“My work gives new purpose to unwanted items, bringing them back into the flow of creation. Continuation of purpose is the basis of all life as the same chemistry of the universe is endlessly recycled.”
Ned Schaper is a recipient of a 2017 Artist Research & Development Grant.
Artist Research and Development Grants are designed to support the advancement of artistic research, aid in the development of artistic work and recognize the contributions individual artists make to Arizona’s communities. For more information about the Artist Research & Development Grant, click here.
Schaper, a kinetic sculptor, poet, and performer, received an Artist Research and Development Grant to support development of his Museum Of Kinetic Art into a virtual reality tour.
The Museum Of Kinetic Art (MOKA) includes nearly one hundred moving sculptures made from found objects. Approximately 5 minutes from start to finish, the virtual reality tour will allow viewers to feel as if they are inside the machines and get a close look at many of the mechanized characters.
Schaper will produce the tour at his Tucson studio, where the sculptures are tightly packed into a former bridal shop.
“I’d like to develop the tour to leverage a very popular technology that opens up a whole new experience for viewers to immerse themselves in the sculptures, unachievable any other way,” said Schaper in his application.
Photo:Â Inside of the Museum Of Kinetic Art.
Ned Schaper is a kinetic sculptor, poet, and performer who shares his magical world of Beveldom through Surrealistic Pop Science Theater, Museum Of Kinetic Art, School of Intuition and Bevelvision Internet TV.
From 1983 to 1986 he performed on and off the streets of New York City. He had one-man shows at Avenue B Gallery and Todd Capp Gallery and was a regular at the Red Spot Theater.
In Tucson, Ned launched his Surrealistic Pop Science Theater in 1987. Studio performances and his Downtown Saturday pedestrian carnivals were popular with residents of Tucson.
The Mat Bevel Institute was established in 1992 as a venue for the visionary arts. In 1996, the Institute established its presence in the Tucson Arts District relocating to the former Downtown Performance Center. Schaper performed his theater, co-produced the international Zeitgeist Jazz at the Institute series, conducted educational workshops, and rented the building as a community venue.
In 2012, City of Tucson commissioned Schaper to create a public art kinetic sculpture called “Iron Butterfly.” In 2014, Schaper’s work was featured at the Tucson Museum of Art in a 2-month solo exhibit entitled “Welcome to Beveldom: Mat Bevel’s Museum of Kinetic Art.” Today Schaper is capturing the magic of his theater’s world of Beveldom through the eye of the camera and sharing it at no cost with global audiences through Bevelvision Internet TV.
Schaper was the first Artist-In-Residence for the Tucson Arts District in 1989. As an Artist-InResidence for the Arizona Commission on the Arts from 1989 to 1991, he traveled the state of Arizona working with children to build found-object sculptures. In 1991 he was awarded an Artist Project grant through the Arizona Commission on the Arts for his solar-powered Pedestrian Carnival. In 2001, Schaper received the prestigious Arizona Arts Award.
Arizona Projects Named Finalists for ArtPlace America Grants
On June 7, 2017, ArtPlace America announced the projects that it will consider for its 2017 National Creative Placemaking Fund. Among the 70 finalist are three Arizona-based projects.
Read moreBanner photos: Museum Of Kinetic Art and Ned Schaper, photo by Abril Castillo.
