Alexander Clinthorne (aka Xander, Axel and C.Worm)

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   I began volunteering with an exchange student organization, AFS, during my freshman year of high school. I enjoy sharing methods with foreign students to see other cultures in ways that increase tolerance. In 2007, I received a Youth Ambassador Scholarship and lived with a host family for one summer in Egypt. I had developed an interest in language during my first study abroad, a one year program in Japan learning Japanese.    

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   Learning languages has influenced the way that I break down physical forms into vocabularies to create new order. While growing up I have had exchange student family members from Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Thailand and Turkey. Through AFS, I have learned that effective communication is the beginning of a solution to any problem. I am interested in exploring the limit of what can be communicated cross-culturally and cross-linguistically through art as a communicative method.
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   Presently, other than being an artist, I am a part time instructor in clay at the Ann Arbor Art Center. I am often spending time with children and somehow, they have found their way into me artwork.
 

  As an artist in residence on Hrisey Island, Iceland, I built a sea worm sculpture based on Icelandic folklore. Hoping to engage the local children, I installed the worm on a nearby playground.
 

  To my surprise, children were not afraid of the creature; after a strong wind storm, a troop of youngsters patiently rebuilt the damaged sections. The installation became my ticket to local insights and new friendships.
 

   My work explores the penetration of the seemingly super-natural into our world that gives rise to childlike awe and sends our imaginations soaring. I hope to share a healthy dose of imagination with
adults and kids alike.