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LORRI ACOTT2 0 2 3 M A S K S A R T I S TThe Museum of Art Fort Collins presentsStory and Photos by Payton Donahue
1"Naken""Awakening"
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inCommunity: t the heart of every society,there is art – art that showcases themindset and morality of cultures,bringing a sense of community andunderstanding to those interacting witheach piece. Lorri Acott, a well-knownsculptor in Northern Colorado andnationally, emphasizes this sense ofcommunity felt when immersed in theart world. 3Lorri Acott's Connection withCommunity Through Art A Acott has done a multitude of exhibitsand workshops in her 30 years of being anartist, which, as she describes, are importantways to involve her community in her art. In2009, Acott hosted a workshop called,“Women with Wings,” where women fromthe Fort Collins community came togetherand shared their memories with one anotherbefore creating a group sculpture torepresent their shared experience.
4 Acott began the workshop byasking the women, “If you were to packyour past in a trunk, what is a memoryyou would take with you?” The womenthen went around the room and sharedpast experiences that changed theirlives; tears and laughter filled the studioas the women bonded over theexperiences that shaped them into thepeople they are today. In a society thatdoes not ask people questions like Acottpresented, this workshop brought tolight stories from the Fort Collinscommunity that may have never beenheard, and in the end, created an artpiece that symbolized the beauty ofpeople coming together for a momentof shared empathy and understanding.Acott has many other examples ofcreating environments that inspire hercommunity, but I still wondered, ‘Howdoes she define being in community?’ Lorri was 30 when she began herexploration in art. She was unsure ofwhat medium spoke to her but had nofear in finding out. After manyworkshops and projects in a variety ofmediums, Acott found her passion insculpting -- yet she never stoppedexploring. The more you learn aboutLorri, the more you see her love forself-exploration and creativity.In 2020, while the world was in lockdown,Acott began her collection entitled “TheYear of Isolation” (2020), which showcasesacrylic paintings she created while inquarantine. Her hope for the collection is,as stated on her website, “… a means to getglimpses into my own subconscious.”Each piece in this collection isaccompanied by a quote that vocalizes theemotions of the paintings, while thefigures, colors, shapes, and texturesexpress those sentiments. While every piece Acott createsholds personal meaning and significance,she still greatly values others’interpretations. One specific time, Acottrecalls a viewer’s interpretation while theywere observing a sculpture titled, “MissingPieces,” which depicts a human figurewith long legs, holding an arm-full ofblocks that appear tumbling to theground. Acott explained the figure was torepresent her father and help herunderstand his developing dementia. Sheused this piece as a form of healing andself-reflection of her emotions on thesituation.
The observer, admiring the pieceundoubtably still, saw something else. Theydetailed their stress to Acott, explaining howthey have been holding too much recently.Acott’s sculpture brought a sense of relief toher viewer, as it reminded them that someblocks will fall on the floor sometimes. In telling this story, Acott smiled inremembrance, showing her gratitude forothers' interpretations. Lorri Acott is an artistthat wears her heart on her sleeve but givesthe space for her viewers to do the same. In discussion with Acott, it is apparentthat she values searching for a betterunderstanding of her emotions and the worldaround her. When asked for advice for youngand new artists, Acott proclaimed, “Tryalmost everything you can.” There is no rightor wrong way to make art; all anyone needs isa little motivation and some courage to trynew things. Art has no limitations -- it givies spaceto create with love, passion, pain, sorrow, or acombination of all. Acott creates communitythrough self-expression and gives others theopportunity to do the same. “So, we are all connected, right?” Acottbegins. “No one wants to feel alone, but wecan uplift and support one another incommunity.” Through her words and actions,Acott shows her definition of "being incommunity" to be where self-reflection andopenness meet, creating an environmentwhere people can express freely whilelearning with and about others. In creatingart, Acott inspires many, including myself, toventure within and express ourselves incommunity with those new, old, andacquainted. 5
6"Tryalmosteverythingyou can."
4 Lorri Acott began her maskproject in early November, afterabout a week of brainstormingdifferent routes she could take forthis project. To begin building herproject, Acott used paper clay tomold the abdomen of a horse. Onceshe had finished this, Acott usedmetal rods as legs, securing the rodsto the abdomen using more clay. While the creation of the base isfairly straightforward and timely,Acott then must wait three to fourdays before beginning on themodel’s details. Once the pieces havemostly dried, Acott began buildingthe legs, head, and tail of the horse.Then, Acott must once again wait forthe horse to dry. After three to fourdays, Acott built the character of herproject - a small human who willwear small masks symbolizing thedifferent versions of oneself. Aftermolding, Acott must wait until thepiece is fully dry before firing thepiece, finding antlers for the human,and painting the entire sculpture.After the painting is done, it is timefor the final reveal.And So ItBegins...37
From Clay to Metal38 The process of turning clay tometal is more difficult than one maybelieve. The process takesapproximately one week, and oncethe piece has been molded in paperclay, Acott must make a silicone moldof the piece. This is a tedious processas she must make sure the sculpturedoes not break inside the mold –patience is key to this step. Once the silicone mold hasdried and Acott has carefullyremoved the clay sculpture, shemust examine the quality of themold. Since each piece has a uniquepersonality with details equally asimportant as the whole, Acott mustensure that the mold has capturedthe essence and detail of theoriginal sculpture.
After the mold is at its bestquality, it is time to visit thefoundry. The foundry is a spacewhere fiery metal is poured intothese molds, which are encased ina metal funnel to ensure the piecedoes not explode if there are anyair bubbles. The silicone is madefor scorching metal, so there is norisk of the piece melting. Once themetal has cooled for a few days,Acott opens the mold to reveal hernewest piece!9
Spirit and the Mask She Wears (2022) 10
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Once the piece has been fired in the kiln, themain subject is painted with a glaze. According toLorri Acott, each mask represents a different moodor version of oneself. The project symbolizes theways in which we, as people, are constantlychanging masks. Each one was individually paintedwith personality, showing Acott’s passion for thehuman condition.12
Contact Me!Contact Me!PD Lorri Acott is an impressionisticfigurative sculpture who is knownthroughout the U.S. and abroad forher work that, as stated on her website,“receives a powerful emotionalresponse wherever it is placed”. Whilecurrently residing in Colorado, Acotttravels the globe presenting her work.Acott, alongside her husband, AdamSchultz, own Dream Big Sculpture, acompany that specializes in creatinglarge-scale art for private and publicdisplay. According to Acott’s website,some of her most recent public piecesinclude:“7 ft “Lighting the way” forMason City Iowa: 22 ft “Spirit ofRenewal” for the City of Phoenix, AZ:11ft “Conversation with Myself” for theFort Collins Museum of Discovery:and “Peace” for the City of Greeley,Colorado. “Peace” was selected by TheMichigan ACLU as art to change theworld in 2014 and was honored by theWorld Citizens Artists organization in2015”.For more information, visit:https://www.lorriacott.com/paytonleedonahue@gmail.com(970) 825-8303@moafortcollins Payton Donahue