by donald dusinberre imartsyfartsy@gmail.com
WHAT: The Color of Munny Art Show
WHERE: Thief in the Knight Gallery (118 West Adams Street)
WHEN: Saturday, July 7th - 7PM
Seeing a single artist’s work unencumbered by outside ideas is a special thing, but sometimes it’s just as interesting to see a group of artists directed with a common inspiration.
Such is the case with The Color of MUNNY, an art show opening at the Thief in the Knight Gallery on July 7. Developed by Joey Marchy, this art show will feature the work of numerous area artists on a single subject- a blank vinyl children’s toy called a MUNNY. The artists can change or decorate the MUNNY any way they want. “Marchy really kickstarted a whole new idea for our town, which is really exciting,” said Ian Chase, one of the participating artists.
When asked about his take on altering a vinyl toy, Chase replied, “I thought about it a lot. I got over the initial idea of melting it down, and decided instead to put it in a box on the wall. I wanted to resist the 3-D aspect of the project and make it into something else besides a toy. My idea is a parody of Duchamp, who was prone to parodies himself. His piece ‘With Hidden Noise’ is a primary example.”
We wanted to learn more about this unique art event, so we caught up with Marchy, tapping away at entries to his Urban Jacksonville blog.
EU: Did you invent the MUNNY?
Marchy: No, the MUNNY was created by a company named Kid Robot (kidrobot.com). They describe the MUNNY as ‘the greatest DIY toy’. They also say, ‘you can paint on MUNNY or use crayons, pencils, and pens. You can cover him in green fur. You can make things to put in MUNNYs hands, or hats to put on MUNNYs head. You can make a spaceship for MUNNY to fly around your house in.’
The MUNNYs are fabricated in a Japanese factory and shipped to toy stores around the world. When they arrive, they’re blank so you can customize them and make them your own. Anything done to the MUNNY beyond the initial production of the toy would have to be considered handmade.
EU: Who built the MUNNY Army?
Marchy: All of the MUNNYs in the show are painted, drawn and created by hand. Right now the MUNNY army, as you call it, is about 30 people strong. The artists include: Shaun Thurston, Brittni Wood, Varick Rosette, Ty Williams, Bryan Register, Dan May, Marisa Carta, Ian Chase, Clay Doran, Tonya Lee, Mark Creegan, Russel Quadros, Chad Landenberger, Patrick Carter, Jerry Lambert, Kendrick Kidd, ESKEE, Levi Ratliff, John Arvin, Travis Schmeisser, Nacim Tehrani, Barrett Fiser, Jimmy Pines, Chance Isbell, Nick Wagner, Brad Silverstein, Damon Williams, Jessi Bruton, Karen Kurycki, the two Shauns and more.
EU: What inspired the concept of decorated toys as art?
Marchy: The concept was inspired by my time in Minneapolis where I first got into vinyl toys. I followed toy culture online and in magazines and saw toy stores and galleries around the county throwing art shows where artists would paint a blank toy. At the same time, artists I loved were releasing special and limited edition toys for collectors. My collection, love and excitement grew from there.
The whole idea of vinyl toys and art shows was so sexy to me, and I longed to be in a city where something like this was happening (New York, San Francisco, etc.). So when I got back to Jacksonville, I said, “Screw it! I’m not going to wait around for someone else to do this. I’m going to do it.” So I did it. I think having this mentality in Jacksonville can benefit us all. We all need to get out there and do something for the city. If you see something missing or if there’s something you want to do, try to make it happen.
The art is taking many forms today. Pretty much anything can be customized and put in a show. Skateboards, record covers and even luggage. Toys are the new canvas!
EU: Do you think MUNNYs will be a big topic of discussion on the Urban Jacksonville Blog?
Marchy: Seeing as I run the Urban Jacksonville blog and this is my show, hell yes! We’ll have updates all this week and full coverage of the show next week, complete with pictures of all the MUNNYs for those of you who can’t make it to the show. Who knows, maybe I will even interview myself at the show.
EU: Are MUNNYs intended for children or adults?
Marchy: MUNNYs are for all ages. The vinyl was created to allow easy application of all sorts of materials that kids use: markers, crayons, papier-mâché, etc. The toys are also easy to cut with a knife and allow for bigger kids to slice and dice the MUNNY into a more advanced piece.
EU: Will the decorated MUNNYs be available for purchase?
Marchy: Some MUNNYs will be available for purchase. However, some artists have grown so attached to their MUNNYs they just won’t be able to part with them.
Thief in the Knight Gallery is located at 118 West Adams Street in Downtown Jacksonville. For a map and additional information about the show, check out urbanjacksonville.info/2007/06/26/the-color-of-munny.
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