A few questions with Beth Malone

• Batterman Photography
• Martha Wittington's installation at Cosms

COSMS has transformed the Mezzanine level of the Midtown Plaza into a different universe to present 12 large-scale installations for the 2014 Dashboard Co-op show. Dashboard Co-op Executive Director Beth Malone, along with Courtney Hammond and the rest of the team, has brought to the spotlight many emerging artists through their annual temporary dynamic exhibitions and their residency program. With skills in photography, video editing and sculpture, the 12 residents built their own little world at the Midtown Plaza and present their body of work among their peers. This year's crop of artists includes Martha Whittington, Jason Peters, Elizabeth Riley, Paper Frank, Chris Chambers, Zopi Kristjanson, George Long, Lindsey Wolkowicz, Dave Greber, Dustin Chambers, Andre Keichian and Kevin Byrd. Here, Malone talks to CL about working with this year's artists, curating the show and the big plans Dashboard Co-op has ahead of them.

How is everything going now that you are full-time at Dashboard Co-op?
Thank you for asking, it's been totally liberating, disorienting and hungry. We're free to accept many more projects now that I have more time to devote to the work.

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Tell me about this year's crop of artists and working with them.
Whoa, stellar. And incredibly mature in their practice. I was really impressed with everyone's ability to self-edit and acclimate to the space's parameters and the work of others. You have Dave Greber a New Orleans-based artist who created "stasseo" or a stained glass video piece. We made an entire section of the floor black for him - walls, celling, doors and floor. He used 4 projectors - two being old school relics that deserve their own pedestal in a museum one day. Paper Frank is so focused and quick. Frank painted his mural in 4 days with headphones on and the focus of an eagle. He and George Long became slight collaborators, creating a dialogue about play, childhood, and reverie with their two wall pieces. CL's own photographer Dustin Chambers interviewed/captured a series of people suffering from Alzheimer's. The installation incorporates sound elements, oral histories and images - it's utterly effective, overwhelming and poignant. I have yet to fully experience it due to my own fears and phobias, but it has provoked the most powerfully positive response from viewers. Another one is Kevin Byrd, who makes scenes utilizing lights vs. emotional narrative (his words). I actually see a lot of emotion in his troop of light pieces - some are so bold, others shamed. The shadows play beautifully against the light, giving a great sense of movement. The install week was fairly ferocious, sweaty and, at moments, very tedious. They navigated it like huskies.

• Batterman Photo
• Chris Chamber's installation at Cosms

How did the concept for this year's exhibition, COSMS, come about?
We came to this word based on Dashboard's wish to provoke artists to create a body of work that depicts their current practice. Each body is independent from the next, leaving it up to curators to determine connections as we placed the show in the space. The term "microcosms," which refers to tiny individual worlds, felt so appropriate to this idea that artists were creating their own world within series of others. The actual term "COSMS" came about because the show is macro, not micro. As mentioned previously, the independent worlds began to morph as each artist responded to parameters and the works of others once inside the space. What resulted was a very orderly show with aesthetic and conceptual ties.

How did you guys pick the location over at Midtown Plaza? It has been empty for about a year, right?
Yes, for about a year. We worked with Midtown Alliance to find the space and then they introduced us to the building's event coordinator Anita Finklestein - she's a spitfire who makes incredible things happen. The property management at Midtown Plaza were very excited to host the show.

The installations are large and complicated but everything works together. How did you prepare and curate the exhibition?
Good question, it was challenging. We all select the artists together, Dash staff, I mean. And had a very clear picture of the type of work and artist we were after for 2014: time-based media, largely including light work, and artists who are interested in, and capable of, going big.

In terms of curating the show, Courtney and I literally laid on the floor of the 15,000 square foot Mezzanine of Midtown Plaza and talked about where we were going to place each artist and why. We had to convince each other about our selections and opinions - we hold the bar very high for each other. Once 12 massive installations are figuratively placed with a space and artists arrive to work, its very hard to change their location. For the most part, I'd say we nailed it, but we made some missteps too. We have an amazing production designer, Danny Davis, who spent over 100 hours in the space wiring and lighting the show. He makes crazy things happen and can somehow communicate those things to the rest of us who don't speak his electric language. We also prepare by getting a ton of volunteers and artist assistants who work like machines and require lots of beer and pizza. It's a huge team of people who make something as massive as COSMS happen. Install weeks are our favorite and where we all feel most comfortable.

Will you ever move to a more permanent exhibition space?
We're looking at getting a semi-permanent space. It's hard bouncing from property to property - we want to commit to a space and hood for a year to see how our curatorial practice will improve when we can focus more directly on the exhibition-making and less on property leases, tool bank late fees, and parking tickets. We're not getting married, we're just getting into a long-term relationship.

COSMS,a Dashboard Co-op 2014 group exhibition, runs through March 8 at Midtown Plaza in the Mezzanine Level. More details at Dashboard Co-op.