Wondering what to do with that extra day at the end of this month? On Friday, February 29 at 8 p.m., Art Hospital will hold a Leap Year Event featuring a collection of new and collaborative works from artists, zine writers and friends mperfect and pLopLop, known outside the gallery as Jason Pierce and John Clark, respectively.

“John and I have known each other for about 11 years,” says Jason Pierce, who currently lives in Louisville, Kentucky where he is responsible for the design and general “direction artistique” of the magazine Bejeezus. “This will be our third collaboration show.”

John Clark is based out of Indianapolis and works with Big Car gallery. He also showcases local poets and artists in his zine pLopLop; both artists have contributed works to each others’ publications. “We are both interested in and inspired by so many things and people…we always seem to be collaborating on art even if we don’t have an art show in the works,” he says. “There will be some direct collaboration in this upcoming show.”

The distance between Louisville and Indianapolis does not stymie the joint production of artwork at all. “We do invisible collaboration inspired by surrealist games,” pLopLop (Clark) explains the rules of one of their forms of collaboration, “Exquisite Corpse,” where one artist will give the other a half-finished work, but the second artist will not be able to see what the half looks like, only the edge, enough to connect to it. “Once that is finished, it’s revealed as a complete work that’s a surprise to us both if it’s successful.”

“The coupling of this show was done very intentionally,” says Mark Rice, the Art Hospital staff member organizing Leap Year Event. “The visual work I have seen to date by these artists is quite different.”

John Clark works mainly in drawings and watercolors on paper and with acrylic on canvas, though he has been known to use book covers as innovative surfaces for art. “I would draw caricatures of [20th century American writer] Richard Brautigan on the inside covers of his paperback poetry books,” he explains. John admits authors and poets inspire him, especially the ones who painted as well as wrote. “Henry Miller’s writing about his early efforts to paint continuously inspire me.” Mark Rice describes pLopLop’s work as “quick but controlled little dance routines in paint.”

Jason Pierce creates collages with found objects and photographs, and says his technique varies from whatever happens to be around him. His work, as Rice puts it, is reminiscent of “old family photos and memories that you are supposed to remember but don’t for some reason.”

The artists have planned a show that will feature artwork that is reasonably priced to include a wide span of potential buyers. “We are both of the mind that we would rather have our pieces scattered across many people than making things inaccessible and expensive,” explains mperfect (Pierce). The Leap Year Event will also feature music by Bloomington band The Impossible Shapes.

The show is mutually exciting for Art Hospital and the artists. “John Clark had a great show here when Hospital first opened, and Jason has contributed work to a lot of our fundraisers; his work was very well received. I think it will be a good show.”

Pierce adds “Places like Art Hospital are always great to be at because of the goodness in the air…the crowds are inspired and inspiring.”

More information about the Art Hospital schedule can be found at http://www.arthospital.net/.