Meet Space Art Pioneer Frank Pietronigro

Listen Now to Frank Pietronigro

Frank is the first American artist to create “drift paintings” where his body floated within a three-dimensional painting that he created in zero gravity aboard NASA’s KC135 aircraft. On April 4, 1998, Pietronigro flew from the NASA Johnson Space Center, aboard a KC135 turbojet, to create ‘drift paintings’ as the artist’s body floated within the 3-D kinetic painting space facilitated by parabolic flight and microgravity. He appropriated modernist painting conventions using similar techniques employed in abstract impressionism but with the intention of having very different outcomes within a postmodern  situation. Frank painted by squeezing rainbow colored acrylic paints from pastry bags into the space surrounding his body.

 We discuss the whole field of Space Art with Frank and look at what interesting space art projects are coming up!

Some links related to this interview at the suggestion of Frank:

Frank Pietronigro

Interdisciplinary Artist

http://www.pietronigro.com

Zero Gravity Arts Consortium

http://www.zgac.org

NASA ArtSpace Feature

http://www.nasa.gov/connect/artspace/creative_works/feature-frank-pietronigro.html

Moon Arts Group

http://moonarts.org

Acacdemy of Art University

http://www.academyart.edu/computer-arts-school/faculty.html

HISTORICAL:

Journal of Space Philosophy, Volume 2, Number 1: Spring 2013

Expanding the Heart: A 21st Century Artronaut Contemplates Spaceflight

by Frank Pietronigro 

http://www.keplerspaceuniversity.com/content/journal-space-philosophy-0

PBS KQED Spark Space Arts Workshop Special

http://www.kqed.org/arts/programs/spark/profile.jsp?essid=4909

Fortune Magazine / CNN Money Space Art Feature

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/09/05/8271407/index.htm

Yuri’s Night Bay Area 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvzEY60z5_I

25th / 26th International Space Development Conference

http://isdc.nss.org/2006/art.html