Filed under: Selections from the Piazza archive | Tags: archives, Chicago, InCUBATE, Jim Duignan, residency, Stockyard Institute, suitcase archive
I was touched and honored to be selected as InCUBATE’s Michael Piazza resident. Piazza (1955-2006) seemed to inhabit many worlds at once – producing work that is mystical and layered with symbolism, yet remaining incredibly grounded in the reality in which we live, never (as Kurt Vonnegut so eloquently put it) “disappearing up his own asshole.” Piazza was a tireless advocate for, and investigator of, forgotton people and places.
As part of the residency, I get access to his archives, which his longtime friend and collaborator Jim Duignan of the Stockyard Institute dropped off the other day. The archives consisted of three large three-ring binders full of scanned ephemera (letters, exhibition catalogs, event programs), and an old suitcase filled with originals.
my other laptop - the piazza suitcase archive
Although I never knew Piazza – or heard of his work – until I found out about the residency, I feel like he’s an old friend. Perhaps that’s a bit of a cliche, but I see so many of my people – and myself – in the collections of strange objects, old diagrams, and xeroxed booklets that it’s unnerving and pretty emotional at times.
As I go through the archive, I’ll be posting some of my favorite selections here.
I also feel compelled to say that I get the feeling that Piazza would want me to tell you that life is short, people! Stop messing around and get out there and do what you need to do.
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Industrial Harvest 