Andy Messerschmidt in his Ely studio.
Last winter, I drove up to Ely, near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, to hang out with Andy Messerschmidt, whose MAEP exhibition, “Delta Delta Delta Force,” will be on view at the MIA from October 17 to December 28.
It was 10 below zero, but a beautifully clear day for a Sunday drive. I took a pit stop at Tobie’s in Hinckley for a donut and coffee (the donuts are amazing but impossible to eat while driving). With one more stop for gas, I was in Ely by 11:15 a.m.
One of the wrapping-paper designs in the studio.
Andy lives in a lovely old home, built in 1908, with his wife, Amy, and daughter, Miriam. It used to have eight bedrooms crammed with Finnish mine workers. Andy and family have filled it with dozens of beautiful books, curios, and a massive wood-burning stove that warmed the whole first floor. As we began talking about Andy’s past work, we took a long look through his library, and he pulled out some of his favorite books by Ezra Pound and an obscure spiritualist book called Oahpse: The New Bible. I’ve been familiar with Andy’s work for a few years, having seen it installed at the Soap Factory and Walker Art Center. But this was my first time sitting down with him over a cup of coffee and talking about each project in detail. It was a good opportunity to hear more about the ideas and concepts that drive his work, learn more about his past installations, and discuss some ideas he had for his MAEP installation.
I set up these meetings early in the process of each MAEP exhibition. Like this one, they’re really casual talks with the artists where we discuss their work, share some candid feedback on their proposal, put dates on the calendar, and take time to answer some early questions. Since each MAEP exhibition is a year-long process, I emphasize that there is time for ideas to evolve and improve. It’s always interesting to reflect on these early meetings and compare them to how the shows are finally installed months later. Sometimes there are only slight adjustments to the original idea. Other times, the final installation is really different from how they started. The important thing is that each artist has the time and resources to formulate their ideas.
A selection of the wrapping paper Messerschmidt has accumulated.
Andy’s studio is an unused bedroom on the second floor. An artist who makes large, room-filling installations will have some challenges workshopping ideas. But as you can see in the photos, he has stockpiles of materials and had already begun some exciting compositions. And yes, that is probably the world’s biggest pile of Christmas wrapping paper. Since his Masters studies at the University of Minnesota, Andy has been using these flat and reflective materials to cover walls and ceilings. He is drawn to the ways that secular patterns can become organic, quasi-religious patterns of symmetrical lines. His MAEP exhibition will be no exception. We discussed some early ideas that include wall painting, dozens of rolls of old Christmas wrapping paper, Christmas tree skirts, plastic plans, and fake blood. Come see the results!