ART 4 ALL

I invite you, the viewer, to take a button and an informational zine from this installation, ART 4 ALL. My art belongs to you, as a member of the public. Art has always belonged to people, however, art institutions try to create barriers that distance the public from art, including physically inaccessible buildings, admission fees, and exclusive environments. This series features my avatar, who I purposefully designed as an ambiguous, gender-neutral figure named Pickles. Pickles has acted as both a muse and a vessel for my own self-expression, though I invite anyone to also project onto them as a fellow human. In addition to the three portraits you see here, Pickles will also guide you through my zine, which critiques socially acceptable engagements of art in institutional settings, like MECA&D.

Bio

Vic Scarpato (they/him) is a printmaker based in New Jersey who creates humorous and playful work that explores unique situations that arise from issues of queer identity, gender, and neurodiversity. Scarpato will obtain their BFA in printmaking from Maine College of Art & Design in May of 2024.

Working in relief, intaglio, cyanotype and inkjet printing, Scarpato’s work often features an avatar identity named Pickles–an outline of an ambiguous humanoid with the familiarity of a person and friend existing and living in a complicated world. Scarpato’s goal in his work is to connect with others and utilize printed multiples to distribute art to wider audiences.