In this post from the Pink Line Project, local arts blogger Kate Mattingly profiles artist Jean-Micel Crapanzano. Here is an excerpt:

“Jean-Michel Crapanzano is one of those artists who does it all. Born in France and based in the Netherlands, he is currently the international artist in residence at the Arlington Arts Center. He is in the area for two weeks, an atypically short time for an AAC residency, but more about that in a moment.

He studied art in Strasbourg, completing a multidisciplinary program that makes it possible for his projects to incorporate video, drawing, photography and installation all created by Jean-Michel. When Claire Huschle, executive director at AAC, arranged our interview, I asked what the artist looked like. There was a pause then ‘he’s a European artist: black rimmed glasses…’ I anticipated a creative but cynical type, not the person who showed up.

Although the aforementioned glasses were there, the world-is-doomed outlook was missing. Jean-Michel has an energetic enthusiasm that made me hesitate to introduce myself. He is clearly excited about the projects and people around him. His creations not only involve interaction with the community, but also defy categorization. His ability to work in varied disciplines and his intense curiosity make his pieces powerful, relevant and fascinating.

During his residency at AAC he is constructing a project based on the question: what can we expect from the future? In Liege he recently made an installation inspired by this question and incorporated ideas from local residents. In Arlington he has been conducting interviews (arranged by Huschle) and asking questions such as ‘how do you see the future?’ He describes the interviewees as ‘a scientist, a police officer, a priest and a Zumba instructor.’ Quite the spectrum.”

Click here to read the complete post. For more information on the artist, visit his webpage here.

Image in the post is a Crapanzano work, from Mattingly’s post.