New Exhibits at the Firehouse in May and a New Mural

Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote: “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” 

Distilling the act of creation into its most fundamental elements is an interest of both artists featured in the exhibit “Line & Weight.” By focusing exclusively on their respective processes and media, we are rewarded as viewers with works that draw us into their meditative results.

Courtney Giblin writes about her work that it “explores how everything is made of the same energetic matter. Further, how all interactions are simply exchanges of said energy. The work asks how outside factors shape our energetic experiences, how our energetic experiences shape who we are as people, and how we shape the world around us.” The result is a series of compositions balancing form with gesture: black holes that contain multitudes and an intuitive, pointed use of color.

Clark Valentine explores the phenomenological experience of mark making. He writes: “In my drawings, each mark becomes a unique repetition of the mark before it. Over time, the disruptions of the hand change the marks and the drawing takes itself in new directions. These variations of the marks become key compositional features. The process of drawing then becomes a balance between an active meditation of the mind and a passive response of the hand. In the making process, I seek to find moments of stillness where it feels as though my hand is moving on its own, responding to the needs of the drawing.”

Animal cruelty and neglect takes many forms, from animals near extinction, to rats just looking for respect.  Teen artists in the Studio Project Program respond to the issue through printmaking, and other art forms.

Studio Project is a program that provides purposeful engagement for high school aged youth. This program is targeted to serve youth with opportunities to create dialogue about art, art making, and social issues as they affect young people. Participants create art with local artists, partner with nonprofits active in the local community, and plan fun and engaging events to share the artwork they created during the program. Studio Project is an in-depth and meaningful experience for each of the teen participants, and the program cultivates the next generation of artists and art appreciators, some of whom go on to study at institutions such as the Pratt Institute, the Art Institute of Chicago, and more.

Studio Project is generously supported by the Georgie Fund, Anita Sayed, Luff Family Foundation, Studio B Architects, FirstBank, Catherine Allegra & James Tanner, Laurie & Reid Klion, Karen & Jeffrey Moore, Shears Giving Fund, Chris & Thomas Stanko, and Art Parts Creative Reuse Center.