Embellished Creatures
| 11.09.2023 - 12.22.2023 |
Artists: George Rodriguez
Ceramic artist George Rodriguez explores his own Texas/Mexican culture and the global communal nature of clay with large scale pieces ranging from animals to human figures. He thinks of himself as an artist, a potter, and a sculptor as he weaves mythical and historical aspects of his life growing up on the border between El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico. Low-relief surfaces made to mimic embroidery embrace his large and small sculptures. He uses press molds and under glazes to animate and configure a complicated and ornate basis for telling his story, whether it is the contrast inherent in American iconography or a nod to the Terracotta Army depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang in China, Rodriguez strives to find connections across cultures. By taking advantage of the rich narratives he grew up with, Rodriguez participates in a personal dialogue, which comes across as almost interactive. His pieces pull the viewer into the world of magical realism, a place where animals talk and humans dream. Image: Pounce, 2023, stoneware with glaze, 23 x 15 x 16 inches
Decolonize Indigenize
| 11.09.2023 - 12.22.2023 |
Artists: Julie Buffalohead
Julie Buffalohead, like the Trickster of Native stories, embodies duality in a variety of both elementary and complex ways. While the Trickster’s nature is creator/destroyer, Buffalohead explores the polarization of politics/culture through the myths of Coyote, Rabbit, and Skunk. A citizen of the Ponca tribe of the Plains, and being of biracial lineage, she pulls from elements of current events and the timeless stories of her ancestors, resulting in extraordinary insights on contemporary society. Many of her images reference Native stories, but they also reference fairy tales and children’s books. The simplistic drawings of animals speak to a lost innocence, a reaching back in time with the knowledge of the present. Through the use of print, paint, and collage her work layers playfulness with biting commentary. By contrasting seemingly disparate images, Buffalohead not only creates tension within the pieces, but underscores the tensions rampant in societal politics. No parts of our American landscape are left untouched, from gender to vandalism, from motherhood to exploitation, Buffalohead’s work stands as a guide through the cultural landmines of our time.
An Almanac for Wilderness
| 11.24.2023 - 01.12.2024 |
Artists: El Gato Chimney, Gregory Hardy, Johnny DeFeo, Travis Walker, Rachel Denny, Electric Coffin, Myers Berg Studio
Referencing Aldo Leopold’s, "A Sand County Almanac," this show aims to use art to explore our relationships with nature and wilderness. In his writings, Leopold advocates for a moral framework that could revolutionize our relationship with nature. "A land ethic," Leopold famously wrote, “simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include not only humans, but also soils, waters, plants, and animals or collectively the land." This group show highlights the beauty of the natural world, while also posing questions of how to protect it and why it is so important to protect it. Like Leopold, who spent years writing essays to inspire his readers to protect and respect the wild, these artists strive to prompt viewers to do the same. Artists from near and far include, El Gato Chimney, Gregory Hardy, Johnny DeFeo, Rachel Dinwiddie, Rachel Denny and Electric Coffin among many others.
An Almanac for Wilderness
| 11.24.2023 - 01.12.2024 |
Artists: El Gato Chimney, Gregory Hardy, Johnny DeFeo, Travis Walker, Rachel Denny, Electric Coffin, Myers Berg Studio
Referencing Aldo Leopold’s, "A Sand County Almanac," this show aims to use art to explore our relationships with nature and wilderness. In his writings, Leopold advocates for a moral framework that could revolutionize our relationship with nature. "A land ethic," Leopold famously wrote, “simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include not only humans, but also soils, waters, plants, and animals or collectively the land." This group show highlights the beauty of the natural world, while also posing questions of how to protect it and why it is so important to protect it. Like Leopold, who spent years writing essays to inspire his readers to protect and respect the wild, these artists strive to prompt viewers to do the same. Artists from near and far include, El Gato Chimney, Gregory Hardy, Johnny DeFeo, Rachel Dinwiddie, Rachel Denny and Electric Coffin among many others.
Counter Cowboy II
| 01.05.2024 - 02.17.2024 |
Artists: Group Exhibition
Counter Cowboy II will examine the multifaceted western experiences and voices and its influence on America. The American West has saturated the imagination of Americans for decades and out of the myth has come a radical new folklore for our times. The west is much more than a place; it is a space in the American psyche. While it is generally agreed that the region corresponds to the entire territory lying west of the 98th meridian, it is hard to locate on a map. it is a symbol of strength, individualism and struggle that stems from roots that are uniquely American and yet embrace a deep diversity of voices. Visions West will focus mainly on the myriad diversity of voices of the often-overlooked figures of the west past, present and future. It has been said that the American intellect and character owes its striking characteristics to the frontier such as individualism, energy, optimism, and enthusiasm. The west seemed to escape the colonialism that pervaded and shaped the eastern and southern portions of North and South America. Because of an unbridled and sometimes challenging and dangerous wilderness, the west was a place that drew those with a more adventurous, spirited, and pioneering constitution. The west took travelers from the railroad car and put them in the canoe or on horseback. It striped off the garments of civilization and put the necessities of a hunting shirt and the moccasins at the forefront of survival. The history of all the actors of the western past: men, women, families, African Americans, Chinese, Mexicans, and Native Americans were a tough and individual lot. The Western past is not a one-dimensional story of white men marching westward and replacing savagery by civilization, resulting in the ennoblement of the American character, but a multicultural tale highlighting ethnic and racial diversity, with people coming from the East, but also from the North, the South, and the West. Neither is it the story of the unique and exceptional subduing of an empty land, but a tale woven of many stories and voices that echo through past, present, and future. Image: Grace Kennison: I Remember Being Alone, 2023, acrylic on canvas, 62 x 52 x 2 inches