Junk Drawer, Brooklyn, New York by Paho Mann

Junk Drawer, Tempe, Arizona by Paho Mann

Wednesday greetings, collectors. Welcome to this week's second installment of "artists Jen discovered at the Walker Art Center's Worlds Away exhibition." The trip was planned for compelling reasons to begin with — I had a speaking engagement which fortunately coincided with the opening of the Art Shanty Projects, plus face time with our Minneapolis-based printer Eric Recktenwald is never a bad thing. Looking back a year later though, it's amazing to see the unexpected things that evolved from the trip — Sarah McKenzie was one of several artists who I became familiar with then and am working with now. I didn't get to meet Sarah on my trip (sniff!), but today's edition maker, Paho Mann, and I had ample opportunity for eating, drinking and merriment.

A year after a fun weekend of art nerdery, I am happy to introduce you to Paho's Junk Drawer, Tempe, Arizona and Junk Drawer, Brooklyn, New York. Browse Paho's site and you may notice that he's got a thing for typologies. While I was fascinated by the Re-inhabited Circle Ks included in the Walker exhibition, it was the more personal stuff that really sucked me in. His Junk Drawers provide the anonymous voyeuristic thrill of examining the unintentional archeology of strangers.

The ubiquity of the mundane junk drawer can be particularly revealing — we stash stuff away in them without much thought, and with the unguardedness that comes from little expectation that they might be revealed. Junk drawers are an interesting counterpoint to medicine cabinets, which have been a source of fascination for Paho and another artist we've worked with too, Coke Wisdom O'Neal. You might not want someone rifling though those cabinets, but unless you keep them under lock and key, you should probably expect it.

Another thing for you to expect: a bonus newsletter from yours truly! As I mentioned when introducing Sarah McKenzie's Lift and Support yesterday, we've got a BAM-tastic double edition on tap for tomorrow. Tune in then for all the juicy details.