Interview with artist Gina Rose Gallina
Gina Rose Gallina is a Fayetteville crochet artist – I think of her as the Christo of Northwest Arkansas but with a sense of humor and bohemian style. Her larger-than-life crochet art installations are filled with colorful characters inspired by a boundless imagination and obsession to stretch the limits of her craft. More of Gina’s work can be found at globalimagecreation.com and at her website ginagallina.com. (photos by Jeremy Mason McGraw)
AAS: Gina, are you originally from Arkansas?
GG: I grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida with my crazy wonderful and beautiful Italian (Sicilian) Family. I was a beach kid and definitely into the different side of life. Encouraged by my mother, I was always being creative, making art – also back talking, asking too many questions and so, forever grounded, which led to making more art and learning about the joys of solitude. I had some friends but I soon felt that St. Pete was not the place I wanted to be. I left home when I was 18, with no life plan, just wanted to embrace my freedom. I went to New Orleans and met some traveling hippies and ended up traveling/living all over the country. One of my friends bought a van but needed an address to register it. His Dad lived in southern Arkansas, so we went there. While we waited, we ended up picking blueberries in Paris (I love saying that still today). When the title to van arrived, we heard that there was more picking in Parthenon in Newton County. We headed up there and that was my first taste of Northwest Arkansas. *mind blown*. As a Florida girl, I compared it to Disney World. I had never seen real beauty like that and I immediately fell in love with the area. I eventually ended up in Eureka Springs in 1994 and stayed there until 2019 when we moved to Fayetteville.
AAS: Were arts and crafts something you were exposed to as a kid?
GG: Yes! My grandfather Nino Gallina was a tailor. A good one too. He worked until the last days of his life. Nana was a seamstress. Of course, everyone back then crocheted and knitted. Saturday morning cartoons were always cut short at Nana’s. We were expected to help with the chores. Yes, I could read the comics, but then I would be using that paper to clean the windows. She taught me to crochet when I was eight. She made newborn hats and bibs for special needs children. I was put on task to help with those so crochet was kind of a chore. My parents were very musical and were in a band and had a record store called Blue Jam records. They were always spinning records and singing and dancing. It was a great upbringing. Music and art are very much rooted in my brother and me. My brother is now in radio at KESA in Eureka Springs – he also wandered his way up here.
AAS: When did you first discover you actually loved crochet and that you could make something very special and unique with crochet?
GG: Since I was a kid, I would always crochet throughout the years, I'd make a purse. or a flower. It wasn’t until 2007 when I lived in ‘BFE’, Texas and the internet went out. As I waited, I picked up my hook and started crocheting. I don't know what I was making, But I LOVED the way it felt in my hands. It seemed brand new to me. I had zero clue about patterns so I made everything up. I started making baby hats and it got out of hand. By the time the Internet came back on, I didn’t care. I had the fever for crocheting. So that continued for about four years until I went through a divorce and moved back to Eureka Springs 2011. I was very depressed, and the crochet bug got even worse. I would hole up in my little cabin and crochet chairs, the walls, taxidermy, giant bacon and eggs. I was very shy about it but one day I decided to post it on Facebook. I had so much encouragement from my friends, I kept going. I wanted to go bigger and crazier on each new piece. I never thought any of this was special or unique. I honestly felt that I was dealing with my emotions through crochet. Back then, if I crocheted some pants, people would be so Wow’d and say jokingly (I hoped) that I need therapy. I said, “This is my therapy! You wouldn’t like me not crocheting!” I love that today it is becoming more of a social norm. A short 10 years ago, crochet was associated with being a grandma. I thought, whatever. I'm trying to heal – “Would you like to buy the larger-than-life donut hat?”
AAS: For readers who have not seen your work, you are known for your large installations. Let’s first talk about Humongous Fungus that was at Shiloh Square in Springdale. How did that installation come about?
Humongous Fungus installation
GG: I was approached by Arts One Presents to create something for them. They let me just have at it, with a budget! I have always wanted to create a gigantic flower garden. So, we discussed that and then I thought of a giant mushroom… one that people can walk through! AOP, just said yes, yes, yes. They are wonderful by the way. So how does one create the form for a 10-foot mushroom? Call Eugene Sargent! He is an incredible artist, welder, and pretty much everything else in between. I sent him a sketch and he welded a form exactly like my sketch. During the time of fabrication, I knew I wanted to build the crochet with granny squares. They are like building blocks or like tiles. Once I got the form, it came in four pieces. The cap and stem are halved and bolted together. I wanted something the public could interact with without killing them – you're welcome. It took about four months of crocheting granny squares. It was maddening, but I kept my eye on the prize. There isn't a pattern out there on how to do this, so it was fingers crossed the entire time. Including the day of setting it up. I'd done many projects on a smaller scale, so with a little math, how hard can it be? Surprisingly, it went flawless *ahem* as I knew it would.
AAS: Tell me about your collaboration with Jeremy Mason McGraw. He photographs your work and has collaborated with you on several videos, some featuring artist Zeek Taylor from Eureka Springs.
Mark “Sparky Wetzel
GG: In 2013, the height of my crochet insanity, my dear friend and artist, Caitlin Cantele invited me to set up my crochet at her studio for White Street Walk in Eureka Springs. I guess she was assuming I'd come in with a few of my weird pieces, but I ended up covering her room wall to wall with crochet. I had furniture covered, rugs and tons of outfits. I had just met my friend Mark “Sparky” Wetzel. He FB messaged me a week before the event and asked (I thought he was kidding) if I would crochet him these granny square pajamas. So I said, joking back “Only if you wear them on white street Walk!” He said “Umm Yes!” So, I crocheted him a granny square onesie. I ended up wearing an outfit and a few others did too. We walked up and down white street. It was the best time ever!! So many people were taking photos.
Farmer Zeek
At one point, I cruised back to my space at Caitlin’s Studio and I saw this man with his tri pod setup taking professional photographs. I was like Whoa! Who’s this? The news? He said “Hi, I'm Jeremy McGraw.” then that was pretty much it. We connected instantly. He took some incredible photos that day. Even landing on the cover of the Fun Guide. A week later, Jeremy emails me with this idea to do Yarnography. Since we were both amazed how well crochet and his photography works, He had this fun idea to make a show out of it. His idea was for me to crochet 6 Scenes. He rounded up Zeek for the Corn Field, that's how Farmer Zeek was born and now I can’t get enough of Farmer Zeek in my life. Jeremy recruited a few other local talents to model. The thing is, he gave me only 6 weeks to get it done, but I knew I could not say no. It was amazing and the most fun I ever had.
AAS: Tell me more about Queen Bee and the Vogue Knitting Live events.
GG: I love how the whole bee thing came about. It was a week before White Street Walk 2013 and I was in an outfit-making mode. I have always been scared to death of bees. Why? I don't know. I fear them like they have a Michael Myers mask on and a butcher knife in hand and about to slice me up. I used to lie and tell friends I was allergic to them to explain myself and this ridiculousness. Anyway, I was outside, and a bee flew up my robe!! I invented new dance moves that day and I'm going to let the reader envision this scene and leave it right here. After that fiasco, the bee flew away, both of us unharmed and it motivated me to get closer to my fear. So, I crocheted the Bee Overalls that I paraded about at the White Street Walk where I met Jeremy. After the Yarnography, Jeremy and I planned to do a Crocheted Yarn Ball. I made six wild gowns Marie Antoinette style, with tall crazy wigs. It was to be a masquerade ball in the middle of winter. A dream for crochet clothing. Jeremy and I spent months organizing. He had locked down the room at 21C in Bentonville. Rooms were booked, dances by Melonite were choreographed, and we had a great photoshoot with Jeremy. Everything was ready to go for the event on February 25, 2015 – then it snowed. I mean it really snowed, Probably the most snow we have had since. Sadly, the event was canceled. We couldn't reschedule since they were already booked up and I didn’t’ want to have the event in sweltering July. This was the event that never was. Thank goodness a picture lasts forever. Jeremy had released our images and they ended up on the cover of Arkansas Democrat What’s Up section. That led to a blog in The Idle Class and that led to an email I received from Vogue Knitting Live! They were looking for new fiber artists and invited me to their show in Minneapolis Nov 2016. Of course, I shrieked and said yes. I asked her if she had an idea of what I could present. She mentioned she loved the ball gowns as well as the Springy Bee outfit. That is how the Queen Bee was born. I knew I had to crochet this gown. But then every bee needs a garden. So I hired my friend Chris Bradley, an artist and carpenter, to build the forms for me to crochet. Everything seemed perfect until I went to book my hotel rooms for three days. These events do not pay money, just exposure and experience, which is also of value, so I went out on a limb and asked for donations through Go Fund Me. It was scary and exhausting. I am forever grateful for what dear friends I have that pooled together so I could have this experience. After the event, they invited me to the next show in New York City! I melted. Yes, I'm getting there come hell or high water. This time I had time to financially plan, or I thought I did. Actually, I didn't know anything other than where I was going. I sent a random email to Red Heart Yarn, explained about that dreadful acrylic yarn that everyone hates, I found a great use for it and that is making art. I asked Red Heart if they wanted to fund my trip to VKL in NYC. I hit send and forgot about it. A month later I got a reply saying that they would love to! That is how I began working with Red Heart. I ended up going to other VKL’s and events in Chicago, Seattle, Las Vegas and I was invited back to the following VKL in NYC.
AAS: Your Ants At A Picnic antstravaganza was featured at the Vogue Knitting Live in New York. It has some incredibly detailed creations and is just hysterical. How fun that must have been to create.
GG: This was now my second invite to the VKL in NYC. I wanted to crochet another scene. Since I am a lover of life, all life, I have a special love for bugs (especially after overcoming my bee fear) I feel bad for them in this world. I mean, who are we to decide to squish anyone's life out of existence just because they are small and don't pay rent? Ants are just trying to get a bite to eat. A little crumb to us is nothing. I felt that I wanted to let the ants finally have their picnic. Make a tribute to them. Make them cute. The whole picnic was just for them. As a Looney Tunes child, cartoon behavior is instilled in me I had a blast creating their picnic.
AAS: I know nothing about crocheting. Do you use different types of stitching to create different shapes?
GG: Shapes and stitches are it! That is pretty much the basics of anything like sculpting and drawing. When I teach freestyle crochet (meaning to not use patterns) the first thing I teach is to look for the shape. For example a purse is 2 squares sewn together. Using different stitches for texture is fun too. If I'm crocheting corn (l love saying that) I’ll use a bobble stitch because it looks like corn! Sometimes I think I'm making up stitches, but it usually ends up that I am only making up a difficult way to do an already invented stitch.
Crocheting is just loops. There is one way to make a loop, then you make loops within a loop doubled over another loop is how you make a certain stitch. Do that a hundred different ways, you have different stitches. When it comes to crochet, they have thought of everything. The joy is discovering. I am still learning new techniques and stitches all the time. Never a dull moment.
AAS: You did another large installation for Staypineapple Hotels. It is fabulous! How did that come about?
GG: Jeremy was working with Staypineapple taking photos and filming for them. They are a fun group as the owner loves to support artists of all kinds. Highly recommend everyone Staypineapple. They were gearing up for their grand opening in Chicago at the former Burnham Building, now the Alise at Staypineapple. I am assuming this was a situation of Jeremy saying “I have a friend…” type deal and I ended up being commissioned to crochet a 6-foot Pineapple to be displayed in their lobby. After lugging around the cumbersome and heavy queen Bee all over America in the back of a minivan, (which I feel I need to give a huge shout out to my friend Sparky who helped haul this Queen around, as well as letting me dress him up in any kind of crochet in any kind of weather) I tried to think of a way to make it simple to transport this 6-foot pineapple. Jeremy mentioned about an inflatable. I did some research and found a company that can make any inflatable your heart desires. This made life so much easier for everyone. A 6-foot pineapple shaped exercise ball-looking-thing changes your perspective on a lot of things. I knew a guy who lost an arm from over inflating a tire and those thoughts ran through my head. It was very Mork and Mindy like too. But it ended up being a great installation and easy to transport. Red Heart was once again on board, and they sent me all the yarn I needed to create. Point being, I have no idea what I am doing. I just go with my gut. if it seems like it's right, then I go for it – cringey, but worth it at times.
AAS: The Hunter is a terrific scene. I have to ask, is there anything you won’t try to crochet?
GG: Crochet seems to be a great platform for the strange. For me, the weirder the better. I love how all of that ties in. No, there is nothing I won't try to crochet. I feel like I've crocheted quite a bit so far, but as soon as they let me crochet the Big Jesus [Jesus Christ of the Ozarks] I will be satisfied.
Making clothing and costumes is by far my favorite. Mostly costumes because I feel like I don't have to take myself seriously. With clothing, it enters the fashion world. There is some sort of science to making good fashion. People can hate a certain look with their very last drop. Meaning there is a lot of feeling in fashion, I guess. Sometimes just a piece of loin cloth across the torso could end up being all the rave. I am still trying to process the fashion world - world. I just stick to making things I would want to wear. When it comes to making costumes, I am more comfortable and confident that what I make can be loved. There is this sweet spot in the artist world, of doing what you love to do and having others love it too. I am never sad to let pieces go. I want people to have them and enjoy them so it's important to me to find that balance. With costumes I can really be myself and creative. I'm in the process of making a huge crazy ball gown and I'm having the time of my life.
AAS: Living in beautiful Northwest Arkansas and being a part of its vibrant artist community must provide a lot of inspiration.
GG: As I mentioned in the beginning of this interview, I moved to the NWA area when I was 19. Pretty much a blank page. Growing up being ridiculed because my name rhymed was what defined me until then. Always insecure, I'm a dime a dozen for sure, but that is how I arrived. The first day I got to Eureka, someone other than my momma, said “Gina Gallina? Wow what a beautiful name!” That day, I felt like I stood taller and embraced who I was and allowed myself to be what I was going to be. It was a boost of confidence. People in Eureka Springs are a special group. I was allowed to be who I was. I could focus on art and music and not just “Go to college, get married, be rich etc. yadda yadda.” I was able to be free and find what I was really looking for in life. I ended up playing my banjo with my friend Melissa Carper. We had a band called the Camptown Ladies. That is how I learned to be myself through creative expression. Instead of going to college and having kids, I was playing hillbilly music. Wouldn’t change that for the world. I love the relaxed nature of the NWA area. People are always so encouraging and accepting here. I feel that Fayetteville carries some of the magic that I love about Eureka Springs but in a bigger room. We have some of the most talented people in the world, yes, the world, here. I am just stepping my feet in – I'm about mid-calf by now – into the artist scene here in Fayetteville. We moved here right when the “Panny” hit so I am just now getting out. Some artists here make me feel star struck. But yes, I am constantly inspired by everyone and everything in our area. I am so proud of all of us.
