But the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth.

From Subdivisions by Rush

Solo Focus -- Warren Craghead and Adam Grossi

September 28 — October 29, 2006

Opening Reception Friday, September 29, 6-8pm

Gallery Talk 7pm

Hands-on Workshop Saturday September 30

Warren Craghead likens his studio to a bomb crater where pieces of notebook paper, cardboard, post-its, and foam lie in piles surrounded by scraps of pen and pencil drawings, string, plastic, old junk mail, and magazines. Combining clutter into humble yet poignant collage, sculpture, and web-based projects, Craghead offers a witty commentary on the strange beauty of the suburban landscape.

Adam Grossi begins his work at the intersection of utopian ideals and the American cultural mainstream. Drawing from architecture, advertisements, maps, and illustrations the artist uses paint, collage, and installation to chronicle his travels within the middle class suburbs. A Reston native, Grossi has a long history growing up in a planned community which he develops into imaginary narratives he calls, "welcome mats at the doors to stranger's homes."

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I had never lived in a so-called suburban community (let alone a "planned community") prior moving from New Orleans to Reston, Virginia, just mere days after the gentle events of 9-11-01.

Having my country being attacked by a bunch of crazed Islamofascist terrorists was certainly shocking; moving from a real city of great cultural diversity to a "planned community" ruled by a majority population of liberal rich white democrats, however, was beyond shocking.

I could go on and on about the dramatic differences between New Orleans and Reston for thousands of pages, you know, the little things like the fact that in New Orleans people care about the freedom to express themselves as unique individuals, whereas in Reston environmental wacko save-the-gay-whales homeowner association fascists care about the color of your front door, you know, little things like that.

Robert E. Simon, Jr., the legendary founder of Reston, conceived this planned community to be a self-sustainable place where one could "live, work and play" during the course of one's life.

Mr. Simon is a beautiful idealist and one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I say Mr. Simon is an idealist because one of the things he forgot to include in his master plan for Reston was a cemetery. The local joke is that the center-to-left government-employed wannabe hippies that founded Reston in the early 1960s thought that they would live forever. Given the psychedelic Vietnam War-era times, they understandably felt they had no need for a cemetery because they would all just one day be collectively absorbed (minds, bodies and souls) into an elevated planned community nirvana.

I guess this cemetery thing is another difference between New Orleans and Reston. We have a great cultural need for the Cities of the Dead in the Big Easy.

Without a doubt two of the best artists known to me who tackle the themes and subjects of the tension of the suburban experience are Warren Craghead and Adam Grossi. I believe Warren once lived in Fairfax County. Adam is actually a native of Reston.

Nearly five years after moving to Reston, I'm still struggling to figure out just what in the hell "suburban" life, if there really is such a thing, is all about.

Warren and Adam are two artists who offer a must-see perspective.

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(The following poem is inspired by Warren Craghead's image posted above.)

every planned community holds a suburban license to kill

by The Right Reverend James W. Bailey

...

our principles will help put you to sleep

we think on your team

head first into a borders books

(but there is no borders books in reston)

you know what i am saying

read them

but do not buy them

most importantly

the same software that drives the war profits for accenture in reston town center works your brain

using people

alone

at any given moment

the same software will put you to sleep

we think to put you to sleep

we think

you sleep

the same software

it is that simple

and why is everything just another part of the latest research

life in reston is not as simple as it is between your god and your decorator

a facade design problem

in a way that lets you put an association rule before common sense

and why everything is in such a format

it is designed this way for a reason

for the way of the stunningly clever use of command

you have those things that you know

your decorator knows them as well

all of this is something from something that is more than just fun

on your own with your co-workers

when to use them

how real are their design principles

your time is too important

design a paddle pattern

same problems

and experience of others

of the best practices you do not want too deep an understanding

of why

what to expect

a visually rich book

is that what you want

that and an ability to impress cocktail party guests

to learn how to build a real relationship with your brain

will require you to work

using people to further your career is a wonderful way to spend time alone

at any given moment

sounds

how the format is designed for the way

principles will help

you are not alone

at any given moment

those next to you are subject to expiring

if you kill them with your license

then take them to work immediately

you get to keep your brain as long as it functions

and as long as you are willing to continue to work

on using other people

you want to learn about others

then plunge head first into a book

you know how to learn

how those who know you know who you are

someone struggles

not to use you

but it does not have to be you who struggles

to not use them

life is more complex

is it not

is it

the same software that took you so long to design

just so you can look at it and design it anew

to learn how those things expire before they are even implemented

so you can talk and impress cocktail party guests

look "in the wild"

every planned community has a spot of presevered nature

you will easily counter with your version of the trading spaces show

you and a go between decorator

a facade

a vital environment

you are up a creek alone and must design a paddle

can you learn to design a paddle pattern alone

at any given moment

or in the context of a real relationship

you may be used

without support in your own code

you will not know what to expect

visually-rich design problems

and better what to expect

a visually-rich cultural

you will easily counter

with your deep understanding

of why someone struggles against the planned community

best of all

and in a way that will not matter

you will want support for your position written in your own code

most importantly

an in a native way

you will seek to exploit your plan in a book

you want to use them

that is what science and the learning theory are all about

maybe you are better at solving software problems

a built-in pattern for a corporate book

you want patterns

look for a format designed for the way your brain works

using someone who struggles

will place you head first into a borders books

(i told you there is no borders books in reston)

you know what i am saying

you know your time

on to something different

you want a "secret language"

reston is not as simple as science and the learning theory

...

this is what you need to know

everything that you want

can be had

with the suburban license to kill

that your planned community holds

Subdivisions by Rush

From the album Signals