MICHAEL TOWNSEND

www.tapeart.com

risd connection: BFA in Printmaking, 1993; visiting artist

medium: masking tape murals

talent: By “drawing” with low-adhesive, biodegradable tape that can be stuck on façades, sidewalks, walls, whatever without permanent repercussions, Townsend and his partners Erica Duthie and Struan Ashby have invented Tape Art, a new art medium all about process.

getting there: In the late ‘80s, Townsend and a renegade group of RISD guerrilla artists began “playing” with masking tape in the Quad, creating quick outdoor murals that would – presto – appear overnight and by the next day would vanish into… well, a tacky mess of balled-up tape.

breaking in: Since then he has found new partners in crime – two New Zealanders – and has not only perfected the medium, but learned a lot about how to market it, too. The Tape Artists began by doing commissioned murals at street festivals and schools. As word got out, they were invited to hospitals, nursing homes, conferences and museums. In 1995 they were hired to create a mural to help rescue workers following the Oklahoma City bombing. For seven weeks in 1997 Disney World sponsored them as artists-in-residence to draw their witty narratives – many of which “progress” from day to day – throughout its colorful theme parks.

making it: More than 300 murals later, Townsend and company have “breathed soul” into the process, become obsessed with tape brands, come to the realization that they’re bona fide public artists and gotten increasing recognition from foundations, businesses, the public and the media. They spent a month this spring in the United Kingdom attending an international forum on Arts, Culture and Healing, and demonstrating the enormous versatility of the medium.

average day: … working with local school kids to create a corridor mural celebrating national Book Week… finishing a grant proposal for a site-specific project in New Mexico… calling endless manufacturers in a futile search to replace the one painters’ tape that’s perfect for Tape Art, but is being discontinued… returning to the studio late in the day for a cup of tea before tackling more red tape from immigration officials…

discoveries: Tape Art is just beginning to take off, but the Providence-based trio can’t be everywhere at once teaching everyone who wants to learn. So, they’re working on an educational CD-ROM “as a virtual means to pass this along” to teachers, nurses, community groups and others.