Defining Territories Contemporary Drawings

September 28 - November 9, 2013
 

  • Curated by Joan Stolz and Matthew Watt
  • Reception: October 3, 6-8 p.m., Gallery Lounge, gallery talk by Joan Stolz and Matthew Watt at 7 p.m., music by the Parkland Guitar Ensemble
  • October 17, additional lecture by Shelby Shadwell in the gallery, 1:15pm

 
Karina Noel Hean, detail of Gathering II installation graphite, 2011As curators of the show, Joan Stolz and Matthew Watt, associate professors who teach drawing, painting, and design, have selected five artists for this exhibition who approach drawing in very different ways—in content and in process—but who are linked by their pursuit of reinterpreting what they have seen. They share a transformative approach to figurative elements in drawings through the use of abstract structure which creates an aesthetic that draws in the viewer.

The exhibit participants comprise a mix of studio artists and faculty at several U.S. educational institutions, including Karina Noel Hean, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and teaching at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design; Patti Jordan, adjunct professor at Laboratory Institute of Merchandising College in New York City, where she teaches Drawing and Color and Design; Lucas Monaco, a studio artist practicing in Brooklyn; Sara Schneckloth, an associate professor in the Department of Art at the University of South Carolina; and Shelby Shadwell, an assistant professor in the Art Department.

In their curatorial statement, the professors describe drawing as “the intersection between the artist’s observation and the marks made in reaction to that observation. Every mark drawn on a surface reflects a decision of some sort. And no matter how realistic the drawing may be, it is an interpretation.
“Observation can have a very inclusive definition. In addition to realistic and accurate depiction of objects and space, artists use memory, observation of marks and artwork made by others or themselves, reinvention of naturally occurring processes, emphasis of structure over superficial appearance, or meticulous recreation with the removal of context.”


Image: Karina Noel Hean, detail of Gathering II installation graphite, 2011