Portfolio of Possiblities

a collaboration between Mark Zirpel – Amie McNeel – Sam Stubblefield with special guest Josh Borsman


Through Portfolio of Possibilities, MadArt Studio was reconfigured as a laboratory. In this exhibition, the team of Amie McNeel, Mark Zirpel, and Sam Stubblefield experimented with different materials and investigated the dynamic relationship between oceanic and celestial themes. The studio became a multisensory and multidisciplinary exploration of buoyancy, gravity, kinetics, vibration, repetition, and scale.

McNeel and Zirpel are contemporary, multi-media sculptors who combine traditional processes with new technologies. They teach together in the 3D4M: ceramics + glass + sculpture program at the University of Washington. While each has their own artistic practice, this was their first time collaborating as artists. Their work was augmented by artist Sam Stubblefield, who used movement sensors and live data to create a conversation between the objects, viewers, and the world around them.

Visitors could witness several iterations of this large, progressive artwork unfold. The artists viewed this as an opportunity for shared growth, scholarship, and productivity for the public and collaborators alike.