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| "This dress would be really hot if it were not so striking." |
(Full disclosure, my Hoard Couture Dress #13 pictured above was juried into the
show.)
The opening for this show and the legendary arch rival's
HS football game were held on the same day. The winning local team's colors are
orange and black. Perhaps the jurors knew something we did not as to who would
win because the undercurrent connecting this show is the color orange. A few
years back I recall that same phenomenon occurring involving the color
red. Sometimes I think something as
subtle as a repetitive inspirational color can guide the entire selection
process. Overall, it is a very strong show with many new names on the walls. As
is with all juried shows, a couple of big clunkers made it as well. No way I
will identify them however as one man's clunker is another man's cash.
Judging is always the most anticipated part of any juried
exhibition and this show is no exception. Three judges are used for both
selection and awards. Anytime three people have to reach a consensus however,
compromises must be made and I think sometimes some very deserving pieces gets
lost in translation. Many national shows use one group to jury the entries in
and then bring in one independent judge, not part of that process, to act as
the awards juror. That way his or her vision is limited to what is physically
in the room after the show has been hung. Just my suggestion for future
consideration to level the playing field.
I won't bore you with the number of artists vs entries,
photography /digital vs media ratio or other such details. Go see the show (on
view through Jan 5th) and pick up a program. Side note...DO NOT miss the photo
show on the 2nd floor!
Okay, back to the hunt for orange and a target on some of
the outstanding pieces to be found in this exhibition. One award winner I want
to mention is the linen weaving by Stephen Tornero. It is entitled
"River" which I get, but I did not see that as much as I did the Twin
Towers on fire as seen from the Hudson River. The intricate tapestry patterns
felt like swirling smoke, radio waves of communication and mass confusion more
so than moving water. Perhaps that is my
generational observation. Weaving is
tough, one class in college was enough to cure me of the loom for good.
A definite winner should have been Michael W. Barath's
photo "Self Portrait with Boo", the synchronicity between the
profiles is stunning and seamless. It is
a moving piece and his second entry "Self Portrait with Bike Wheel"
is just as intricate.
The whole back wall reads as one big work of art itself,
hung perfectly to highlight the pieces...and bring out the orange. As one
travels to the left, the gray wall on the ramp is almost completely devoted to
works of little color, putting the emphasis on textures and details. Unless one
pauses at Rick Altimus's photo "Hide the Noodle", you won't get it
and it is very clever. The silver frame on Billy Ludwig's "Lady in
Black" could be on the wall by itself, but his photo of a woman in soaring
architecture is the right fit. Speaking of his work, I was disappointed that
"Kitty Bat" was not hung near "Erte's Batman" by Anna Zotta as that would have been a
golden opportunity for a visual play on content. Zotta's work is new to me and very much like
a vintage version of Rick Huggett's former style....seems simple, takes some
think'n. Touches of orange anchor her works in this show as well.
Another unfamiliar artist (to me anyway) is Haley
Farthing. I was not sure at first about her pieces until I stepped back to
about 8 feet and then I got it. Up close, the charcoal and ink on wood seem
flat, but once you are able to take in the whole surface and soften some of the
detail, an ethereal depth takes over. "Carbondale Spring" is stunning
in that regard, almost photographic. I am sure we will be seeing more of her.
Stepping back is also encouraged to view the fiber piece
by Clare Murray Adams "Ancestral Vessels". Yes one has to be up close
to see the ghostly imprints on her fabrics and the fine details of stitching,
but the clear shelf is no minor player. The reflections and ghost like cast
shadow under the physical work itself is just as important to her message. I
always look forward to her pieces because they require as much brain power as
optical nerve involvement.
While looking for orange things (I know you will
now.....) don't miss the showcase featuring Julie Deutschman's "Memento
Mori", a neck piece made from moth wings, copper, rose quartz and sterling
silver. One does not find sculptural jewelry entries like this very often. Also hiding in plain site is the signature on
Max Rossett's ink drawing "Loaded".
Some multiple meanings could be derived from the title which I will
leave to your own imaginations. Multiple meanings (maybe) are to be found in
Mark Pitocco's digital photograph "Two mothers, Newberry, Michigan
7.5.2013" One might miss that the
mothers' on the TV are those of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. If you have been under a rock for the last
two years, Google this unfortunate connection.
Normally I am not a big fan of photography, but this one held my
attention as I worked on the story behind its composition. To me, there is
great symbolism in the open door on a corner room, two faces trapped inside a small
box, darkness and emptiness...who is watching them ? Happenstance and
circumstance can be a *itch.
One final mention before I close, since I gave myself a
perfect transition, is "Nursing Time" by Emily Vigil. It is a wall piece made from breast pads and
diaper cloth plus various mark making media, but unless you have been a nursing
mother, one might not get all the references. First of all, bravo for figuring
out what to do with those leftover pads beside making them into coasters. And a
diaper cloth? how many people even know what that is? The message is one of
passing time. How quickly that fragile connection between a mother and a child
is lost once weaning takes place. The intimate bond of pregnancy and then the
life giving connection of nourishment gets replaced with the feeding of the
mind, the nurturing of emotions and the filling of a lunchbox. These precious
few months are gone forever but her piece preserves that in a personal way. Granted,
her kids will be freaked out by it in the coming years, but from mom to mom,
good for you!
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