Scott Nedrelow is a man of many mediums.¬† Along with making handcrafted iPad sleeves and cases camouflaged as books — a product appropriately named “BOOK” and appropriately labeled with “this is not a book” — Nedrelow uses his art space to make prints, paintings, bound volumes… and sandwiches.¬† His Sandwich Bar for Peace, which is part deli and part art gallery, takes art as payment for food and displays the currency on its wall.¬† Nedrelow is also busily working on the compendium volume to Location Vol. 3, a show that features work from several artists.¬† The Location Vol. 3 opening show is November 10th at The Burnet Gallery at Chambers.
Photos and interview by Kelsey Johnston.
Secrets of the City: Where are you from?
Scott Nedrelow: Willmar, Minnesota.
Secrets: How did you get started with your personal work?
SN: I got started on my own and then ended up in graduate school because I didn’t have an art background.  I went to graduate school to combine an undergrad art program with a grad program.  Then I spent a couple of years north of Ely, MN in the woods.  I became an Ebay abstract painter to make money and was also working on another body of work based in photography and drawing.
Secrets: What is your take on craft vs. art?  Craft being a product with a purpose or function.
SN: I do make a product that has a purpose called BOOK for iPad, but it‚Äôs an in between place because as an object it‚Äôs a strange and interesting object.¬† It looks like a book from the outside but it‚Äôs really not a book.¬† It’s a case to store an iPad and picks up on the hype surrounding e-reading.¬† I thought about this a lot when I was an Ebay painter or making painting specifically to sell on Ebay they were very much a product that people wanted to hang up on their wall.¬† They would start with the idea ‚ÄúI need something for my wall‚Äù and it‚Äôs something that they may not even want to look at.¬† They want it to fit in, to match or fill a place.¬† That’s what the function of it is, to fill a space.
Secrets: How did the idea for the “Book” develop?
SN: I worked on it with a friend of mine when we were looking at putting together a project called Location, which is a series of artist projects in book form.  We were thinking about the shell and experience of a book like a gallery.  And at the same time we realized that there is a kind of cultural moment happening that is considering the form and future of books.
Secrets: What is your favorite book?
SN: A biography of Robert Irwin, called Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees by Lawrence Weschler.
Secrets: Tell me more about Location.
SN: ¬†It‚Äôs called Location because the book is the location or the gallery.¬† There is no location– the location is the book.¬† I‚Äôm working on it together with Ruben Nusz.¬† It’s programmed similar to a gallery– we have solo shows, two person shows, and group shows.¬† There are four books a year and we give a standard size and length to artists to do a project that is specifically made for those pages.¬† The goal is to get artists to make work that can be experienced in an unmediated way when you view this book.¬† The book isn‚Äôt just documentation, we make the book into the show, which is kind of an experiment.
Secrets: What’s your favorite sandwich?
SN: I do like the Ruben and the hot ham and cheese.  The first official sandwich of the Sandwich Bar For Peace was the Ruben.  I would like to put together something that you would call a croque-monsieur and have that be the second official sandwich.  I just need to figure out how to do a croque-monsiuer.
Secrets: Tell me more about the Sandwich Bar For Peace.
SN: It started with friends in the building as a reaction to expensive sandwiches.¬† We started banding together making our own sandwiches and I evolved it through a series of jokes into an institution that‚Äôs one part deli and one part collecting institution.¬† Artists can essentially trade a piece of art for a sandwich, and the permanent collection hangs in my studio (like you’re famous and you’ve eaten in a deli).¬† Everything will be collected together into a book call Sandwich Bar For Peace Annual Report.
Secrets: What’s the best part about living in Minneapolis?
SN: It’s a laid back place, but there’s still a lot going on.
Secrets: What’s your favorite place in Minneapolis?
SN: I like the Uptown movie theatre a lot.¬† I showed a video installation at the Soap Factory last summer that’s basically about the space of movie theaters.¬† The Uptown Theater is a great space.
Secrets: Childhood dream career?
SN: Probably astronaut.
Secrets: Do you ever wonder if iPads get chilly?
SN: Oh right, yeah, the sleeve is a cozy.¬† The cozy is for the people not for the iPad.¬† The iPad doesn‚Äôt get chilly, but the sleeve will warm the user’s heart.
Secrets: Taylor asks: “Why you so loveable?”
SN: That’s a dangerous question!
Location РVolume Three features work by Jan Albers, Allen Brewer, Louise Despont, Joe Hardesty, Ginny Maki, Jens Nordmann, Chloe Piene, David Rathman, Deb Sokolow, Megan Vossler.  The opening reception and book sale will take place at the Burnet Gallery at le Meridian Chambers Art Hotel on Wednesday, Nov. 10th from 6pm Р9pm.