Purdue Galleries to open new winter exhibits
February 25, 2015
 |
|
Glenn Chang (Lafayette, IN), Black Rock Preserve, color photograph, 2014 (Natural Places). (Photo provided) |
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University Galleries on March 9 and 10 will open new exhibitions addressing the changing view of contemporary landscape in art and stewardship of the land in northern Indiana.
"Changing Landscapes" will be presented through April 25 in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery in Stewart Center. The exhibit looks at contemporary approaches to landscape, featuring the work of three North American artists. It was curated by Lisa Wicka and Liz Erlewine of Purdue Galleries.
Brooklyn-based Zaria Forman creates powerful and skillfully rendered pastel drawings exploring changing sea levels from the Greenland icebergs to the Maldives coastline. The images provide a globally conscious, yet personal interpretation of our changing world.
Canadian artist Amy Alice Thompson's nostalgia-laced mixed-media works reconstruct and contextualize the land as place. Working with found imagery of western North America from the 1940s and '50s, Thompson explores collective memory through transcendental imagery and a dramatic manipulation of space.
Matthew Shelley of Philadelphia plays with design concepts to reimagine the natural world. Beginning with photographs of large expansive landscapes, Shelley crops the images down to small geometric shapes, creating a new understanding of space.
 |
|
Zaria Forman (Brooklyn, NY), Greenland #71, pastel, 2013 (Changing Landscapes). (Photo provided) |
Shown together, the works inspire and contribute to conversations about environmental and geographical shifts, with an emphasis on human contributions to and interpretations of the landscape.
From 5:30-7 p.m. March 26, Purdue Galleries will host an opening reception in the Ringel Gallery, with a talk by Zaria Forman.
"Natural Places: a NICHES Anniversary Celebration" will be presented from March 10 through April 25 in the Fountain Gallery in downtown Lafayette.
NICHES Land Trust is a regional environmental nonprofit that has created over 2,800 acres of nature preserves along the Wabash River. NICHES is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2015 with a yearlong celebration throughout its service area.
Artist Glenn Chang has been contracted to create a series of photos depicting NICHES Land Trust preserves throughout the seasons. These will be displayed throughout the celebration, traveling to various venues after the initial showing at the Purdue Fountain Gallery. Rensselaer artist Bonnie Zimmer will also be featured, creating a natural materials installation in the space that will complement Chang's photos.
From 5:30-7 p.m. March 12, Purdue Galleries will host a reception in the Fountain gallery, featuring both Chang and Zimmer discussing their works in the exhibit as well as a string quartet from the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra.
The Robert L. Ringel Gallery is located in Stewart Center on Purdue's main campus. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and until 8 p.m. on Thursday.
The Fountain Gallery is located at 330 Main St., Lafayette, in the historic Perrin Building. The gallery is open noon to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
All Purdue Galleries exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.
For class and group visits, contact Craig Martin at Purdue Galleries at 765-494-3061. For more information, visit http://www.purdue.edu/galleries
Contact: Craig Martin, 765-494-3061, cdmartin@purdue.edu
