STATES OF BEING

A solo Exhibition featuring the work of second-year MFA Candidate, Andrew Somoskey.

Exhibition Reception Friday, October 6, 6PM-8PM

Artist Statement

At its core, my work examines identity and social constructs within society through the language of abstraction. Does the individual form society, or does society form the individual? What constitutes identity and the values of society; and ultimately determines who one is? What is the true representation of ‘self’; is it physical or digital? Is meaning gained or lost through these multiple representations?

My process is heavily influenced by my experience in construction and demolition. I use the grid as a surrogate for humanity and social structures. The grid has a power to harness a multiplicity of identities and existences in various stages of completion. Through these multiple modes of representation, I am not just questioning what makes something complete or incomplete, but what dictates the standard by which it is judged.

Self – Clarissa R Gerber

Show Dates: May 25- July 21, 2018
Reception: Saturday, July 21

Artist Statement

Whether understood as complex physiological organisms or as souls swaddled in flesh, humans embody mystery and potentiality. My interest goes beyond the unseen and incorporeal elements to embrace the physicality of people as well as their collective psychology. I find subtle moments revealing—the tension in an arm, the curve of a shoulder, the intense look in an eye, and the connections people make when they look at each other.

My work rides the edge between different modes of painting with color acting as a central component. I am drawn to that space where representation meets abstraction and where volume and flatness intersect. Overlapping marks create layers of paint that both reveal and conceal, similar to our physical surroundings’ ability to both reflect and influence our identity. My current series acts as both a study of persona and as conduit to express emotion for myself, for the model, and for the viewer. Through the use of color and the expressive language of paint, my work connects the personal to that which links us as human beings.

Biography

Clarissa R Gerber received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting from Michigan State University in 2011. Gerber is a figurative painter who uses color and the expressive language of paint to present the human form, both physically and psychologically. Her work has been exhibited numerous times in national juried exhibitions, including the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition in Brooklyn, New York; Gallery 263 in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Union Street Gallery in Chicago Heights, Illinois; and First Street Gallery in New York City. In 2015, Gerber had a solo exhibition entitled Sensation in the Sheetz and McLanahan Galleries on the campus of Penn State Altoona. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Art at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. Additional information and images of Gerber’s work are available at ClarissaRGerber.com.

SOMETIMES BLUEBIRD

June 2 – July 15, 2018
Reception Friday, June 1, 2018 6–8pm

Sometimes Bluebird featuring the work of Marcos Valella, Britta Urness, and Jacquelynn Sullivan. This special exhibition is organized by Britta Urness. Sometimes Bluebird brings the work of three artists together to discover new layers of abstraction, the relationship between humans and experience, and what can materialize as an object – as an artwork – or appear as an activity. All three artists lean on differing subject matter (permanence, action, memory, communication, the self) and the resulting installations can be read as both ephemeral or long-lasting.

THEN NOW

Featuring Dianne Wolter’s paintings and sculptures.

August 3- October 5, 2018

Reception September 8, 3-5PM

ARTIST STATEMENT

Painting provides me a process driven opportunity to experiment, discover, manipulate, play, and sometimes even tell a story. I value mark making and like to see evidence of the history of the process in the finished painting. Narrative has been a component of my art that allows me to ask questions and make observations. I use whimsy as a means to enliven or to soften the content. Recurring themes and images return to new environments. Images that possess a personal iconography are infused with content from experiences and memories that hold power. I begin by creating an active ground plane, and then working out to the surface, sometimes finding rather than imposing imagery. I enjoy working figuratively, layering, searching for ideas and inspiration from the manipulation of the media, and often but not always embracing a narrative.

Adding papier-mâché sculpture to my studio involvement has been a logical and natural extension to my previous singular focus of two-dimensional work.  The process is reductive, starting with foam forms that have been created by gluing construction foam into blocks that can be carved. Papier-mâché mulch and layers of paper finish off the surfaces and ease transitions and contours. The torn paper can communicate a new narrative while holding onto its past. I find myself stacking forms which is another way of layering, bringing elements together in proximity or support, contrasting familiar with fantastic.

BIO

Dianne Wolter graduated from Michigan State University in 1965 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a teaching certificate. Teaching and studio involvement have been the focus of her professional life since then.  She concentrated on fabric collage for the first 14 years of her creative journey, teaching it in public schools throughout southern Michigan sponsored by the Michigan Council for the Arts. In 1979, Wolter began teaching after school art classes in her home studio to area children. Sharing her studio with children was a rewarding and meaningful opportunity. To concentrate more fully on her own art, she retired from teaching in 2002 to focus more on painting. A whim to make a cat riding on a unicycle introduced sculpture as an additional interest. Since then, Wolter has been enjoying both sculpture and painting.

For more information about Dianne’s work please visit her website:

http://www.diannewolter.com/