With a gallery opening that works well with the Chicago SOFA audience, Illinois Wesleyan University’s Ames School of Art will feature the work of glass artists Lindy Ihrman and Leslie Speicher.
On Thursday, Nov. 1 at 1:30 p.m., Ihrman and Speicher will visit Illinois Wesleyan for a reception and artist talk on their exhibit “Strata,” which uses kiln-formed glass to create a sense of narrative through imagery and juxtaposition.
Lindy Ihrman, ” Transcend”, digital photography, enamel and kiln cast glass; 15 x 9 x 2½ inches.
Ihrman’s distinctive art style blends layers of glass sheets and digital imagery to create three-dimensional pieces that generally seek to convey a story. A glass artist from West Michigan for over fifteen years, she has had her work featured in exhibitions throughout the U.S. and Britain. Ihrman said of her works in the show “I have always been interested in how we connect with the natural world around us. My sculptures draw the viewer in to a particular story where light and dark, now and then, time and space are all unfolding.”
Chicago-based glass artist Leslie Speicher is notable for her distinct emphasis on color, form and texture when handcrafting her pieces. She also runs her own art studio, Chicago Glass Collective, which offers workshops, lectures and studio space for both beginning and experienced artists to improve their skills within a community. Prior to opening her studio in 2012, Speicher taught 3D Design at the University of Miami and glassmaking at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Leslie Speicher, “Districts, Demographics and Algorithms”, fused glass
Speicher’s work in this exhibit focuses on the function as well as the perception of networks grids and boundaries in everyday life. Using her hometown of Chicago as the basis of her series, she examines the system of gerrymandering (the practice of manipulating the boundaries of an area) by creating transparent layered glass maps and graphs made with fused glass and stringers. Her panels strive to examine and dissect they systems that distort and affect the concept of “one person, one vote”.
STRATA
The Merwin & Wakely Galleries at Illinois Wesleyan University Ames School of Art
6 Ames Plaza West
Bloomington, Illinois 61701
Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday: 12 – 4 pm Tuesday evening: 7 – 9 pm • Saturday and Sunday: 1 – 4 pm