Glitters is a three-part project combining community engagement with public art-making. It was executed in collaboration with KTOO Public Radio Station in Alaska's capital city of Juneau. For parts one and two, Conarro created an immersive installation at the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council (JAHC) with suspended mesh partitions, false doors, and narrow tunnels. Part one was a daytime family-friendly event wherein attendees of all ages applied paint and glitter to multiple 6’ diameter circular sculptures. Simultaneously, Tlingit Alaskan percussionist Ed Littlefield circled the space in a three-hour endurance performance, creating rhythms on found instruments. Part two took place that night within the installation. Local music acts performed on an in-the-round stage constructed by Conarro. Attendees wove their way past the newly created circular sculptures and through doorways, tunnels and paths to get to the stage area in the center of the venue. Part three involved installing the circular sculptures on the exterior facade of the KTOO Radio Station, where they remained (and became degraded by the elements) for a month.

The JAHC is a staple of community gatherings in Juneau, and KTOO is a staple of South East Alaska’s airways. Conarro sought to transform these familiar locations, creating an immersive installation in the former and a public art piece on the facade of the latter. A cross-section of the population—some of whom were coming for a family event, some of whom were coming for a late evening of music, and a few of whom were coming to participate in a large-scale collaborative artwork—interfaced on the same project. Creating accessible, exciting, and fun entry-points for these different cross-sections was integral to the inclusive nature of the piece. The installation of the circular sculptures on the facade of the radio station (viewable from the only main road through the city) gave access to those who otherwise would have no involvement with the project at all, paralleling the inclusive nature of not only the JAHC but of public radio itself. The use of circles is symbolic of the non-hierarchical element of Conarro’s artistic practice. 

References influence: 

“Departure” by Agnes Pelton, Marin Mersenne’s star, Stephen Antonakos, Richard Long