In the true spirit of collaboration and cross pollination, artist/graphic designer Beth Regardz had a feeling that Aimee, with her love of hand lettering and affinity for color and design, would be a good artistic match for her friend, letterpress artist and art book designer, Felicia Rice . As usual, Beth’s instincts were correct.
Aimee had had the honor of being an studio assistant to Felicia, working closely with her in her studio in the Santa Cruz mountains for several months, running a vintage letterpress for her large 7 year collaborative art book and multimedia project, ‘DOC/UNDOC’.
This celebrated collaboration with Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Zachary James Watkins, and Jennifer A Gonzalez had it’s artist reception at Stanford University. The book has been on a tour of national museums and currently at the Getty Museum. A trade book of this art book and codex has been released.
Aimee and Felicia Rice at DOC/UNDOC artist reception, Stanford University. Click photo to learn more about the project.
“Collaboration is an active acknowledgement of the other, a call and response. What results from the mix has unique merit. In this seven-year collaboration I experienced a profound metamorphosis. I slowly emerged from behind my elegant typography and careful craft, explored and privileged my markmaking, and pulled it into my prints. As we added collaborators to the group—Jennifer González, art historian/critic and Zachary Watkins, sound artist—over dinners, in meetings, and through correspondence, another element developed: the aluminum traveling case for apprentice shamans. Only five hearts and minds could have conceived of this invitation to a self-reflective and transformative experience.” - Felicia Rice, Moving Parts Press
“ …the new edition of DOC/UNDOC more than merits a reading….a sequel of sorts to [Codex Espangliensis: From Columbus to the Border Patrol] that extraordinary volume, DOC/UNDOC: Documentado/Undocumented Ars Shamánica Performática constitutes a more thoroughgoing effort to ‘re/imagine the future of bookmaking’ as a collaborative process that encompasses multiple media (‘old’ and ‘new’) and makers…. The oversize volume commences with striking, high resolution color photographs of the case opened to display the objects packed inside, as well as the mirrors affixed to it lid. Though you won’t see yourself or your masked personae in these images of mirrors, the edition does elicit less literal forms of reflection—personal and political—facilitated by the bookwork, which take the pains and pleasures of identity formation and transformation as its major subject.”—Jennifer Buckley, TDR: The Drama Review
The spirit of collaboration is at the heart of everything Aimee creates. Whether it’s music created with multimedia artists’ renditions of wearable art to create powerful ‘Tarot cards come to life’ live performances, collaborations with Letterpress artist, Felicia Rice to create multimedia art books, or multiple shows with Aerial dance company Mir and a Company featuring Aimee’s music and live performances.
Ricochet- an across medium art collaboration sponsored by the Santa Cruz Arts Council, is a perfect showcase for Aimee’s philosophy of art inspiring art, and art informing life informing art. Multiple new songs and original woodcut press artworks culminated in a dramatic live show.
A natural storyteller and writer, Aimee has performed at “Porchlight”, the west coast version of “The Moth”; a live storytelling performing series with no notes and a live audience.
