Purdue Galleries begins a new season of exhibitions
Patrick Dougherty's, "Sidewinder," natural materials sculpture at Purdue. (Photo by Michal Hathaway)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University Galleries opens its 2011-2012 schedule on Aug. 29 with exhibitions of contemporary drawing and "stickwork."
"Drawing Resurfaced," a national contemporary drawing exhibition, will be on display through Oct.9 in the Stewart Center Gallery. Contemporary drawing has evolved into rich and complex art forms that go far beyond paper and pencil. Today, it encompasses alternative processes, mixed media, collage, and hybrid forms, as well as reinvigorated traditional forms. This exhibition includes work selected from a national call for entries and includes 26 artists from across the country. Curators for the exhibition were Kathryn Reeves, professor of art and design; Christine Wuenschel, assistant professor of art and design; and Craig Martin, director of Purdue Galleries.
"Drawing is a very direct and intuitive way of communicating and seeing, Wuenschel said. "It sits at the core of all art practices and has been manipulated by artists for centuries. In addition to marks on paper, drawing can be experienced as shadows falling on a wall; the illuminated lines of LCD lights; or delicate images revealed under magnification."
Purdue Galleries will host a reception from 5:30-7 p.m., Sept. 1 in the Stewart Center Gallery.
An exhibition of documentation connected to a recent on campus installation will be presented in "Patrick Dougherty: Stickworks," through Dec. 4.
Combining his carpentry skills with his love of nature, Patrick Dougherty learned about primitive techniques of building and experimented with tree saplings as construction material. Beginning around 1980 with small works fashioned in his backyard, he quickly moved from single pieces on conventional pedestals to monumental site-specific installations that require sticks by the truckload. To date he has built more than 200 such massive sculptures all over the world.
This exhibit presents documentary photographs and project models of many of these projects, as well as a record of "Sidewinder," a piece recently created on the Purdue University campus through a collaboration between the Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Visual and Performing Arts and the Purdue Agriculture Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. "Sidewinder" was primarily funded through the Florence Lonsford Endowment, which is restricted to purchasing artwork for the Purdue campus.
Purdue Galleries will host a brown bag lecture at noon Sept. 9 in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery in the Purdue Memorial Union. Students and staff who participated in Dougherty's three-week installation will make comments about their experiences.
Future exhibits at Purdue Galleries include:
"Anila Quayyum Agha: A Flood of Tears." Oct. 24- Dec. 4. In her art as in her life, Agha references divergent geographies, languages, and cultures (she grew up in Pakistan). She mixes work on paper done with paint, wax, dyes (often tea or coffee), collage elements, staining and calligraphy, and large-scale installations of thread, paper and/or cut cloth.
"Global Matrix III." Jan. 9-Feb. 19. The third contemporary review of fine art printmaking from around the world, organized as a traveling exhibition in the United States from 2012 to 2014.
"Eleanor Speiss-Ferris/Michael Ferris." March 5- April 22. The imaginative works of mother and son artists. Eleanor's lyrical drawings and paintings will serve as a backdrop for Michael's vividly colored constructed sculpture busts.
"Tipp.Rex 2" March 30-May 4. The second communitywide project of creativity, imagination, myth and tall tales at the Tippecanoe Arts Federation in downtown Lafayette. "Tipp.Rex 2" will highlight the invented history of the Tippecanoe County region through visual, performing, musical and literary art.
Purdue Galleries' 11th annual Art Teacher Professional Day. Oct. 6. Art teachers in K-12 programs are invited for a daylong session, discussing upcoming art exhibits and events and networking among themselves. Included this year will be presentations on the potential for Galleries' involvement in on-site class presentations and a workshop with educator Bonnie Zimmer, in connection with the recently completed Patrick Dougherty natural materials installation "Sidewinder." A continental breakfast and parking passes will be provided for all participants.
The Galleries' 2011-2012 newsletter is available for download at https://www.purdue.edu/galleries.
The Stewart Center Gallery and the Robert L. Ringel Gallery are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays; and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays. 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 https://www.purdue.edu/galleries
Contact: Craig Martin, 765-494-3061, cdmartin@purdue.edu