CURRENT SHOW
Jessica Yoshiko Rasmussen
Va Va Vortex
MAY 14- JULY 4th 2022
Jessica Yoshiko Rasmussen is a public art coordinator by day and an artist by night, like Bruce Wayne and Batman. These two sides of her life inform the other.
In 2020 during the first summer of COVID-19, Jessica created the United States Portal Service, an interactive public art project which prompted participants to send and receive handwritten letters to the past or future, via a golden mailbox in Santa Rosa’s Courthouse Square. With the help of incredible volunteer Portal Professionals (responders) and one bodacious excel spreadsheet, she facilitated over 80 letters and their mailed responses.
Building on the quasi-formal and administrative aspects of the Portal Service, Va Va Vortex Art Service was the natural next step. Jessica mails subscribers original artwork each month, sometimes accompanied by a mini art history lesson or info about what inspired the piece. The mundane framework of a subscription service gives Jessica the freedom to get playful with the actual art. Since the continuity of Va Va Vortex is the structure itself, the artworks can be completely different from one to the next. They are snippets, little dreams.
Over time, the act of sending and receiving monthly bite-sized artwork makes up a larger conceptual piece. The unabashed transactional quality of charging money for “art service” brings up a lot of questions around the value of art and its role in our everyday lives, access to art, and art as a commodity.
Instagram: @jessica.yoshiko.rasmussen and @vavavortex.com
Website: VaVaVortex.comVa Va Vortex
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who is this for?
A: Anyone who needs: beauty, magic, mail, irreverence, questions, joy, delirium, or an additional subscription service
Q: Wait what am I getting again?
A: Art
Q: What if I don’t like the art?
A: This is an eternal question which should only be answered by the subscriber. You may unsubscribe at any time, though we do not recommend this option
Va Va Vortex
MAY 14- JULY 4th 2022
Jessica Yoshiko Rasmussen is a public art coordinator by day and an artist by night, like Bruce Wayne and Batman. These two sides of her life inform the other.
In 2020 during the first summer of COVID-19, Jessica created the United States Portal Service, an interactive public art project which prompted participants to send and receive handwritten letters to the past or future, via a golden mailbox in Santa Rosa’s Courthouse Square. With the help of incredible volunteer Portal Professionals (responders) and one bodacious excel spreadsheet, she facilitated over 80 letters and their mailed responses.
Building on the quasi-formal and administrative aspects of the Portal Service, Va Va Vortex Art Service was the natural next step. Jessica mails subscribers original artwork each month, sometimes accompanied by a mini art history lesson or info about what inspired the piece. The mundane framework of a subscription service gives Jessica the freedom to get playful with the actual art. Since the continuity of Va Va Vortex is the structure itself, the artworks can be completely different from one to the next. They are snippets, little dreams.
Over time, the act of sending and receiving monthly bite-sized artwork makes up a larger conceptual piece. The unabashed transactional quality of charging money for “art service” brings up a lot of questions around the value of art and its role in our everyday lives, access to art, and art as a commodity.
Instagram: @jessica.yoshiko.rasmussen and @vavavortex.com
Website: VaVaVortex.comVa Va Vortex
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who is this for?
A: Anyone who needs: beauty, magic, mail, irreverence, questions, joy, delirium, or an additional subscription service
Q: Wait what am I getting again?
A: Art
Q: What if I don’t like the art?
A: This is an eternal question which should only be answered by the subscriber. You may unsubscribe at any time, though we do not recommend this option
There will not be a new call for artists this year as much of the 2022 season is currently booked. Artists interested in showing at NR in the future can email us at any time at neonraspberryart@gmail.com. Send a paragraph on what you want to show as well as examples of your work and we'll be in touch. Be sure to check out our "about us" page on the website to get a better sense of our curatorial focus.