ArtIST: Ben Volta

Would you say that your work has an intended audience?
My first audience is the school community in which the work is created. I get excited when we are able to bridge gaps between the school community and the general public ... but what matters is that the work engages us as we create it and after we finish it. If others get excited it means we might be onto something.

It sounds like the educational programs really enable young students to connect with each other and the community. Can you share a particular example of this?
In a recent project, Polygon Blooms, students from Grover Washington Jr. Middle School worked over a map of Philadelphia and placed a dot to mark locations that they have lived, played, or experienced as a visitor. They then connected their dots to create unique geometric forms which we then built into three dimensional forms using cardboard and tape: http://polygonblooms.blogspot.com/

Besides your own collaborative installations, what are some of your favorite art pieces in Philly?
Fingerspan Bridge in Fairmount park—a public artwork created by artist and mentor Jodi Pinto in the mid 1980s; The Crucifixion by Rogier van der Weyden, the Duchamp room, and the Cy Twombly room at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; The Furness Fine Arts Library at the University of Pennsylvania.

What else motivates or inspires you?
Deadlines are the strongest inspiration.

As somewhat of an expert on the subject, what organizations would you say are fighting to keep the arts and art education alive in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia has provided affordable living and many opportunities to make art. About 6 years ago the generous congregation at Olivet Covenant Church opened up about half of their building to be used by artists as studios. The community that has grown as a result of this partnership has been an amazing gift.

To name two more big ones: The Education Department at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership have provided me with numerous opportunities to work with young people across Philadelphia. I don't know where I would be today without the help of all the generous and driven people in Philadelphia that wholeheartedly support my work and the work of others fighting for the arts and education.

Name your greatest accomplishment.
Toss up between accepting a dare to go on a blind date to meet my wife for the first time in Tokyo (she flew from Denmark to meet me), and being a new father to a three-month-old baby boy.

Name your greatest personal hurdles.
I used to really struggle with confidence in writing and my ability to speak in public. I have overcome this by saying yes to as many opportunities as possible.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Years ago, before I left for a trip to northern Europe, my late friend and mentor, Michelle Rein emphatically advised me that I must visit The Adoration of the Lamb by the Van Eyck brothers.

Finally, describe your work in five words.
Contemporary, Conceptual, Collaborative,Transformative, Education[al]

To learn more about Volta, visit his blog at http://www.benjaminvolta.blogspot.com.