Remembering PMVI and the First Show of 1984 ....
by Curt Pardee
"Curt Pardee This is an excellent memoir plus journalistic reporting on the event and the process forming it. I enjoyed your writing immensely. You remember some details I don't plus it is interesting to hear the emotional viewpoint from inside your mind your persona. I was also new to the group so was going through some of the same self-evaluations. All told it was a very creative, groundbreaking show & experience!" Roberta Chambers
"That was really great Curt!!! You should do more writing! Very cool artwork too!!" Doreen Gayer
It was summer of 1983, August I think. I have a friend I knew from The Paier School of Art who was visiting, Bill Quinn. He was originally from New Hampshire, came to Hamden/New Haven to attend Paier and after that decided to move to Tallahassee Florida. Bill was a creative painter and was involved with a group of artists in Florida who were motivated by a mutual contempt for respectable art.
Bill was up visiting a professor friend from Paier Paul Rutkovsky who was part of an artist collective in New Haven the Paper Mache Video Institute. One late afternoon Bill invited me to come with him to see Mr. Rutkovsky’s studio in New Haven. I was interested. We went over to the old New Haven Clock Factory on Hamilton Street which is where PMVI had its meetings.
We climbed the stairs to the second floor where Rutkovsky’s studio was in this old gigantic brick building. Rutkovsky was not there but my friend Bill Quinn had the key to his studio and said it was fine we can go in. I did not know what to expect but I certainly was not expecting the work piled high all around 2 big rooms. Tall television sets on high legs, houses on long curvy legs, and other contraptions all built out of paper mache wrapped around wireframes painted in crazy color. I was quite impressed and wished the artist was around but after some time Bill and I left.
We went somewhere and lit up a joint and Bill started to tell me about an upcoming art event being put together by PMVI to celebrate the coming year 1984 with this show using the great work by George Orwell as its centerpiece. Bill goes, “Yeah Curt you should get involved you would probably have fun and meet some interesting people.”
“Okay, sounds good. I normally don’t work in a group though.” I said. Bill goes on, “Well why don’t you try something different. They are having a meeting here next week. The person who is heading the show is Beverly Richey and there will be a bunch of other New Haven artists. Just go to the meeting and see what you think.” I asked, “Are you going to be in this show?” Bill says no he isn’t he is heading back to Florida, I think after Labor Day. So I said, ”Sure what the heck I will probably go.” I really liked the old clock factory building, that was a major reason I wanted to come back with its huge courtyard it reeked of old history. Plus I was intrigued because I was unfamiliar with the New Haven art scene and figured it was a good opportunity to meet some people and whatnot.READ MORE HERE: Facebook
