DAVID TARULLO
BORDERLANDS REGION, 2022 - 2023
David Tarullo (he/him) has been working in ceramics for over 20 years and has used clay to create art in many forms, ranging from large-scale sculptures and installations to intimate figurative and abstract works. For the past two years, he has been developing a functional ware company, Lōm Ceramics, with his partner Risha Druckman, that explores the juxtaposition of modern forms with traditional surfaces. Tarullo earned his Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College and studied wood-fired ceramics at Northern Arizona University. He then moved to Montana, where he studied with ceramicists Trey Hill, Julia Galloway, and Beth Lo, earning a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Montana. He has taught sculpture, ceramics, and three-dimensional design at colleges and universities, and his work has been shown throughout the Western United States, including solo exhibitions: Ceramics and Light, Embracing the Box, and Exploring Structural Integration. Publications include State of the Art: Installation, Site Specific Art #2, and Cast. Tarullo’s sculptures are in the permanent collection at the American Museum of Ceramic Art and the Montana Museum of Arts and Culture.
In partnership with Borderlands Restoration Network, David created and implemented workshops for local youth and community members focused on restoring natural habitats, and supporting a binational community though art making. His sessions centered on the construction of living sculptures made from local seeds, plants, clays and soils to encourage ecological restoration of private and public lands as the sculptures grow and degrade.
David’s work also considers the particular regenerative needs of the Borderlands; he is developing a restorative installation in the riparian area adjacent to the border-crossing between Douglas and Agua Prieta where mine tailings have been dumped. His artistic and political intent is to increase awareness of the environmental impact the tailings have had on this sensitive area, and to initiate ecological restoration in the area as well.
CULTURE HUB
Border Arts Corridor (BAC) is a nonprofit organization, committed to serving both Douglas and its sister city across the border. BAC began as a series of small outdoor art experiences on G Avenue, the major street in downtown Douglas. This ultimately grew into a bi-national Artwalk, then an arts service organization, creating opportunities for artists on the border. BAC is proud to focus on creating art with and for the Douglas and Agua-Prieta communities, bringing together artists of national stature with the artists living and working on the border. As nationally recognized artists have begun to interface with the community through BAC, it has cultivated a sense of pride and community self-esteem. At the same time, investment in the artists already living and working on both sides of the border here has strengthened a sense of self and civic engagement for residents.
SOCIAL IMPACT INITIATIVE
Borderlands Restoration Network (BRN) is a 501c3 based in Patagonia, AZ. We partner to grow a restorative economy by rebuilding healthy ecosystems, restoring habitat for plants and wildlife, and reconnecting our border communities to the land through shared learning.