August 29, 2005
Purdue Galleries' new season offers unique, experimental exhibits
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – For the first time, room-size installations will open the 2005-06 exhibition season in both Purdue University Galleries spaces.
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In the Robert L. Ringel gallery in Purdue Memorial Union, Japanese artist Makiko Miyamoto will present a trio of meditative installations titled "Cocoon." The environment she creates features soft veils draped from ceiling to floor, shaped cushions, overhead video projections and sound in an effort to encourage a thoughtful awareness of the living body. The exhibit will be on display through Oct. 9.
In the Stewart Center Gallery, Los Angeles-based artists Megan and Murray McMillan will present a new artwork titled "Mountainside," which combines a mountain that encompasses the gallery space with a video that explores the narrative of Hades and Persephone, flying saddles and the underground experiences of a cast of 17 characters. Audience members will have the opportunity to climb under the mountainside, where they will be able to see a video piece on a hidden monitor. "Mountainside" will be on display through Oct. 9.
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Elizabeth K. Mix, contemporary art historian and assistant professor of visual and performing art, and Charles Gick, an associate professor of visual and performing art who specializes in painting, along with guest lecturer and visiting scholar Rosanne Alstatt, served as jurors for the exhibits, reviewing proposals from artists across the nation.
"It's a great change of pace – and a very pleasant surprise to our regular visitors – to see the gallery spaces turned into new environments," said Craig Martin, director of Purdue Galleries. "Our rooms lend themselves very nicely to this kind of experimentation, and it challenges our assumptions of both art and exhibition space."
Future exhibits include:
• "The Paper Sculpture Show" (Oct. 24 through Dec. 4) – Twenty-nine international artists and artist teams have contributed designs for three-dimensional paper sculptures that are completed only once museum visitors have assembled them. The artists' designs, along with detailed instructions, will be stacked on work tables in the gallery along with a limited set of tools – such as scissors, utility knife, tape and glue – to be used in the "transformation" of the work.
"The Paper Sculpture Show" is organized by Cabinet magazine, Independent Curators International and SculptureCenter. It is curated by Mary Ceruti, Matt Freedman, Sina Najafi and accompanied by "The Paper Sculpture Book," which contains the entire exhibition in unassembled, take-home form. The traveling exhibition is organized and circulated by Independent Curators International. The exhibition and its accompanying publication are made possible, in part, by support from the Peter Norton Family Foundation.
• "Art/Science: Photography of David Goldes" (Oct. 24 through Dec. 4) – Organized by the Wright State University Art Galleries in Dayton, Ohio, "Art/Science" will present the photographic work of Minneapolis artist and Guggenheim Fellow David Goldes. Goldes is a scientist-turned-artist whose work illustrates the physical properties of science.
• "Ray Must: Paintings, Prints and Sketchbooks" (Jan. 9 through Feb. 19) – Large, abstract paintings on unstretched canvas, figurative drawings, technically inventive prints and intimate daily sketchbooks will be on display by this multifaceted artist who enjoys a well-established presence in the Dayton, Ohio, art community. This exhibition is presented through the support of the Ben and Louise Klatch Jewish Arts Series.
• "reCON(TEXT): Postmodern Art from the Wright State University Permanent Collection" (Jan. 9 through Feb. 19) – The works selected from the university's collection represent statements of the social, political and economical conditions of culture during the last third of the 20th century, a time when modernism in art was producing new ways of thinking and reacting to the world. Martin said during that time, many artists were less concerned with obtaining the established ideal of aesthetic beauty and instead sought to express individual reactions to capitalism, mass media and the act of viewing art in the traditional gallery setting.
• "Sixty Square Inches: 15th Biennial North American Small Print Competition" (March 6 through April 23) – Purdue Galleries will once again be host to the "Sixty Square Inches" competitive exhibition of small-scale contemporary printmaking. This year's exhibit will provide the 15th review of North American graphic artists working in an intimate format.
"We are committed to the practice of acquiring new works from each 'Sixty Square Inches' exhibition and building our collection of contemporary North American printmaking while helping to support the community of modern artists," Martin said. "Since 1978 we have acquired 154 artworks from 'Sixty Square Inches' exhibits for the collection. These acquisitions fuel our ongoing educational outreach programs."
For the first time, Purdue Galleries will organize and promote a traveling exhibition called "60 x 60," consisting of a selection of images acquired from previous installments of this exhibit. To support the traveling exhibition, the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded the Galleries a grant under its Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Invitational Initiative funding program. "60 x 60" will include an education package for traveling venues and will begin touring next summer.
• "Bookmarks I, II, III" (March 6 through April 23) – In conjunction with the "Sixty Square Inches" exhibit, this exhibit will feature fine-art prints in the form of bookmarks and unique artist books.
"Bookmarks" is a three-part project from the Center for Fine Print Research at the University of the West of England to encourage people to appreciate artwork in a book format and to visit artists' book venues and libraries. The projects involve artists who work in the artist-book format, each of whom produces an edition of 100 bookmarks that are free to the public.
The Robert L. Ringel Gallery and the Stewart Center Gallery are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday; and from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. For class or group visits, contact Mary Ann Anderson at (765) 496-7899. All Purdue Galleries exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.
Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu
Source: Craig Martin, (765) 494-3061, cdmartin@cla.purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
Japanese artist Makiko Miyamoto will present a trio of meditative installations in "Cocoon." The exhibit will be on display in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery in Purdue Memorial Union from Aug. 29 to Oct. 9. Her artwork features veils draped from ceiling to floor, shaped cushions, overhead video projections and sound in an effort to encourage an awareness of the living body. (Photo contributed)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2005/galleries-cocoon.jpg
PHOTO CAPTION:
In the Stewart Center Gallery this season, Los Angeles-based artists Megan and Murray McMillan present "Mountainside," which combines a mountain that fills the Purdue Galleries space with a video that explores the narrative of Hades and Persephone, flying saddles and the underground experiences of a cast of 17 characters. (Photo contributed)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2005/galleries-mcmillan.jpg
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