Dan Van Tassell's 'I Wish' is on exhibit at William King Museum of Art, Abingdon, Virginia.
By Bonny Gable
Bonny Gable is a former theater professor and freelance writer based in Bristol, Virginia. https://www.bonnygable.com
Ceramics and mixed media sculptor Dan Van Tassell believes that a person’s perception of a wish is a complex concept. His interactive installation piece, “I Wish,” at William King Museum of Art in Abingdon, Virginia, reveals his instinct to be on target.
“To me there’s a big difference between wishes, hopes and desires,” Van Tassell says. “Each one carries an implied connotation that could be considered selfless, selfish or could even involve others. However, on the surface these words all essentially translate the same.”
At his “I Wish” installation, Van Tassell asks the viewer to write their wish on paper, crumple it and toss it onto the existing pile of crumpled paper wishes located on the floor. “We throw every hope or desire, no matter how selfless or selfish, onto the pile hoping through the chaos something will come of it.”
Van Tassell says that by having viewers add their wishes to the piece, he openly invites others into the conversation, embracing the chaos that comes with their perceptions becoming the work itself.
“I find a real beauty in the many wishes of others gathered in this way. While my initial thought was that I would see many trivial or selfish things being wished for, I’ve found that couldn’t be farther from the truth. There are so many beautiful, thoughtful and inspiring things that people have shared through their wishes. It truly gives me hope for the future, that people aren’t nearly as selfish or thoughtless as our society might coerce us into thinking.”
“On top of the pile are ashes,” explains Van Tassell, “which to me serve as a symbol of destruction as well as a metaphor for rebirth. Something new could emerge from this loss. I also provided the symbol of the wishbones emerging from the ashes to represent an object that is like a concentrated wish; there is only a fifty-fifty chance at achieving success. But for you to succeed, someone else must lose. Sometimes a sad reality of life.”
Van Tassell believes that as our lives change, so change our wishes. While accustomed to making things happen through sheer optimism, determination and a fierce work ethic, he says he eventually found himself taking a different view. “I’ve started to understand in more recent years that we are often more a product of circumstances so far from our ability to control, despite my determination. So, in a way this work became an exercise in manifestation through repetition, of a seemingly futile exercise of wishing over, and over, and over for something that may or may not ever happen, hoping to will it into existence.” Van Tassell says the act of tossing the wish, seemingly carelessly, onto the pile becomes a metaphor for this lack of control.
When asked about highlights of his career Van Tassell names completeing the graduate program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with an MFA, as well as being published in the popular book series “500 Ceramic Sculptures” as an undergraduate at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. This last year his work has been seen in two shows, at Radford University Art Museum and William King Museum of Art. Van Tassell recently presented on ceramic chemistry in art to the American Chemical Society, speaking with scientists about the intersection of science and art, and to date he has curated 27 professional exhibitions.
Although born and raised in the flatlands of Wisconsin, Van Tassell now calls the hills of Virginia home. As assistant professor of art at Emory & Henry College, he fosters artistic growth in his students in the same way creativity was nurtured in him as a growing youth.
“Overall, I’d say that being an artist for me has ultimately been less about any kind of perceived ‘talent’ or ‘ability’ and more about being a way to express myself that no other activity could fulfill,” Van Tassell says. “As I grew it became so much a part of me that I now can’t help but create things because it’s such an important part of who I am. If I’m not making art, I’m definitely thinking about what I’d like to explore next with my art. If I can’t create, I feel like I’m not whole.
“I also had a great desire to help people, and still do. Teaching became a natural fit for me. It allowed me to continue to learn while also helping others better learn to create and express themselves. There’s something deeply rewarding about watching young people learn more about themselves and building voices of their own in their art. It’s one of the deepest honors of my life to be entrusted to help others in that way.”
Presented the age-old question “Is it difficult to make a living as an artist?” Van Tassell was unapologetic in stating his views.
“I find the stereotype of a starving artist to be extremely harmful to our society because it perpetuates the idea that art isn’t appreciated or valued. I think our society lives and thrives off of art. If people didn’t like art there wouldn’t be billion-dollar industries built around cinema, video games, music, marketing, architecture or museums. People live for art, plain and simple. We digest it at rates that are unprecedented in history. Yet we still ask questions like ‘how are you going to survive as an artist?’”
This notion inspires a wish of his own to toss onto the pile.
“I wish our society would take that perception of the starving artist and throw it away. Artists are the creative lifeblood of every culture on the planet.”
Van Tassell offers advice to aspiring artists seeking to establish creative careers.
“Believe in yourself and your work. Dedicate yourself to honing your craft while educating yourself on how to run the type of business that feeds the goals and desires you have in life. Also be patient. Patience is the most important skill any young professional can learn. Life is extremely challenging and competitive no matter what you decide to do. You might as well choose something that gets you out of bed every day ready to grow, and that fulfills you.
“There’s an old saying that ‘Luck is when opportunity meets with preparation’ and I’ve always tried to instill that attitude into my students. Do everything you can to be prepared, so that you’re ready when opportunity comes. Keep putting yourself out there with that belief and mindset, and good things will happen.”
Van Tassell’s “I Wish” is on exhibit at WKMA through Feb. 4. See more of his work at www.dvtceramics.com.
