The Queue: Tom Fruin

How do you describe your work or practice in 50 words or less?

I’ve been making increasingly large architectural sculptures using salvaged acrylic and signage in a quilt-like patterning as a comment on the changing environment. I like to place these works in the public realm to upend people’s expectations of their surroundings. They become kaleidoscopes of color during the day and become beacons of light when illuminated at night!

If you could create and install an outdoor sculpture anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I’ve been lucky to exhibit my works all over! My ideal spot would be a highly trafficked but unexpected spot where I could reach an unsuspecting audience in their everyday lives, like going to work. Maybe off the freeway somewhere in my hometown of Los Angeles?

If you could have work from any contemporary glass artist for your home or studio, whose would it be and why?

There is so much amazing contemporary art featuring glass! I’d love to have one of Mike Kelley’s Kandor sculptures depicting cityscapes of Superman’s home planet in colored resin, protected by glass bell jars hooked up to pressurized tanks. Or Bruce Nauman’s neon Double Poke in the Eye because of the way he slyly co-opted sign tech to comment on the human condition.

Which craft artists, exhibitions, or projects do you think the world should know about, and why?

A few months ago, I saw the most amazing show in New York City at Americas Society/Council of the Americas: Bispo do Rosario: All Existing Materials on Earth! He obsessively embroidered names and images in fabric and clothing as part of a “divine mission” to order the world. He even made a super-special outfit to wear when he’d meet his higher power. I’m also looking forward to seeing what Argentinian artist Marta Minujín is showing in her current show at the Jewish Museum.

Shivaun Watchorn is associate editor of American Craft.