Ladies and gentlemen, this time we've really done it. The mustard is leaking from our ears, softening the pulsing rhythm of locomotive persistence. Can we even see through all the steam towards a fuller tomorrow. My friends, it's time we do. It's time indeed to eat up the hot dogs, eat up the buns, cover them with condiment, and take them from the sidewalk with excessive kraut.
So says the brochure accompanying visiting artist Adam Wolpa's "Condimentalism" exhibit in Fayerweather Gallery, where students, including fourth-year College student Maurice Printis stop to get a tasty treat.
Drawn by the alluring smell of hotdogs, Printis arrived at the gallery to find that all the freebies were gone.
Just his luck, Printis always has missed the last of the
Hebrew Nationals - the kosher king of hotdogs - which is an integral ingredient of "Condimentalism."
Condimentalism has been well received at Wolpa's alma mater here in Charlottesville.
"It is a great way of giving art back to the community," said Printis, who majored in studio art. "Plus it is always nice to get free hotdogs."
Condimentalism literally is a German toy train carrying hotdogs, relish and paper napkins on its carriages, quietly moving in and out of the sidewalk through the basement windows of the Fayerweather Gallery. Essential condiments for the hotdogs sit on the windowsill.
White columns of books support the track, and, according to Wolpa, those columns symbolize the University's distinct architectural style. If one looks more closely, the track also reveals small book bindings in an attempt to connect the train both visually and conceptually with contemporary art.
"I feel that the real component of the exhibition is the part inside the gallery," second-year College student Lisa Smith said. "I enjoyed watching the griller and the enticing smell of hotdogs. I thought that the small track with its little train on top of the refrigerator inside the Gallery was a really cute idea.
"The book bindings and the mustard bottles placed on the floor add a lot of character to the place," Smith added.
However, not all students grasped the concept behind the hotdog train as easily as Smith, at least not at first glance.
"I wasn't sure if we were supposed to just take one," third-year Architecture student Deja Burt said. "Were we supposed to pay? I kept trying to look inside the window hoping to find someone so that I could pay them."
The fact that students do not have to pay for those hotdogs continues to attract attention around Grounds. Third-year Architecture students Wambaa Mathu and Katie James heard about the gratis offer from friends.
"We were initially confused about what it all meant, but later realized that it was an art project," Mathu said.
Mathu and James now are regulars at the so-called hotdog station and often return for seconds on their way to classes.
Wolpa is quick to agree that incorporating hotdogs into art may appear like an absurd idea to some people.
Nevertheless, it was central to the themes of his work - community, generosity, food and language.
"The idea behind this was to give people an experience," he said.
Wolpa believes that all his life, he has been associated closely with places linked to the train.
Though born in Los Angeles, Wolpa spent several years in San Francisco and Colorado before deciding to go back to school for his masters' degree. Thus, when he came up with the idea of condimentalism he immediately connected it with the railway.
"I like the idea of puppetry, and trains are personal to me," Wolpa said. "When I first came up with this idea it seemed but natural to use the train as a puppet for the delivery of hotdogs."
He also cites God as an inspiration for his work.
"I view art as a way of serving God," he said. "I have been given a gift and I want to use it to answer questions of 'why make art?' Projects like this one help me do that."
Wolpa notes his commitment to creating new experiences for the "non-art viewer," as he refers to those without much, or any, formal background in the subject matter.
While at the University of Iowa, where he graduated with a masters' in fine arts last year, he organized the 'Cows Catchin' Days '99'.
Wolpa put live cows into the Iowa River and then invited people over to try and catch one, and subsequently milk the cow, just for the experience of doing so. All participants received prizes.
"The greatest part about Wolpa's work is that it makes the viewer question himself," Art prof. Bill Wylie said. "'How is this art?', 'Why is a train carrying hotdogs art?,' 'Are the books a part of it?,' 'Do the titles mean anything?'"
"It allows us to figure out why and how an exhibition such as this enters into the realms of good art," Wylie added.
Wolpa's pulsing rhythm of locomotive persistence has proved to be a magnet, attracting both students and pedestrians by pulling them back for a second look.
In turn, the exhibition has succeeded in its goal of attracting an unusually high number of visitors to the Fayerweather Gallery.
"The art gallery has never had so many people come to see a solo work of art," Fayerweather employee Rusty Smith said. "This is a great way of getting people into the gallery."
The only problem with the exhibit's continuing popularity, according to Wolpa, is that he no longer can commit to his promise of providing the hotdogs Monday through Saturday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m until the exhibit's close on Feb. 14.
The 2,300 hotdogs that Hebrew National donated to the exhibit quickly are disappearing. And while the University paid for part of the associated expenses, the artist himself picked up the rest of the tab.
Although Wolpa may fund the exhibit because of its artistic appeal and deeper meaning, others, such as second-year College student Mac Mathews, see it as just a free meal he can grab while on his way to class.
"It is a cool thing," Mathews said. "Free hotdogs are always good."
"Don't give up on portability or what is delicious, no," Wolpa said. "Don't give up on the smoky, ideal aesthetic of a doctored up beginning. Don't give up until the very last bite asserts a new definition of tastes in the paradigm of concession's piquancy. Mouths, rise up and water"
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