The Rain House
As a long-standing component of NCM’s programming, and a carryover from the Museum’s previous facility, Silva’s Rain House, is both playhouse and home to projects key to NCM’s bi-national programming. For Animal Art, Silva has created new foam puzzle-piece furniture to augment the way young children love to play house in The Rain House’s soothing interior. And, in the “back yard” Silva has created a new interactive felt mural. Children are invited to create their own flying creatures and use Silva’s templates to add birds to his avian menagerie that flies freely blithely ignoring the physical and political ramifications of our border region.
About Ernest Silva
San Diego-based artist Ernest Silva works in a variety of media including painting, sculpture, drawing and installation. His work relies on familiar or iconic imagery and references to convey what he terms “visual storytelling.” Silva completed his BFA at the University of Rhode Island and MFA at Tyler School of Art at Temple University. He joined the faculty of the Visual Arts Department of the University of California, San Diego in 1979 where he continues to teach undergraduate and graduate courses. His work has been featured in nearly 50 solo exhibitions at institutions throughout the world, including the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Artist’s Space, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Roskilde, Denmark; Casa de la Cultura, Tijuana, Mexico; and the Longhi Foundation, Ravenna, Italy. Silva served as co-creator and co-curator of the seminal bi-national project InSite 92. His many honors include the NEA Fellowship in Painting and the Excellence in the Arts Award from the University of Rhode Island.
Question & Answer
Q: If you could become any type of animal, what would you be?
A: Deer, because they seem to be majestic, wonderful, and vulnerable, qualities often found in people.
Q: Favorite food?
A: Pizza or a soy latte.
Q: What do you do regularly to help save the environment?
A: Use raw materials when making art and recycle all the time.
Q: Favorite smell?
A: A few minutes of rain.
Q: Favorite sound?
A: Rain hitting the roof.
Q: What was your first pet?
A: I didn’t have any pets growing up, so the pets I had were those in the neighborhood.
Q: What’s an unusual and interesting fact about you?
A: When I was a kid, I loved playing sports—basketball, baseball, and football. Basically, if you could sweat a lot and bleed, I wanted to play it.
Q: Favorite game?
A: Playing and watching both basketball and baseball.
Q: What band or musician best represents you?
A: Neil Young.
Q: Do you talk to animals?
A: In 1974, I heard a bird singing in a tree, and I whistled back to him. We ended up having a conversation that lasted nearly 20 minutes.
Gallery Games
Inspired by Ernest Silva's Rain House, Gallery Guides have a variety of fun-filled activities designed to engage every visitor. Sing-a-longs, bilingual storytime, crossword puzzles, and group performances are available throughout the day.
Question & Answer
Related Studio Projects
Gallery Games
ErnestSilva.org
Interview on Google
Artfully Elevating Eccentricity
