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Artist hopes to spark interest with passersby

Issa Randall will  be working in the front window of Gallery 510.

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By Pamela Dillon, Contributing Writer 7:58 PM Saturday, January 29, 2011

DAYTON — For Dayton artist Issa Randall, the collection of Andy Warhol’s 32 “Campbell’s Soup Cans” is a metaphor for the haves and the have-nots.

The 1962 canvas grid wasn’t a cash cow, but it inspired subsequent works. “Small Torn Campbell’s Soup Can” sold for $11.8 million. The haves, on one hand, can buy expensive art and hang it on their walls. The have-nots will just be eating the soup.

Randall is the second “510Project” artist that will be working in the front window of Gallery 510.

Randall will try to spark a dialogue with passersby as he works on “They Got Campbell’s, We Get Soup” during the two-and-a-half-week installation. His process will include “cooking” papers, using a kerosene grill on the sidewalk.

“Newspapers provide readers with information about the world around us. But in the information age there is an overproduction of facts and opinions, rendering information and facts into static noise,” Randall said. “This project is a reflection of the current climate of poverty, scarcity and restriction.”

To illustrate those concepts, Randall will make paper, burn paper, cut paper and make paper in a continuous process.

“Feel free to stop by, have a chat and see how I work,” Randall said.

Project510 grew out of a collaboration between Gallery 510 and the Blue Sky Project. Every month a different artist in the series will engage the public in conversations about: the relevance of art in society, the role of artists/audience; what it means to be a creator, viewer, participant or collaborator; and what it means to a city like Dayton. The next artist scheduled is Miamisburg resident Leigh Waltz.

“I really liked what Peter (Benkendorf) did with the residency through the summertime, but he wasn’t able to continue them,” said Gallery 510 co-owner Loretta Puncer. “I really wanted to help Peter, so I’m giving him the front 12 feet of this gallery, which has great window space. The series started last November with Rodney Veal and his “Seen/Unseen” dance installation performance.”

Randall holds a Master of Fine Art in photography from the University of Arts London and a Bachelor of Arts in communications from the University of Dayton. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. He was born in Seattle and moved to Dayton when he was 12. Randall has lived in England, Japan and South Africa.

“Contemporary art is about challenging the status quo; you’re always trying to create a dialogue through people you meet,” Randall said.

Contact contributing arts writer Pamela Dillon at pamdillon@woh.rr.com.

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