ART BEACON

Innovative Art Paves the Way for Skate Park

rachelbuse — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:26:00 -0400

Silent Auction and Exhibition on view until June 20th, 2013

James, age 8, posing in front of custom skate decks on view at Shove It! (Photo: Heath Hardage Lee)

Review from guest contributor Heath Hardage Lee

June 12, 2013

Friday night my eight-year-old son James and I were on our own for the evening. Dad/husband was out of town, and tween daughter was at a spend-the-night party. What cool and creative night out could a cartoon and skateboard-loving boy and art-obsessed mom both enjoy?

Shove It! was IT….

The Baykid Army Amasses!! (Photo: Source)

This extensive paper toy/custom skateboard exhibition opened Friday night at the Polk Country Heritage Gallery in downtown Des Moines. The show is the brainchild of photographer and artist Beau Scott who grew up the Newport Beach, California, (remember the T.V. show the O.C.?), skateboarding. Scott enlisted the aid and expertise of Ian Miller, owner of the Thee Eye Gallery, to put together the show. The co-curators created a laid-back, So-Cal vibe where everyone ages eight to eighty was warmly welcomed.

Curator Beau Scott with Shove It mascot (Photo: Heath Hardage Lee)

The goal of the exhibition and related silent auction Friday is to generate funds to build a Des Moines Regional Skatepark. Scott and Miller used Kickstarter, an online funding tool to raise money to create the show. 90 percent of the proceeds from the event will go towards funding the proposed Skatepark.

Now to the art…

Artists from twenty-nine different cities and five continents contributed pieces to the show. The artists’ charge: create two works of art: a custom skateboard deck and a coordinating paper toy. The results were dazzling. Our favorites:

Sacred Diamond Tattoo Mike Diamond’s Great Gatsby-flavored flapper image. (Photo: Heath Hardage Lee)

Beau Scott’s black crow silhouettes, inspired by one of his photographs. The stylish Penny Knox is posed next to her son’s work here. (Photo: Heath Hardage Lee)

James’s pick: the Dan-Flavin-esque light sculpture skateboard by Neon Specialties. (Photo: Heath Hardage Lee)

Scott hopes that Des Moines will continue its ascent from flyover zone to stop-over-and stay-zone through original art and attractions like the proposed Skatepark comments Scott. “The civic openness and creativity we have here is what makes Des Moines a great city. If the park is built, it will be like a jewel in our crown.”

Heath comes from a museum education, historic preservation, and writing background. She started her museum career at the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the Program and Education Director. Heath has since worked as a consultant for significant southern historical museums such as Stratford Hall, Robert E. Lee’s birthplace, and Menokin Plantation, home to Francis Lightfoot Lee. She has written for numerous magazines, newspapers and blogs. Heath is currently under contract for her first book, Winnie Davis: Daughter of the Lost Cause, abiography of Varina Anne “Winnie” Davis, daughter of Confederate President, Jefferson Davis. Heath holds a B.A. in History from Davidson College, and an M.A. in French Language and Literature from the University of Virginia. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa and loves being a docent at the Des Moines Art Center. Her favorite pastime is exploring all the super cool art museums and galleries across the Midwest.

Art Opening Line -Up

rachelbuse — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:19:00 -0400

Bones triptych on view at Shove It!

Shows opening tonight and tomorrow have linked info to them. Shows are updated regularly on our google calendar. Email us your event, and well put it on the calendar. Happy First Friday.

Thursday June 6:

5 PM - Ankeny Art Center - D. Ryan Allen

5 PM - Ankeny Art Center - John & Jason Brommel

6 PM - West Glen - Jill Wells

FIRST FRIDAY June 7:

5 PM - RAYGUN - Lucas Moser

7 PM - Thee EYE - SHOVE IT!

Happy artting!

PREVENT PASSIVE RESPONSE. RESPOND TO THE ART YOU SEE. Submit to Art Beacon.

Paddle Boating with Francis Cugat

rachelbuse — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:24:00 -0400

Response by guest contributor Holly Wist

June 5, 2013

Francis Cugat (1893-1981) was born in Spain, raised in Cuba, and educated in Paris at Ecole des Beaux Arts <a school with a Renoir ~ Louis XIV kind of flavor> After completing his education, Cugat arrived at New York with his family in July of 1915. He was 22. Shortly thereafter he volunteered to make a poster for the opera singer Rosa Riasa so that he could introduce his art to Chicago.

Cleofonte Campanini (1860-1919) <a man with a fantastic moustache> the conductor and artistic director of the Chicago Opera Association loved Cugat’s work so much that he commissioned at least 12 additional portraits of opera members.

In this poster for the opera Carmen, Cugat highlighted Muratore’s face from the back. The shadowed side of singer’s profile is disappearing into the background. The effect is stopped by his sideburn and the thin black outline his neck and chin.

Giacomo Rimini’s hair is implied by a thin white line.

These paintings were used in newspaper ads and lowbrow places like department stores. Although the posters drew huge crowds, the style of Cugat’s art was considered offensively garish. There was a dispute amongst the art crowd because Cugat and Campanini were “Billing Grand Opera Like a Circus.” Cugat’s next project transitioned from “like a circus” to a very literal carnival.

Francus Cugat’s “Celestial Eyes”

The gauche painting Celestial Eyes graced the dust jacket of the first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Celestial Eyes is the only known book cover created by Cugat. Unlike other cover art of the time, it was created with some collaboration between artist and author prior to the book’s completion. See: NOTE

The line work in Celestial Eyes does not conform to any face, but rolls in currents across the paper. The blocky elements evident in Cugat’s compositions for the opera have been removed. The images in Celestial Eyes are disorienting and fluid. Naked women circ-de-sole in the eyes of a crying woman’s face. Her enigmatic profile is reflected on the water with the riotous 1920s Coney Island. The whole image reads as a scene reflected on water. The painting is titled CELESTIAL Eyes, which seems to imply eyes floating in the sky. I think the “celestial” has more to do with an otherworldly/unobtainable quality. Try to catch the moon by cupping water in your hands.

Cugat’s painting is masterfully suited for The Great Gatsby. Other people would disagree with me, Ernest Hemingway thought the painting, “looked the book jacket for a book of bad science fiction.” Cugat’s art wasn’t artistic enough. There is an identical argument about the new Gatsby film.

circus : new Gatsby movie :: opera : The Great Gatsby book & cover

What is it about The Great Gatsby by its nature, that attracts this contrast between the frivolous arts and arts we perceive as noble? Are we critics “boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past?”

Holly Wist is an artist working in Des Moines. Read about her recent exhibitions, Interjections and Viking Funeral.

What's in a word?

rachelbuse — Tue, 28 May 2013 12:53:00 -0400

Bart Vargas, Moberg Gallery

May 24th - July 6th

Installation of work by Bart Vargas

Review by Rachel Buse

May 28, 2013

Words. They mean things. We got a dictionary to remind us of those meanings. We also learn meanings from hearing a word in context, attached to a string of others. Depending on how many times we see them printed, written or hear ‘em spoken, their meaning and impact evolves. What’s your favorite word right now? What’s the worst word you can think of?

A year ago, Bart Vargas started painting patterns of dots into shapes we recognize as capitalized letters. The first letters built the words BIG TIME. This piece was on view at Moberg’s 10^th Anniversary show. After a general positive response, he decided to continue with these paintings. Some of his words are sourced from asking friends for a “word of the day”. From the pool of suggestions, he’ll select which of them should be painted.

Vargas’s MAYBE FOREVER

MAYBE FOREVER was a request from someone wanting a word painting in honor of getting hitched. When Vargas asked them for which he should paint, they suggested “maybe forever.” And this is what was painted. Vargas said he liked it cause the phrase sounds both “doubtful yet hopeful”. The bride did not find it so charming. The miscommunication in this exchange can be challenged in each word painting. Every word having the opportunity to be interpreted differently, for better or worse.

Installation of work by Bart Vargas

Vargas’s paint is thick. It’s rubbery. Or like modeling clay. Each and every dot has a bit of body. Vargas got both his BFA and MFA in sculpture, which explains his beefy surface and the physicality of each word. I forgot to ask about his process as we were busy wrestling with the significance of words. The choices he offers in scale and color allows you to be choosy in selecting which word’s meaning associates the most with you. Which fuck is your favorite? The gold and red one? Do you wanna small one, a big one, or a repeat fuck?

Also on view at Moberg, Travis Rices’s three multi-colored shredded paper towers. Walk through this mini forest to the back left to find the word installation.

Travis Rice’s “ACCUMULATION”

Zines coming around the bend.

rachelbuse — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:12:00 -0400

The zine suitcase received a structural upgrade to compensate for the multitude of zines being made.

Event recap from Rachel

May 17, 2013

The Zine Suitcase is headed to Market Day tomorrow. It will also be at next weeks Art Friends event. The price to take some is to make some. Everything in the suitcase is up for grabs. Many new gems were created during March’s Zine Zowee. There are also stickers and a few hand made sketchbooks to be had.

Layla and her gramps working diligently (right).

Evidence over the social media reveals many participants continuing to zine in their individual lives. Please enjoy some pleasing images from the newest crop of zines and links to the genius makers who made them:

RUA ARNOLD <———DOWNLOAD FULL COLOR PDF

DEREK ARNOLD <———DOWNLOAD FULL COLOR PDF

MICKEY DAVIS

RYAN HANSEN

GOOD KID ROB

JON PEARSON (LEFT), CAT ROCKETSHIP (RIGHT)

LAYLA!

Two high school student contributions from our trip to Lamoni.

AVALAN WILSON

Rob, Derek and Rua! (left to right)

At the next Art Friends event, expect zine making, french press coffee, some art supplies and a room full of makers. Bring works in progress to work on, draw from the figure, make a collage…. How you take advantage of the time is up to you. Hope to see ya. Bring your friends.

FACEBOOK EVENT

May snow brings new art shows.

rachelbuse — Fri, 03 May 2013 01:13:00 -0400

The Polk County Heritage Gallery hosts Thee EYE tomorrow eve. Not to miss!

HI FROM THE ART BEACON. Heads up. Today is the First Friday of May 2013. Also there is an art show at Frame Works opening on Saturday. And a brainstorm about an artist database at Sunday. Please attend, spread the word and respond.

Friday May 3:

5 PM - East Village Craft Crawl

5 PM - Anderson Gallery - Figmentation

6 PM - Brent Westphal

6 PM - Thee EYE - III A Medley of Sculpture, Light and Canvas

7 PM - Sound Rover: Ramona Muse & Derek Lambert

Saturday May 4:

4 PM - Mesbah’s Light and Color Art Exhibition Opening

Sunday May 5:

3 PM - Centralized Artist Database - First Meeting

Happy artting!

PREVENT PASSIVE RESPONSE. RESPOND TO THE ART YOU SEE. Submit to Art Beacon.

Elegance in the Ordinary

rachelbuse — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:53:13 -0400

Tilly Woodward at Olson-Larsen

April 12 - June 1, 2013

NEST SPOON Oil on archival mat board 11 x 9

Review by Alissa Sheldon

April 29, 2013

April 12, Spring Gallery Night in Valley Junction, found another well-hosted opening at Olson-Larsen Galleries. The Snacks were playing, the wine was pouring, and the crudités were abundant. The show, featuring new work from Scott Charles Ross, Sarah Grant, and Tilly Woodward was clearly a success. As the crowd wandered through the pleasantly meandering gallery, a quiet bottleneck began to form at the first curve. Here was the work of Tilly Woodward, and it was stopping people in their tracks.

There is something quietly meditative about the work of Woodward. She takes subjects that the typical viewer may be inclined to dismiss and makes them treasured icons of simpler times - times free of multitasking, text messaging, and racing from one don’t-miss activity to the next. Everyday subjects – a fish, a spoon, a bird’s nest – are taken out of the hustle and bustle of context and placed elegantly against a vast black field. In doing so, Woodward calms the eye and gives the viewer an opportunity to focus on the intricacy of each item. It is easy to fall into a peaceful contemplation of what our eyes and minds often take for granted.

EGGS X2, RUBBER BAND BALL Oil on archival mat board 11 x 9

Woodward cites the Northern Renaissance as an influence, and indeed her treatment of a baseball or a cicada exudes the same reverence as portraits of kings and queens did centuries ago. The mundane is elevated to nobility. Of course, Woodward’s use of oil aids in this effect, and she is incredibly adept with the medium.

The petite scale of her work adds to this feeling as well. That the subjects themselves occupy such a small space gives the impression of gazing at a treasure inside a jewel box, and viewers may be surprised to find themselves seriously considering the symbolic relation of a rubber band ball to an egg.

Whether it is Woodward’s intent or not, perhaps the world needs more of these opportunities to pause, reflect, and just plain breathe. For the gift of that moment, the crowd at Olson-Larsen thanks her.

slowartday: thisartstudent: How to look at art slowly 1. Stare...

catrocketship — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 13:53:46 -0400

slowartday:

thisartstudent:

How to look at art slowly

1. Stare directly ahead and soften your focus on your eyes.

2. Breathe in and out from your mouth, with your lips slightly open.

3. Do this for 5 minutes

4. Thoughts?

The result? Possibly the most calming and insightful experience I’ve ever had with art. The artist that was taking us through, Raphael Zimmerman, was really getting to the point of looking at things and beyond that.

For me, it’s really changed my philosophy on how I see art now. That’s how much of an impact slow art day has been for me. Strangely moving.

This is a fantastic report! We’re so glad that the event had such a profound impact on the way you look at art.

Apocalypse Maybe

rachelbuse — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:48:00 -0400

Curtis Poortinga’s “Apocalypse Maybe”, Mars Cafe

April 2013

Ganesh, (Hindu master and remover of obstacles.)

Review by guest contributor Rua Arnold

April 26, 2013

Curtis Poortinga, of Des Moines, is currently exhibiting a colorful and surreal series at Mars Cafe. A modern take on religious and mythical stories, the pieces are a beautifully interesting take on life and death.

The movement, colors and shapes have a very midcentury modern feel, which is very appealing.

My favorite was Apis (perhaps because of sitting below it I got to spend the most time with it). In Egyptian mythology, Apis was a bull deity who represented a king who became a deity after death. The way the bull stares at the viewer almost feels like he’s challenging you — daring you to look away first.

Apis, (egyptian god of fertility, harvest, etc.)

Hades and Persephone, another beautiful piece, shows a modern take on the Greek myth where Persephone was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld. In this instance, they are shown riding a motorcycle with Hades portrayed as a skeleton. Persephone seems unhappy and aware of her fate.

Hades and Persephone

Despite the dark themes in this show, there is joy in each piece. Go to Mars Cafe soon to take joy in these pieces before the exhibit is over.

—

Rua Arnold is a graphic designer living in downtown Des Moines whose opinions have previously been published on trailerhomepodcast.com. Her work can be found at ruaarnold.com and her blog is at ruaarnold.tumblr.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ruaarnold.

Dr. Seuss is an epic badass.

rachelbuse — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:35:00 -0400

Kavanaugh Art Gallery, Spring Gallery Night in Valley Junction

April 12, 2012

Exterior of Kavanaugh Art Gallery. Photo: Kavanaugh

Response by guest contributor Holly Wist

April 23, 2013

You didn’t know Dr. Seuss made taxidermy sculptures, did you? Me neither. Reproductions of Dr. Seuss’ Unorthodox Taxidermy are on display at the Kavanaugh Art Gallery in Valley Junction.

In the 1930’s Seuss used horns and beaks from the zoo where his father worked to make sculptural pieces. The creatures look like exotic game mounted and stuffed for a billiard room. (Maybe somebody’s smoking a cigar in there.) The appearance of them makes me wonder, who is shooting Dr. Seuss characters?

Dr. Seuss “Mulberry Street Unicorn” circa 1938, and reproduction

Seuss tackled racism, environmental concerns, and such in his storybooks. I think the confusing, unpleasant deadness of these creatures is intentional. Given the way we treat real animals, Dr. Seuss’ ought naught to be exempt. Imaginary creatures are thrust into very real circumstances.

Curiosity about Dr. Seuss’ Unorthodox Taxidermy prompted me to spend the better part of two days on a cyber adventure into the art of taxidermy. Robert Rauschenberg, Damien Hirst, and Berlinde De Bruyckere were noteworthy.

If you’re still hungry for more, “Taxidermy in Art” has a fantastic overview of contemporary artists working with taxidermy. See: http://taxidermy-in-art.tumblr.com/

Holly Wist is an artist working in Des Moines. Read about her recent exhibitions, Interjections and Viking Funeral.

A small yellow painting wears a bra.

rachelbuse — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:44:00 -0400

Holly Wist’s Interjections, Scottish Rite Park

April 2 - 30, 2013

Wist’s “Interjection with Monogram” Photo: Jon Pearson

Review by Rachel Buse

April 12, 2013

In a small art gallery in the belly of Scottish Rite Park senior living, Holly Wist hosted a tea party and revealed her latest series of paintings, “Interjections”. The journey to this tiny room is littered in muted tones. In the gallery, Wist’s paintings are small and loud. Her colors are bright. The use of acidic yellow is particularly arresting. I asked Wist about the choice of color and she directed me to this video:

Many of the canvases are “wearing” bras. They are painted on. Some are of the backside, where you see the hook and eye closures. One is composed under the armpit, exposing a bit of hand embroidery. Flesh is implied through a plane of bright color being held by the structural personality of each brazier.

Wist’s “Interjection with lace” Photo: Jon Pearson

I saw these bras as having a caring and supportive relationship with the body they are intended to hold. Floral accents direct subtle attention and thoughtfulness to the individual bras. At the tea party, Wist recalled when her mother surprised her with a bit of embroidery on the cuff of her jacket. A simple gesture motivated by a powerful intention of caring.

Wist’s statement Photo: Rachel Buse

Wist’s “Interjections” is both defiant and compassionate. Her statement both acknowledges and reacts to assumed expectations tied to being an artist, a lady and a person. Even though you’ve missed the tea party, you can still have your interjection with the bras.

“Interjections” run through April 30th. Visit the Scottish Rite Park Art Gallery which is open Monday thru Friday 8 AM - 5 PM. Go in the front door walk down the hallway to the right, the gallery will be on your left hand side.

Weekend summation of where to see some art.

rachelbuse — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:54:00 -0400

Curtis Poortinga’s Apis, (egyptian god of fertility, harvest, etc.). Reception Saturday.

Attention! Art shows! Tonight and tomorrow. Very exciting! RESPOND.

Friday April 12:

5 PM - Anderson Gallery - Proximity

Gallery Night in Valley Junction!

5 PM - Buffalo Bonker at Kavanaugh Art Gallery

5 PM - Olson Larsen - Sarah Grant, Scott Charles Ross, Tilly Woodward

Saturday Apirl 13th:

NOON - Hops & Crafts Handmade Market - Spring Show

2:30 PM - ADAI Student Exhibition

6 PM - Mars - Curtis Poortinga’s “Apocalypse Maybe”

Happy artting!

PREVENT PASSIVE RESPONSE. RESPOND TO THE ART YOU SEE. Submit to Art Beacon.

Alison Thomas’s Managerie, Graceland University April 2-...

rachelbuse — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:10:00 -0400

Alison Thomas’s Managerie, Graceland University

April 2- April 11, 2013. Reception, April 6, 6:30 - 8:00 PM

Review by Cat

April 6, 2013

This week the small town of Lamoni in southern Iowa brings the senior show of Alison Thomas and her cut paper animals.

Each head, more than a dozen in all, consists of layers of patterned scrapbook paper, and is hung suspended from the ceiling several inches from the wall. The effect of this installation suggests movement and life, and it would be a very different show were the animals hung on the wall more traditionally.

But Thomas’ show has myriad strengths: beautiful lighting, personable subjects, inviting palettes, and a lovingly-handled space (Thomas painted the neutral gray stripe on the wall before mounting her exhibition). Many small decisions add up to much extra effort and a very impressive show by the Graceland University senior. Additionally, she has achieved much with scrapbook paper; a maligned medium known more for kitsch and consumerism than fine art.

Alison Thomas’ show is up through April 12 in the fine arts building on the Graceland campus. Go see it. Bids are now open on her pieces, beginning at $50.

FIRST FRIDAYYYY in April

rachelbuse — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:55:00 -0400

Enjoy a tea party at Holly Wist’s Interjections.

HI FROM THE ART BEACON. Spring has arrived, which means lots of art shows. Art Beacon could use your voice reporting back on the shows you attend. How?? Here’s how. The April First Friday line up:

Friday April 5:

4 PM - Interjections - Holly Wist Tea Party

5 PM - First Water - Jennifer Mitchard

6 PM - Hominini Requiem - Katelyn Ilene McBurney

7 PM - The Lift - Ashley Tape Fleming’s Featheredge

Happy artting!

PREVENT PASSIVE RESPONSE. RESPOND TO THE ART YOU SEE. Submit to Art Beacon.

CUT AND PASTE ZEN AT ZANZIBARS

lil-man-o-man — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:20:37 -0400

Deb Anders-Bond, Zanzibars

March 2013

“Trees” by Deb Anders-Bond (image courtesy of the artist)

Review by Jon

Deb Anders-Bond is a collage maestro. From drawers and drawers of magazine snips, carefully chosen and archived, this wizard of the art of collage spins stories. For this showing at Zanzibars, the artist chose to hang exclusively digital collage work. Deb makes collages with narrative based imagery which are often infused with personal memories and inside jokes. Asking the artist about any one of the pieces yields a patient, and smiling account of the tales behind the work, and how the stories and careful selection of images were merged.

“Birds” by Deb Anders-Bond (image courtesy of the artist)

In “Birds” the artist is hearkening back to a childhood of wonder, color, and mystery. Many of the works evoke those feelings of childhood wonderment and play. The love of the matriarchs in the artist’s life are displayed in this piece, where a culture of reading and investigation of the natural world melded into a wonderful soup.

“Proved by the Highest Scientific Authority!” by Deborah Des Moines (image courtesy of the artist)

The image above has an almost fauvist sensibility in it’s color melange. The primary colors are all represented in strength and tertiary colors bind the piece together. One added bonus of this piece is in how it is presented and hung with brass holes in each corner and mounted on double-thick foam core, almost posing as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the circus posters of yesterday. An audacious claim in grammatically incorrect language travels around the border; the text serving to frame the work and supplying context for the spectacle taking place.

“In the grand spectacle of Charlemagne!” by Deb Anders-Bond(image courtesy of the artist)

The picture above seems to dwell in the land of twilight. We see the “lifer,” the entertainer, dwelling in the right handed portion of the composition. The face is skeletal, eyes hollowed; “The circus life aint easy,” could be tattooed across his chest. The totemic presence to the left of the composition relays a sense of separation between the performer and stage life which may allude to the consumptive nature of performance; the audience always demanding more of the spectacle and the spectacular.

I am struck by the fluidity of Deb’s collage work achieved by the computer. The digital realm allows for much freedom making the re-sizing of imagery and playing with text, color, and opacity much easier. The result yields a much more “painterly” use of space, where blending can supplant the hard edges and 100% opacity of traditional collage methods. I think it works for this artist in ways that the old exacto and glue stick can’t.

This show will be on display at Zanzibar’s coffee shop on Ingersoll Ave. and 28th through April 7th.

EVENT INFO!!!!!!

rachelbuse — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:36:00 -0400

EVENT INFO!!!!!!

Transparent, or not?

rachelbuse — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:47:00 -0400

Transparencies, Des Moines Art Center

February 22 — May 22, 2013

Above: Convertible Series, Group 10 | Monir Farmanfarmaian

Review by Chad Michael Cox

The Des Moines Art Center currently displays an exhibit entitled Transparencies. My wife had mentioned her interest in viewing this exhibit a month prior to the opening, so the Cox family eagerly entered the solemn gallery on a Saturday afternoon. Well, mostly it was my two boys who eagerly run into every building, but I understand my role as their father. It falls to me to rule with a firm hand, so I quickly subdued them with firm sounding words like, “get”, “don’t”, “if I ever”, “that’s enough”, and my favorite, “stop or I’ll tell your mother.”

The irony of this exhibit is in the name itself. Nothing on display can be classified as being transparent. Indeed, there are mirrors, stained-glass creations, and a dark room with a multi-media piece. That is my favorite as it relates to the term: transparent. In the dark room we discovered a series of glass shards that are driven into a large piece of plexi-glass. (Think Color-Brite from the 1980’s.) The shards form the image of a large, crystal chandelier. It should have been the most “transparent” of any of the pieces. Instead, the artist has placed the work in a dark room and uses a projector to add ambience. The projected image creates the illusion of a dust-coated chandelier gently cleansed by droplets of rain seeping through a hole in the roof which eventually gives way, resulting in a more thorough and robust cleansing. It is a moving work of art, but it is not transparent.

I am a huge fan of art exhibits which produce both internal and external dialogue, and I left the Art Center thankful for contemplations. What was the curator attempting to stimulate within the viewer? What was being revealed? I then realized that the transparent object was not the artwork but rather the viewer. Each piece revealed something new about me. The handheld mirrors for example, the first piece on display, with faces from the past still reflected in them, caused me to wonder what image I will leave behind. A reflective mosaic scattered my reflection in a thousand directions. But the black glass, beautifully arranged to resemble large drops of water, reflected nothing. I was forced to gaze upon the darkness within; my soul captured like smoke in a bottle.

Above: Smoke Art in Bottles by Jim Dingilian

Images and Things

rachelbuse — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:07:00 -0500

Emily Newman’s Sightings, FLUXX Gallery

February 2013

“Visible and mobile, my body is a thing among things; it’s caught in the fabric of the world, and its cohesion is that of a thing. But, because it moves itself and sees, it holds things in a circle around itself.”

― Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Close up of “The Misperception of Objects On Carpet” Photo: FLUXX

Review by guest contributor Benjamin Gardner

March 5, 2013

My first experience with Emily Newman’s exhibition at FLUXX could be taken as a simplistic read, though I think that it is actually a poignant one; it feels like Newman is invested in making work about what predominantly happens in our peripheral vision—the fleeting moment that you think a brown paper bag is actually a small mammal, the perceptual mixing of images (what is reported to our brain), objects (the three dimensional-ness of that image in how we can navigate within it), and meaning. If there is a rabbit in my periphery, I might walk more slowly as to not scare it away. If there is a brown paper bag, my reaction is obviously much different, and hopefully I walk over to it and pick it up for proper disposal or reuse.

Close up of “I Thought It Was a Bunny’ Photo: FLUXX

The way that Newman’s work does this, however, is by asking the viewer to look on an instinctive level that is counter-intuitive in the gallery setting. More often than not, we are forcing meaning and understanding upon work in a gallery. Newman’s work in the exhibition unfolds infinitely when one can look at them with normal cognition—the looking and thinking that we (within Merleau-Ponty’s “fabric of the world”) accomplish while driving, walking, and multi-tasking. This unfolding is found in the meaning located within the context of the ways that we see objects and assign meaning to their form. In the piece Misperception of Objects on Carpet, for example, not only do the three sculptural forms sticking up from the carpet have their own image/objectness, but their cast shadows also create an additional image of each; were the viewer looking only at the shadows, those shadow-images could reference an entirely different form. What we anticipate would make a shadow on a carpet (which is domestic and familiar) is undoubtedly different than the crab claw or jawbone and teeth that are actually casting the shadow. The piece is both familiar and out of place; quite stunning and ephemeral, and creates a sort of loop of perception and interpretation.

Installation shot Photo: FLUXX

Photography, too, is an added complexity to the relationship between image and object; the camera pretends that it understands the three dimensional space which we inhabit but it only does so by an averaging of light and shadow. In the installation of photographs titled Pilgrimage and the single image Mistakes on Salt Lake Newman is working with the image as a signifier of reality in a physical manifestation. It smoothly takes some of the cognition required for the three-dimensional work and applies it to the material of photography. Additional image-reality relationships are formed in Pilgrimage by using two images, separated by a border, of the same scene and different manifestations of symmetry throughout the piece. In most places the gold and silver leaf work perfectly—snapping the viewer out of a believable space, but in a few areas it was more difficult for me to make the leap and see it as more than material addition.

“Beauty In The Daily Pick-up” Photo: FLUXX

Newman’s exhibition is incredibly well thought out and transforms the gallery space in a way that many artists yearn for—by asking us to be cognizant of the work in a different manner. The pure ephemerality of the exhibition is incredibly fitting; we don’t always see Beauty in the Daily Pickup of dog feces, but aesthetic moments, images, and objects are a standard structure of our understanding of reality.

Benjamin Gardner is an artist living and working in Des Moines, Iowa. He is also an Assistant Professor of Art + Design at Drake University where he teaches drawing classes as well as courses that explore personal identity theories, existentialism, and ideas of place, space, and living. Additionally, Ben spends a lot of time growing food, looking at the sky, and reading about folklore and superstition. He maintains a website that collects artist’s writings (Methodsofbeing.com). You can see Ben’s studio work at benjaminagardner.com.

Mouthful of Art, First Weekend of March

rachelbuse — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 14:07:00 -0500

Dora Malech’s “Began & Begins”. See more of her work here.

Art shows and art talks are a plenty this weekend. Mars Cafe is promising a multi-dimensional experience with poetry, film & art tonight. Also, be fancy at the Hoyt Sherman for the 105th Women’s Group Exhibition. Tomorrow, there is a large group show at The Fremont. And Sunday, a special dialogue called Mindful Museum with DMAC docents, Madelyn Mayberry and Jon Oakland. Hanging with those two is a good time, speaking from experience. They are opinionated and passionate art lovers. Really excited about Mindful Museum. Would be a good time to see the new Transparencies show, too. Here’s all the info for these events:

Tonight, Friday March 1:

5 PM - Hoyt Sherman - Des Moines Women’s Group 105th

7 PM - Mars Cafe - Film, Poetry, & Art: Dora Malech & Jason Livingston

Tomorrow, Saturday March 2:

7 PM - The Fremont - That 70s Art Show

Sunday, March 3rd:

1:30 PM - Des Moines Art Center - Mindful Museum

Happy artting!

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Finds Light in the Dark

rachelbuse — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:18:08 -0500

Kindra Noel’s “Shades of Gray”, Genus Landscape Architects

February 2013

Noel’s “Beautiful View” Photo: Nicci Simon Cooper

Review by Alissa

February 27, 2013

A brief disclaimer: You know you are in trouble as an art critic when you walk into a show and, before you have so much as snapped a photo or jotted a note, you have whipped out your wallet and purchased a piece.

This was exactly my knee-jerk reaction to Kindra Noel’s show, “Shades of Gray”, currently on display at Genus Landscape Architects. I walked through the door, my eyes locked on a gem, and I absolutely had to know it was mine before I could process another thought or take another step. Whether this completely discredits me as a “serious” reviewer or totally exults Noel as an artist is beside the point. This type of raw response to art does not come along every day – at least not for me – and I think it is worth noting.

Photo: Nicci Simon Cooper

“Shades of Gray is an exploration of hope, an illustration of joyous journeys through troubled times,” Noel writes in her artist’s statement. I have never met the artist, and so do not know what sort of “troubled times” her statement refers to. Even the symbolism she uses has universality to it – in one series, dark skeletons take on a vulnerability that could be interpreted as a health scare, a heart break, or a terrible loss. That Noel does not specify her struggle serves the collection well, making it that much more relatable and easily accessible to anyone who has survived a trial while still “embracing the magnificence of life”.

Viewing the show through this lens of Noel’s allows viewers to take in a seemingly everyday subject – say a simple landscape of the East Village or a camera - and infuse it with a sense of gratitude. The artist’s play between the ideas of light and dark – be it the colors chosen, the imagery used, or just simply the weight of a brushstroke – is evident throughout. These contradictions are subtle enough to work aesthetically, but pronounced enough to be conceptually arresting. The fact that Noel can convey such depth of emotion through her art without further verbiage is a testament to the promise of this young artist.

“Shades of Gray” is currently on display at Genus Landscape Architects at 325 East 5^th Street in Des Moines and may be viewed during business hours. For more information on the artist, visit kindranoel.com.