Everything in Between: A Spousal Collaboration
Artists Randi Frye and Barry Barnes just happen to be married and they just happen to both be artists. So what's more contentious than a spousal collaboration? Not this. You won't see any of that at this show. Just perfect harmonies.
Everything in Between : A Spousal Collaboration is an interesting blending of 2D and 3D art by these Franklin College art professors.
"Our artistic journey intertwines our distinct styles and perspectives, creating a harmonious dialogue that celebrates...beauty." Indeed it does.
Come to the gallery for a really great celebration of art and love. Enjoy tasty treats and good music along with art that is hot (and Barry means that literally!
Spiracles by Coleman Stevenson
DESCRIPTION:
Borrowing lines from poems in Ranier Maria Rilke’s Book of Hours and excerpts of other significant texts, these new and expanded works by Coleman Stevenson explore the human drive to make more of our ordinary hours and days via relationships both human and divine. Using hand-rendered text as image, and chance-based monoprinting methods, Stevenson considers the dilemma of solitude, the nature of prayer and devotion, and the differences between habit and meaningful repetition as we cross thoughts together and weave our lives with the lives of others, creating in that inadvertent layering many tiny openings for spirit to enter.
BIO:
Artist and writer Coleman Stevenson is the author of three collections of poems (Light Sleeper, Breakfast, and The Accidental Rarefication of Pattern #5609), and several books about the Tarot including The Dark Exact Tarot Guide and a series of cartomantic spread collections. Her writing has appeared in a variety of literary journals, anthologies, and websites. In addition to her work as a designer of tarot and oracle decks through her company The Dark Exact, her fine artwork, exhibited in galleries around the US, focuses on the intersections between image and text. Her education includes a B.A. in folklore from Indiana University and an M.A. in creative writing from Portland State University. She has been a guest curator for various gallery spaces and has taught poetry, tarot, design theory, and cultural studies for many educational and community organizations across the country, as well as online. She currently resides in southern Illinois. Learn more about her work at colemanstevenson.com.
A Thousand Words:Selections From the Vincennes Camera Club
It is not hyperbole to say that photography had a profound and lasting effect on the art world, and on life and society in general. For the first time, people, places and events could be captured in real time, allowing ordinary folks to witness scenes from the battlefield, or far-off exotic locales, or bustling cities or the natural splendor and grandeur of our natural world. It didn’t take long for the technology surrounding photography grew exponentially in the 20th century, and with the advent of point and shoot cameras and easy film processing, a new age of “post-film” digital photography took off.
The rest is history, at least for those of us lucky enough to carry an instant image collector in the pockets of our jeans each day.
A recent Vincennes Sun-Commercial interview by freelance writer Linda Ruppel with VCC founders Tom Bartholomew and Matt Ramsey provided some background to the Vincennes Camera Club:
Within three years, the VCC has grown to over 250 members of a wide age range, from high school students using cell cameras to professionals working in the field, to educators, and even business owners wanting to improve their marketing appeal.
The club meets the 3rd Weds of each month at 6:00 Eastern, most often at the Pantheon. “The club’s banner feature is the local photo walks, which usually occur after the meeting. Together, they’ve created hundreds of images for community awareness,” some of which are featured in this exhibition.
A picture is truly worth a thousand words. So enjoy the many thousands of words rendered quite uniquely in this show.
A Repertoire of Red, from Clowns to Cosmos: Reflections on a Lifelong Friendship
The Open Gallery is pleased to welcome Maureen Gaffney Wolfson for the month of July. Wolfson exhibition is in conjunction with the Inaugural Red Skelton Weekend Comedy Convention at the Red Skelton Museum in Vincennes, Indiana.
Pleases join us to Meet the Artist on Tuesday evening, July 16 at 6:30 p.m. Since Wolfson is not able to be at the First Friday reception, she has agreed to speak with us about her work and her artistic process.
Wolfson was an actress and model, two careers which helped land her a stint on the Red Skelton Television Show doing sketch comedy for over six years. She credits Skelton with helping find her way artistically: “He was an inspiration, a mentor, but above all, a special friend whose kindness I shall never forget.”
Approaching her 82nd birthday, Wolfson has been painting for the last 60 years. Her show titled, “A Repertoire of Red, from Clowns to Cosmos: Reflections on a Lifelong Friendship,” features giclee prints of Red’s many sketch characters as well as peacefully whimsical landscapes and garden scenes. Her work invites viewers to take a stroll down memory lane with a best friend, a canine companion or a good book to read in the shade of the tree just down the path. It strikes just the right mood for a July celebration. The show will run through the end of July.
First Friday reception on Friday, July 5 from 5 – 8 p.m. at 329 Main Street. Take in some great artwork for your holiday weekend by supporting your local arts community! What could be more American than that?!
The Many Disguises of Suzie Q-artwork by Fernando Lozano
Artist talking to budding young protege……
Abandoned Spaces: A Photo Series by Ron Wise
Abandoned Spaces: A Photo Series by Ron Wise at The Open Gallery. Show opens on Friday, November 3 with an artist reception from 5-8 p.m. Public invited for family friendly event.
Transplantations by Leah Gose
Webster’s Dictionary defines “transplantations” as, “the movement or transfer of someone or something to another place or situation.” Our connection to a specific place is made up of our experience with its physicality, an awareness of its history, and an emotional reaction, positive or negative, to its meanings and memories. Runs at The Open Gallery, 329 Main Street. through the months of May and June.
Andrew Chalfen: Mind Constructions
The Open Gallery welcomes Andrew Chalfen to display his works during the month of April in a show titled, “Andrew Chalfen: Mind Constructions.” Chalfen is a Philadelphia-based visual artist and musician whose work has appeared nationally, winning numerous awards and recognition through publications, including a collection of 84 whimsical pen and ink drawings titled “Look Up Coloring Book.” These works however are far more than just whimsy and, at times, defy easy descriptions.
Chalfen’s work displays his fascination with patterning and the way patterns radiate, ripple, pixelate, oscillate, cluster, construct and deconstruct. These patterns , he says, tend to reflect his state of mind in the studio as he creates, a topographical exploration of his thoughts and moods while he responds to these patterns. He explains, “Shapes often spill out over edges, suggesting unseen continuations beyond, while others seek containment…. I follow my instincts, deviate from them when necessary, and trust the process to guide the work to a successful outcome…”
Chalfen’s artwork will be on display from April 4th- 26th, including on April 7th, at our First Friday event from 5-8 p.m. An Artists’ Talk will be held at The Open Gallery, 329 Main Street, Vincennes, on April 25 at 4:00 p.m. Chalfen will be on hand to tell us about his creative process for this work and answer any questions about the pieces. The public is invited to attend.
These Roads Don't Move
The Open Gallery welcomes artists Christina Zimmer Robinson and Sarah Wolfe for a new exhibition, titled These Roads Don’t Move. This series of work by both artists springs from their recent On-Ramp collaboration, a program funded by the IAC for artists in Indiana.
Robinson writes that the pieces in These Roads Don't Move are a representation of the evolving nature of her work. The series was conceived at a moment when she sought to focus on control, structure, and the harmonious relationships between colors. As a self-taught maker, Robinson allows herself the freedom to explore various mediums and styles: abstraction, portraiture, sculpture, and textile work.
Wolfe also characterizes her work for this exhibition as exploratory and flights of freedom from the many duties they both juggle as wives, mothers and working artists. While she agrees that the two bodies of her work for this show may seem disparate, the abstract floral pieces are “a joyous, freeing exploration of color and textures gleaned from the outside world. The anatomical works are simply the inverse--an examination of our potentially gloriously interesting innards.”
These Roads Don’t Move will open on Friday, Nov. 4 from 5- 8 p.m. at The Open Gallery, 329 Main Street and will run to mid-December. Both artists will be on hand to discuss their artworks with patrons. We think you will agree that these roads do, in fact, move, quite interestingly and inspirationally.
Drive-by Shootings: A Series by Arthur Fields
The Open Gallery welcomes back crowd favorite Arthur Fields for an exhibition titled “Drive-by Shootings.” Fields conceived this series idea during the lonely hours of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown as a way to stay in touch with those things that bring him joy, of course food, but luckily for us, also photography. The exhibition features a variety of people on their front porches, photographed from a street vantage point, framed by the outlines of their homes, where they were obliged to remain for weeks. The collection has, at one and the same time, a sameness about the small town folks, and yet, upon closer inspection, the portraits reveal a varied and arresting cadre of individuals living together, separately, during a time of great worldwide upheaval.
The exhibition will run from September 2 through October 30, 2022. The First Friday opening reception will be held from 5-8 p.m. on September 2 at 329 Main Street in Vincennes. A closing reception will be help for the artist, who will be here on Friday, October 7 from, 5- 8 p.m.
Faces Behind Peace: Artworks by Fernando Lozano
Art became my saving grace after the devastating tragedy of losing my son, and it is from that inspiration that I am presenting this series. The idea to read and research about people who selflessly dedicated their lives to promote peace and who had won the Nobel Peace Prize, was a welcoming subject after finishing the series “The Faces of Torture”. Their characters surface slowly over the word “PEACE,” dictating the colors and composition of the canvas. It was and still is a subject that I go back to when I need reaffirmation of humanity, knowing that I am just scratching the surface, because there are still so many great humans to know and celebrate.
One Thing Leads to Another:Recent Paintings by Ryan McKain
Evansville artist Ryan McKain will exhibit his works at The Open Gallery through the manths of May and June. Artist’s receptions for each exhibition will be on Friday,s May 6 and June 3 from 5 - 8 pm.. Public is invited and welcomed. All events are family friendly and free!
“I tried to get in a ‘go with the flow’ type mindset kind of coinciding with the title of the show/series. Other than having a focus on keeping with a similar color palette, I wanted the work to kind of create themselves and to tell me their story.”
March for Common Good
The Open Gallery welcomes Professor Pravin Sevak, Art and Design department of Vincennes University to exhibit his former students’ classroom projects titled – March for Common Good.
Professor Sevak will soon be retiring and The Open Gallery is honored to do a retrospective of his many successes with his Art and Design students over the last fourteen years. During the two years of their study, Sevak has always encouraged his students to design at least one project that addresses design for social good/common good.
These designs not only reflect the talent, creativity, and passion within the student body, but aim to challenge perceptions of their chosen issues. Hopefully, the voices of these graphic design students are heard and will impact your perspective for the common good of our community, both locally and globally. The exhibition is family friendly and will provide plenty of discussion about important issues that the artwork is representing.
A First Friday reception will be held on Friday, March 4 from 5-8 p.m. Patrons are encouraged to mask as they feel comfortable doing so. The exhibition will run through the month of March. Free and open to the public.
A Room Full of Whimsy
The Open Gallery 329 Main will continue the exhibition of gallery co-owner Mike Mullen’s Squeaky Toy Variations series(see below event)and will add ceramic works by Abby Peacock in an exhibition titled A Roomful of Whimsy. Mullen notes that this series, like traditional still life painting and photography, is “rife with symbolism” conveyed through artful arrangement of his vast collection of old but still colorful plastic squeaky toys. As always, his work is unique and fun but also provocative. In Peacock explores ideas about communication, language and social interaction in her atmospherically fired porcelain with underglaze designs. She is currently pursuing her MFA at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville.
The First Friday Players will again provide rollicking good Irish music for visitors to enjoy. The exhibition is family friendly; however, guests will be asked to mask up.
Regular gallery hours: Tue, Thu 12 - 7 pm, Sat 11 am – 2 pm.
Squeaky Toy Variations
The Open Gallery will show recent work by photographer Michael Mullen during the month of October. Mullen’s latest series is titled, “Squeaky Toy Variations” and is a series that Mullen says, like traditional still life painting and photography, is “rife with symbolism” through artful arrangement of his vast collection of old but colorful plastic squeaky toys. He says this about the project: “ Since I am using a limited language exploring a limited number of themes, I’ve found it interesting to explore these issues by rearranging the language. So, this is not a single knock on the door, but a continued pounding. 'Look! Pay attention! How many times do I have to say this?'" As always, Mullen’s work is unique and fun but provocative, giving viewers lots to talk about and many opportunities to reminisce.
The opening reception will be during the First Friday Art Walk on Friday, October 1, from 5-8 p.m. and will include live music by the First Friday Players who will, as per their usual, provide us with rollicking good Irish music to enjoy. The exhibition is family friendly and open to the public; however, guests will be asked to mask up.
Saying What No One is Thinking New Explorations by Sarah Wolfe
Sarah Wolfe will show her latest paintings at The Open Gallery during the months of August and September. The show, titled "Saying What No One is Thinking," is an exploration of new ideas and techniques that are both colorful and compelling. She gleans elements from the natural world into sculptural pieces, anatomical works and abstractions in an effort to translate environmental anxiety and reproductive frailties. While seemingly disparate, these works are part of a continuum of internalizing the external and externalizations of the internal..
An opening reception will be held at the gallery from 5-8 pm on Friday, August 6. Included in the fun, the gallery welcomes a new musical combo, Buck Rogers Clark, which includes Wolfe's husband Trevor Murry, so Friday evening will be a family affair of the arts!