place, yet so close.’ “I felt like an outsider to this Mecca of commerce and lifestyle,” McNabb said. As he grew up and explored the city, the city changed him. He became evermore fascinated and inspired by the patterns and textures seen in objects and architecture.
McNabb will donate a borough-sized piece from his City Series to the College to be permanently installed in Bowers Writers House. Jesse Waters, director of Bowers, said he first learned about McNabb and his work through Kickstarter, an online platform for people to share their creative projects in hope of gaining financial support and publicity. McNabb, Waters said, is the fourth person he’s located through Kickstarter to speak at Bowers Writers House.
“I’ve found some fantastic people,” Waters said. Participation in such support is service orientated and provides an element of shared participation, Waters said, noting that the College’s motto, ‘Educate for Service,’ promotes these situations, in finding good things around the world. Kickstarter provides the open forum of opportunity to learn while helping others grow.
“It’s an opportunity to engage with a brilliant up-and-coming artist who has professional and personal interdisciplinary concerns and interests,” Water said about the presentation. Bowers Writers House’s mission is to “promote and support a culture of ‘creative curiosity,’ ” as well as ‘intellectual diversity,’ so Waters does not limit the House to only writers. “Everything has textual value; everyone writes,” Waters said.
In addition to his presentation at Bowers, McNabb will attend two of Milt Friedly’s art classes. In Sculpture II, McNabb will discuss design, process and craftsmanship. “All are important in creating successful artwork, regardless of the material,” Friedly said. McNabb also will attend Friedly’s senior seminar class to discuss his experiences in graduate school and life after his graduate work.
McNabb works can be viewed on his website: www.mcnabbstudio.com.