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Material World opened this weekend at artdc Gallery. The show focuses on artists and how they balance the use of materials and content.
This Saturday from 2-3 pm there will be a gallery talk featuring three artists: Sherill Anne Gross, Marie Ringwald and Michael Janis.
Material World
artdc Gallery
5710 Baltimore Avenue, Hyattsville, MD
Open thru April 3, 2011
Artists exhibiting include: Michael Janis, Marie Ringwald, Matthew Langely, JT Kirkland, Katherine Mann and Sherill Anne Gross. A second artist talk featuring Matt Langley will be held Saturday, April 2.
Chunky Patchwork Sheds – paint, wood, tar paper, various metals + nails; each about 6.5″ high x 5.5″ x 5.5″
Curator Stephen Boocks writes in the catalog of the show: “Marie Ringwald refers to herself as a minimalist but most viewers would not readily characterize her work that way.There are clear associations to architectural structures, primarily warehouses and barns…For Ringwald, developing in the 60s and 70s, minimalist abstraction seemed the most natural way of making art. After years of working in this manner she realized she was incorporating these architectural elements into her abstract works began asking, “Why not bring them out into the open? Why not incorporate the actual materials used in the construction of these structures?”
Again and Again – glass, fused glass powder imagery, steel, 20″ x 20″
In the exhibition catalog “Material World – Art Supplies in the Twentyfirst Century” curator Boocks writes: “When most people think of glass art, they typically think of blown glass (or hot glass) vessels like those of Dale Chihuly… Michael Janis works in the warm glass method that fuses glass elements together into one piece by layering multiple glass sheets together. The virtuosity of Janis’ technique supports his imagery, which is often tinged with a nostalgia for days where innocence reigned and magic seemed possible. Janis is not simply naïve, for there is a darker undercurrent to these works that speaks to the loss of this sense of wonder.”
Blood Sweat and Tears – paper, 18″ x 11″
“To say Sherill Anne Gross is obsessed with paper is an understatement. When the local Pearl art supply store went out of business, Gross purchased all of her favorite papers and many others to build quite a stock of materials… She is not only obsessive about her materials but also about her technique”…writes Boocks.
Here is a video of talented paper artist Sherill Gross as she cuts out her signature:
Click HERE for a link to the artdc Gallery catalog of the Material World exhibition.