Feather, Never Waste a Trip
Michael Wickerson’s sabbatical year of 2010 is a year of great accomplishment, growth and inspiration. After forming a strong student to professor relationship my junior year in the Sculpture department at the Kansas City Art Institute, I decided to continue working with Michael Wickerson throughout his sabbatical. The summer of 2010 was the most life inspiring and character forming summer of my artistic life. Secluding himself on his eleven acres of land in Kansas City, Kansas Michael Wickerson invited me to be his assistant in creating a unique self-run and self-sustaining studio. Our first project was forming a 30ft diameter adobe structure within three months as well as laying out the foundation of Wickerson Studios.
To understand what this man has been up to I will give you a glimpse of the starting stages of Wickerson Studios. Being a part of Wickerson’s day is no easy task. By sunrise Wickerson is up and working outside. I would be on the clock at nine a.m. sharp. To start, Wickerson, his wife Beth, his son Oscar and I sat at the “thought table” to express our thoughts, ideas, dreams and wishes. This was where we planned for the most efficient, satisfying day. I was taught to be smart with my time. Time is the most precious gift we have as living beings. Once outside, we would get to work. Wickerson dug his earth as I helped gather for the mixing process that would eventually result in mud bricks. He tweaked his recipe for the perfect mixture as I watched and took mental notes for the ratio of portland cement: earth: water: and straw. Once the perfect ratio was found, the next fifteen minutes would be filling in the gang molds that held the form of the mud bricks. This process repeated itself over and over until all of the gang molds were filled with the adobe mixture.
One of my main work tasks was keeping the water jugs filled with water. To fill them with water one had to use the hose by the house to fill the jugs. Each time the jugs had to be filled, time was taken out of our workday. To make sure we were working efficiently, if anything had to be picked up from the house or in the garage it was done all in one trip. “Never waste a trip!” was one phrase that stuck in my mind while working with Wickerson. Even outside of Wickerson Studios I was able to incorporate this lesson into my daily routine. Time is arguably the most important possession for an artist. What sets artists apart is the ability to organize their time and follow personal deadlines. To never waste a trip will continue to be an important motto I live by.
Once a good stopping point was reached, a lunch was prepared and long discussions would take place. Conversations ranged from social patterns, interesting artists, politics and religion. Wickerson is a smart man with a lot to say and share with anyone willing to listen. He even made friends with the local Jehovah’s Witnesses who love to come and share knowledge and philosophy with him.
One memory that demonstrated Michael Wickerson’s excellence in teaching was the day we attempted to have an iron pour with only the two of us working together. We had made a relief imprint of my body in sand that we wanted to pour iron into. As the sun went down we were finished setting up for the pour. It was a beautiful sight seeing the roaring cupola’s fire blowing out the top and spitting out molten iron from its mouth. He and I spent countless hours preparing for this experiment and it all came down to one factor. If the iron melted and filled the body-sized mold it would have been a successful pour. Instead, the worst outcome happened. The metal froze within the homemade cupola and barely any iron came out. We felt exhausted and defeated but even though the pour was not successful, it was not a waste of time. Valuable lessons were learned that night. Patience, process, precision, communication, experimentation, and creativity were some things Wickerson revealed to me that night. He has proved to me to be a great mentor and partner in creation.
Outside of the tremendous amount of work he has done on his property, Wickerson has also remained involved with his community of choice. Wickerson has spent time strengthening his standing within the community by hosting demonstrations for Shawnee Mission West HS, Kansas City, KS. His focus was showing the students his most current art projects and getting them involved in sculpture processes. Voicing his reason to look further then the Art Institute for showing support, he explained that a sabbatical could be the perfect excuse to travel and get involved in other communities around the world. A trip to Utrecht, Holland was planned. This trip took a tremendous amount of effort creating a schedule so that all time was utilized wisely. Once again the motto, “never waste a trip” was important in his preparation. Holland was where he made his connections with friends and local artists to continue his research of casting. It was in Holland where he was coined with the nickname, “Feather”. Once he came back, he was full of new knowledge and experience that was very exciting to hear about. While there, he was offered to be a part of several exhibitions, private collections and even a long-term commission. Michael Wickerson showed that he is able to put himself out of his element and still portray professional characteristics. Michael Wickerson’s positive experiences of his sabbatical allowed him to breathe and grow as an artist as well as a mentor.
It is a humble, honest and peaceful place he has made for himself and his family. Wickerson and his abode are always welcoming to new and interested visitors. He has used his time wisely to continue his professional standing as an artist, mentor and professor in Kansas City. I feel blessed and honored to have been invited to be Michael Wickerson’s first assistant for Wickerson Studios. He is a hard working man that deserved this time to reflect and recharge himself as an artist and a professor.
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