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Richard Saxton: M12 Studio

CAE1513

Summary Note

M12 is an American artist collective and non-profit organization that features an evolving group of artist practitioners, curators, and designers who create artworks, research projects, and education programs that explore rural cultures and landscapes. Materials include organizational papers, correspondence, photographs, sketches, and printed ephemera.

Biographical Note

M12 is an American artist collective and non-profit organization based in Byers, Colorado that features an evolving group of artist practitioners, curators, and designers. Together they create artworks, research projects, and education programs that explore rural cultures and landscapes. Initially formed as the municipalWORKSHOP in 2002 in York, Alabama by Richard Saxton when he was an artist-in-residence at the Rural Studio, an architecture studio run by Auburn University. The municipalWORKSHOP was created to bring a "rural renaissance" to the small town of York. This art laboratory aimed to work with municipalities and communities to develop more creative approaches to living in rural America. The organization's first project was called Utility Now!, a series of pedal-powered street-sweepers and utility tricycles and bicycles for city crews to better maintain York. From 2002-2007, the municipalWORKSHOP created public art projects with local communities throughout the United States. Projects range from a Music Integrated Kiosk Environment (M.I.K.E.) produced for the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin[4] to the AutoTour Vehicle built for the Center for Land Use Interpretation in Wendover, Utah. The group evolved into M12 in 2007 when it became incorporated as a non-profit organization, and expanded its reach to communities in Europe, South America, and Australia.

The core members have created over 20 projects since founding; their work was featured in the 2014 publication A Decade of Country Hits: Art on the Rural Frontier. The M12 Collective has been featured widely nationally and internationally including recent exhibitions and commissioned works appearing at The 13th International Venice Architecture Biennale; The Kalmar Konstmuseum in Sweden; The Chicago Cultural Center; Franklin Street Works; Wormfarm Institute; The 2011 Australian Biennial (SPACED); The 2010 Biennial of the Americas; The Center for Land Use Interpretation; The Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture at the University of Tennessee; The Kohler Arts Center; The Contemporary Museum in Baltimore; Wall House #2 in the Netherlands, and The Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin. M12 Studio is organized and operated by Josh Garrett-Davis, Matthew Fluharty, Margo Handwerker, Kris Harzinski, Jamie Horter, Stuart Hyatt, Peter de Kan, Nancy Kwon, Rachel Reynolds Luster, Marc McCay, Richard Saxton, Chris Sauter, Jared Walters, and David Wyrick. Former collaborators and advisors include Valerie Albicker, Wapke Feenstra, Zach Boddicker, Nell Boeschenstein, Brian Cook, Alvin Gregorio, Matthew Ryan Keen, Bill Rumley, Basil Schur, Sanjit Sethi, Kim Shively, Matt Slaby, and Kirsten Stoltz.

Scope and Content

M12 Studio runs multiple programs and projects simultaneously. A sample of ones represented in the archive include the following:

• The Feed Store, is the headquarters and experimental collaborative work space for M12. The building includes a workshop space, residence hall for 15 people, group work stations, reading stations and research library, full kitchen, and outdoor workspace and beer garden.

• Campito, which re-imagined the sheepherders’ wagon, initially commissioned by the Biennial of the Americas and subsequently featured in the Spontaneous Interventions exhibition in the U.S. Pavilion of the 13th International Venice Biennale of Architecture.

• Prairie Modules, an ongoing series of architectural sculptures that were first installed on the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. Subsequent modules are situated at the Wormfarm Institute in Reedsburg, Wisconsin and The Experimental Site in Last Chance, Colorado.

• Ornitarium, a bird observatory and social space constructed in Denmark, Australia, created as part of the International Art Space Kellerberrin Australia 2011 site-based Biennial.

• Black Hornet, a four-year project with the Hall family racing team that started in 2010 in Fort Morgan, Colorado and featured in the exhibition "The Black Hornet" at the Galleries of Contemporary Art in Ft. Collins, Colorado.

• A Village Anthology, created in 2013 as part of the exhibition Imagined Realities, an exhibition dedicated to the artistic research that explores the intertwined concepts of energy and sustainability. The M12 Collective created a series of 5 posters focused around thematic realities present in the exhibition.

• Experimental Site (EXPSITE), is a physical space and catalyst for long-term collaborative, social, and environmental art projects on the American High Plains.

Arrangement

Richard Saxton: M12 Studio is organized into two series. The first series is about the organization itself while the second series is about the organization’s artistic projects.
  • Series 1: Organizational Materials
  • Series 2: Projects

Inclusive Dates

2002-2020

Bulk Dates

2007 - 2016

Quantity / Extent

1 cubic feet

Language

English

Related Archive Collections

  • CAE1041: Center for Land Use Interpretation: Wendover Residencies

Related Publications

Garrett-Davis, Josh, Ocho, Taman Eggers, James P. Leary, Cynthia Connolly, Richard Saxton, Jenni K. Dillon, Shiloh Ashley, and Elliot Harmon. This Road Leads to Nowhere: Pierre Punk. Byers, CO: Jap Sam Books, Last Chance Press, 2016.

Hall, Clea, Matthew Fluharty, and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, et al. An Equine Anthology. Heijningen, The Netherlands : Jap Sam Books, 2015.

Handwerker, Margo, and Richard Saxton, Eds. A Decade of Country Hits: Art on the Rural Frontier. Heijningen, The Netherlands : Jap Sam Books, 2014.

Saxton, Richard, Kurt Wagner, and Kirsten Stoltz. Cool Pastoral Splendor. Heijningen, The Netherlands : Jap Sam Books, 2015.

Showalter, Dave. Prairie Thunder: The Nature of Colorado’s Great Plains. Pueblo CO: Skyline Press, 2009.

Container Listing by Series:

CAE1513/1 Series 1: Organizational Materials, 2002-2016

M12 Studio runs multiple programs and projects simultaneously. A sample of ones represented in the archive include the following:

  • ARCH-FILE 51-1

    • 1-1 municipalWORKSHOP (mW), 2002-2007
    • 1-2 M12 Organizational By-laws, 2007
    • 1-3 M12 Board Minutes, 2007-2009
    • 1-4 M12 Organizational Logo, 2007
    • 1-5 I Like Americana and Americana Likes Me Campaign, Not dated
    • 1-6 General Press, 2016

Additional Materials

  • ARCH-OBJ 50

    • 1-1#1 municipalWORKSHOP Work Shirt, not dated

  • ARCH-OBJ 63

    • 1-5#1 I like Americana and Americana Likes Me, Tote Bag, not dated

  • ARCH-OBJ 71

    • 1-5#2 I like Americana and Americana Likes Me, T-Shirt, not dated

  • Archive S-Box 20

    • 1-5#3 I like Americana and Americana Likes Me, Newspaper, not dated
    • 1-6#1 The Visual Artists’ News Sheet, Newspaper, July – August 2016

CAE1513/2 Series 2: Projects, 2007-2020

Series 2 contains items related to projects by municipal WORKSHOP or M12. Materials include photographs, posters, documents, sketches, and objects.

  • ARCH-FILE 51-1

    • 2-1 The Feed Store, 2012-2015
    • 2-2 The Big Feed, 2007-2012
    • 2-3 The Black Hornet, 2009-2013
    • 2-4 Campito, 2010
    • 2-5 Experimental Site (EXPSITE), 2010
    • 2-6 Ornitarium, 2011-2012
    • 2-7 Prairie Module No. 3, 2012-2020
    • 2-8 A Village Anthology, 2013
    • 2-9 Cool Pastoral Splendor, 2015
    • 2-10 An Equine Anthology, 2015
    • 2-11 This Road Leads to Nowhere: Pierre Punk, 2016
    • 2-12 Switch, 2016
    • 2-13 The Breaking Ring, 2016
    • 2-14 M12 Group Miscellaneous Works, 2016
    • 2-15 Center Pivot Library: Future Rural Archive, 2017, 2017
    • 2-16 Center Pivot Library: Star Route 1, 2018

Additional Materials

  • ARCH-OBJ 52

    • 2-11#1 This Road Leads to Nowhere: Pierre Punk, Cozie, 2016

  • ARCH-OBJ 72

    • 2-6#2 Ornitarium Field Notebook, 2011
    • 2-8#2 A Village Anthology, No. 36/50, 2013

  • Archive F2 Oversized Items

    • 2-4#6 Campito, Poster, 2010

  • Archive F17 Oversized Items

    • 2-2#7 The Big Feed, Poster, 2011
    • 2-2#8 The Big Feed, Poster, 2012
    • 2-4#6 Campito, 2010
    • 2-5#2 Experimental Site (EXPSITE), Aerial Photo, 2010
    • 2-6#3 Ornitarium Collage, Volume Study, Footprint Study, 2011
    • 2-6#4 Ornitarium Collage, 2011
    • 2-14#1 Pistol Drawing from Byers, CO, December 2016

  • Archive S-Box 20

    • 2-2#5 The Big Feed, Poster, 2007
    • 2-2#6 The Big Feed, Poster, 2010
    • 2-3#3 The Black Hornet, Fireball Rolled a Seven, Dave Dudley, Poster, not dated
    • 2-3#4 The Black Hornet, Stand on it, Bruce Springsteen, Poster, not dated
    • 2-3#5 The Black Hornet, The Race is on, George Jones, Poster, not dated
    • 2-3#6 The Black Hornet, You can’t Catch Me, Chuck Berry, Poster, not dated
    • 2-3#7 The Black Hornet, Rocket 88, Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats, Poster, not dated
    • 2-3#8 The Black Hornet, Hard Top Race, George Stogner, Poster, not dated
    • 2-3#9 The Black Hornet, April 25 – October 9, 2010, Poster, 2010
    • 2-3#10 The Black Hornet, M12, Poster, 2013
    • 2-9#1 Cool Pastoral Splendor Mock-up, 2015
    • 2-11#2 This Road Leads to Nowhere: Pierre Punk, 2016
    • 2-13#1 The Breaking Ring, Newspaper, 2016