The Mitchell Gallery at St. John’s College, Annapolis, Md., presents “Less is More: Small Works in a Great Space” from May 28 to June 15, 2014. The exhibition and fundraiser features small original works of art, no larger than 8x10x4”, selected by distinguished juror Domenic Iacono, director of Syracuse University Art Galleries. The exhibition includes 272 works of art from 186 artists from across the nation in various media: paintings, drawings, prints, ceramics, artist’s books, collages, mixed media, photographs, jewelry, and small sculpture. At the Premiere Opening reception attendees will have the first opportunity to purchase the original artwork on display, and enjoy delicious food, wine, beer, and a signature cocktail provided by Annapolis, Washington and Baltimore-area restaurants and businesses, and live music by the Rob Levit Duo. The Premiere Opening reception will be held the Mitchell Gallery and the Francis Scott Key lobby in Mellon Hall on May 28, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Tickets for the Premiere Opening: $100 per person, with special pricing of $75 until May 15 for St. John’s College alumni and Mitchell Gallery members. To reserve tickets online, visit: http://community.stjohnscollege.edu/lessismore or call 410-626-2536. Among the artists are several from Annapolis region, including Warren Kahle, C.L. Bigelow, and Angela Petruncio. All works of art will be for sale and can be viewed in the online gallery, visit: http://themitchellgallery.org/sales/. Online sales begin May 29. All proceeds benefit the educational programs of the Mitchell Gallery. Read more about the artists and their works in this exhibition below and at http://community.stjohnscollege.edu/lessismore
In addition to having curated several exhibitions, and written numerous print catalogs over the years, the distinguished juror of the exhibition Dominic Iacono teaches in the graduate museum studies program at Syracuse University; his area of special interest is the history and curatorship of prints.
The exhibit coordinator is Pamela McKee and the Premiere Opening Reception Chair is Carolyn Kammeier, both of Annapolis, Md.
About the Artists: Using a variety of media, artists submitting work in the “Less is More: Small Works in a Great Space” exhibition celebrate the rich spatial understanding of art. A few of the artists include:
C.L. Bigelow, who lives and teaches in Annapolis, explores the notion of beauty in small, discarded objects. Cast-off materials once considered detritus become carefully crafted metal nests, envelope, and mixed media assemblages at the hands of Bigelow. She remakes and reworks everyday objects until something new emerges from the slough of mundane. Bigelow explains that her goal is “to make the mundane interesting.”
Annapolis-based photographer Warren Kahle is an active retiree who undertakes landscape, natural, architectural, commercial, and portrait photography. His work captures scenes from local Annapolis, Maryland to Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia. Kahle was recognized as a Master of Photography at the Professional Photographer’s of the America National Convention in 2002 and received the Kodak Gallery Elite award at the PPA Convention in 2005. He is currently a member of the Maryland Federation of Art.
Chicago artist Joanna Anos is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her woodcuts and etchings investigate fundamental themes of transition, metamorphosis, and transference; engendered by loss; essential to becoming: how “we dive and reappear in new places,” as Emerson wrote in 1847. The relief and intaglio processes lend themselves to the potential of negative space: what is absent on the matrix may become present in ink on the paper or it may retain its presence as absence: the dark sphere of the “old” moon perceptible in the light of the new. Anos’ work tends to the abstract but retains references to earth and sky, above and below, formations that bespeak deformations and landscapes that embody change.
Angela Petruncio is a mixed-media artist, who lives and works in the Annapolis area. Her work has a narrative quality and builds upon the beauty and wonder of ordinary objects to tell a story. Of all the various forms of artistic expression, Petruncio finds “Found Art” to be the most freeing and satisfying art form. She lets the objects inspire the story; at times she gives the observer hints as to the stories that lie within the titles of her work. Her work explores the relationship of objects within small spaces and allows one to become lost in the little works Petruncio creates.
New York-based artist Lisa Chin’s work displays an intriguing combination of bubble wrap and prismacolor marker. In striking contrast to the refined quality of her materials, Chin’s art portrays natural scenes of “Fertile Ground,” “Noonday Sun,” and “Summer Rain.” Her environmental themes were recently exhibited in the Diane Kidd Gallery of Art’s “Sustainability” exhibition.
Atsuko Chirikjian is a mixed-media artist who has worked in both Japan and the United States lives in Towson, Md. Her use of wire, net, cheesecloth, and other materials creates a thought-provoking exploration of space. She says, “I stretch see-through cheese cloth on top of the canvas to create multiple layers and depth of the surface, and I draw lines and images on both surfaces.” Chirikjian is the recipient of the Semi-finalist, Nationwide “Japan Craft Competition ‘90” (Matsuya Ginza, Tokyo) award in 1990 and the School 33 Residencies (Baltimore, Md.) award in 1994.
Minneapolis artist Zach Collins’s work is an introspective and process-based investigation in uniting contrasting materials to form a completely new and visual whole. He works with overlooked fragments, discarded objects and vintage imagery collected from magazines, from second hand stores, and from off the streets. Embodying ideas of scattered memories, Collin considers his own experiences and often explores themes of support vs. restrain, bondage vs. freedom, and tension vs. nonchalance.
Susana Martinez Garten creates non-functional vessels, wall pieces, sculptural objects, and jewelry from firing vitreous enamels (glass fired on metal) in her studio in Rockville, Md. She uses basse-taille, firescale, and precious foil enamel techniques as a means of expression. Her work synthesizes natural textures, color, and pattern from the symbols, rituals, myths, customs, and traditions in various cultures. Garten works to reveal that certain elements are common to all cultures and link all human beings, hearts, and minds despite boundaries of time and space. Her work has been recognized in a range of exhibitions and has been appeared in publications including “The Maryland Gazette,” “Fiberarts,” the “Bethesada Patch,” and many others.
Palatine, Ill., artist Lisa Silver Goesling etches on Scratchboard, embracing the intricacies of repeated lines to form shapes, values, and contrast. Her meticulous work is inspired by everything from the random overlapping shapes of kale to the complex designs of an orchid. Images magically appear in the clay simply by scratching away at the layer of ink. Her process is a slow, precise path, layering line over line and color over color without the ability to erase. Unlike traditional etchings from which multiple prints are made, each of Goesling’s creations is an original piece of art.
Steven A. Jackson is a digital photographer based in Santa Fe, N.M. While his current work is “totally digital,” his photos do not involve a significant amount of manipulation or compositing. They are essentially black and white images, which utilize tinting and toning techniques that provide a subtlety and softness. Jackson’s work often captures images of bridges, trees, buildings, and landscapes.
About the Mitchell Gallery: The Elizabeth Myers Mitchell Gallery, located on the campus of St. John’s College, is a fine arts jewel in historic Annapolis. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in 2012 and dedicated to bringing art of world renown to Annapolis since it opened in 1989, the Mitchell Gallery’s modern design by architect Chip Bohl won a Citation of Merit from the American Institute of Architects. It attracts more than10,000 visitors a year to its museum-quality exhibits, which are of an unusual range and diversity for a gallery of its size.
Exhibitions have included works of celebrated artists such as Bruegel, Calder, Rembrandt, Picasso, Rodin and Motherwell and Johns, exhibitions of unique historical and regional interest such as photography by A. Aubrey Bodine and Marion Warren and The National Craft Show. The Mitchell Gallery serves the community of St. John’s and the wider communities of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County as a resource for viewing, discussing, and learning about fine art.
Gallery Hours and Admission: Noon to 5pm. Tuesday to Sunday. Closed Monday. Free Admission. For map and directions: www.stjohnscollege.edu
To purchase tickets now, please visit their website!
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