CULTURE FEATURE
The limitless as limitation
llaboration and tile grout
Soar Studios creates art from co
>>BY TAM NGUYEN
Creativity has no limits. The freedom to express,
within any given medium, is a liberating process and
brothers John and David Jenson not only understand
this process but are taking it a step further. What
started as an idea in 2005, or rather a bouncing of
ideas, later grew into what is now Soar Studios, an
art-studio space that allows the freedom of expression
to transcend across various mediums. Soar Studios
encourages people from all walks of life to collaborate
in the creative process while utilizing such diverse
tools as screen-printing, digital media, sound,
photography, illustration, carpentry – really anything
that you can get your hands on. Their philosophy is
kinetic, collective and maximizes freedom through
exploring without limitation. With collaborations from
such local studios as Lucky Star and Donebestdone,
John and David’s idea for Soar is piloting the sky.
So, ladies and gentleman, fasten your seat belts, it’s
going to be a hell of a ride.
John and David were born in Edgerton, WI. After a
few short years their father, Hugh, relocated the family
to Eau Claire where he found work as an insurance
agent. It was around 1976 when the family decided to
move back to Central Wisconsin, first to Mukwonago
then finally settling in Oconomowoc. Their mother,
Kathleen, became the proprietor of a vintage clothing
store and from the back-stock of all her threads was
able to fashion purses and other garments to sell
at local farmers markets. Undoubtedly, her creative
endeavors were the first exposure the young brothers
had to the creative mind.
After graduating UW-Madison with a degree in
industrial engineering, David improbably found work in
New York as a proofreader/editor translating Russian
text for scientific journals. Back home, brother John
was freelancing as a designer and doing commercial
art. The brothers kept in touch, bouncing creative
ideas off each other that eventually hatched a plan.
“Hey, why don’t we go into business together? We’re
brothers,” John recollects asking David one day
after a particularly lively exchange. So David moved
back to Wisconsin and the two landed work for GMR
Marketing, a local company that handles design work
for such companies as Nintendo, MGD and Airwalk
Shoes. “It was a team effort for GMR,” David says.
“We collaborated on flyers and marketing tools for
promotion.” Shortly after, the experience with GMR
segued into graphic design work in the publications
6 | CULTURE FEATURE | VITAL SOURCE
Tony_July_07.indd 6
industry. However, disenchanted with David and Jo
hn Jenson, So
commercial art and the various filters ar Studios 2007
it goes through, the two brothers grew a
craving for a broader form of artistic expression. So
they branched off on their own and started the design open July 27, Gallery Night, at Art Bar. Art Bar
team, Designaholix. owner Don Krause initially approached Soar to
Designaholix was really the fodder for what stage Dreambubble, working with them on rounding
would later become Soar Studios. With the initial out the concept. “Quite frankly, we had no idea what
start up, Designaholix generated enough income we wanted to do,” John says. “We knew what we
through freelance projects to purchase new wanted as far as interactivity, but Don really helped
equipment and prepare for the launch of Soar out with the idea.”
Studios. The intended purpose was to allow a More than a static exhibit, the opening night of
space for collective creativity to evolve where each Dreambubble will be an interactive art experience
step influences the next and opens doors to fresh where the audience will become the elements of a
artistic outlooks and experiences. future show. Sights, sounds and interactions will be
The artistic process is sometimes hindered through recorded on DV cameras, still cameras and audio
social influences, academia, cultural structures and cameras. Attendees themselves will create art in
mores. For John and David, creativity should always unusual ways, and the material collected will be used
be moving and expanding without having to go to create a new piece that captures the immediacy of
through such filters, or guidelines of what can and can the evening as experienced by those present.
not be used. Their approach is about freedom of style Party-goers will also have the opportunity to take
– where having no form is form – and incorporating some of these creations home. Using a mad scientist
everything, even mistakes. The process then mixture of tile grout, paint and a new printing process,
becomes one of trial and error, which produces the John and David have created colorful “chalkboards”
quality of freshness. However, this paradigm initially that will be for sale. They’re more an “interactive,
faced some challenges, especially the fusion of functional piece of art for sale than standard
technology and traditional art mediums. “We’ve gone classroom blackboard,” John says. There will also
through the trial and tribulations of learning how to be magnetic boards for the more literary crowd to
use everything on our own,” David says. “Losing hard express themselves through words. The subject
drives, you know, from that to not using the media matter is wide open and will be a complete interaction
correctly the first time.” of creativity.
But for the Jenson brothers, trial and error is all What started off as a bouncing of ideas has given
part of the process. Even their mistakes offer the birth to not just integrated art and an all encompassing
means to “develop a whole new way to utilize that studio space, but also an open-minded philosophy
media, even through ignorance,” says John. The about what art is and how it’s made. Soar is about
open doors of collaboration have also been of great going above and beyond, the limitless as limitation.
service. “A thing that we like to use – messing around Their goal as artists is simply to sustain themselves
and bending Casio keyboards…bending TI 99’s,” and their creativity through their work. And, of course,
John says. “It’s more of a super-bent multimedia to have a good time in the process. VS
thing that wouldn’t be possible without Donebestdone
and will be an exclusive feature of our upcoming Dreambubble: Let’s Dream
show together.” Through sharing in the creation of Together opens Gallery Night,
a piece, the process becomes collaborative and not July 27, and runs through
just concentrated on the “self” of a single creator. September 6 at Art Bar, 722 E
Currently, Soar Studios is working with multimedia Burleigh. For more information
collective Donebestdone, Eric Von Munz of Lucky on Soar Studios, please call
Star Gallery and a slew of local visual artists on 262-391-7160 or visit myspace.
Dreambubble: Let’s Dream Together, slated to com/soarstudios.
VITAL CULTURE
6/25/2007 12:36:23 PM