Circling, Spiraling, Jane Adams Breed Gallery (Abilene Center for Contemporary Arts)
Opening Reception: August 7, 5-7pm
Closing event: September 19, 6pm
Juried by Faith Archambeau
Jeff Felderhoff | Sherry Owens | Sharon Kopriva | Colleen McCulla-Thomas | Danville Chadbourne | Steve Brudniak | Andrea La Valleur-Purvis | Lisa Nigro | Kevin Stanford | Sarah Hirneisen | Daniel Haynie | Bernardo Vallarino | Norman Kary
In collaboration with Texas Sculpture Group and Abilene Cultural Affairs
From the Juror:
I want to thank Diana Roberts from Texas Sculpture Group, as well as Lynn Barnett and Skylar Young from Abilene Cultural Affairs Council for including the Center for Contemporary Arts in the 39th Biennial SculpTour. Your trust in my vision and thought to always include us in this celebration is much appreciated.
Setting out to jury this exhibition, I wasn’t planning to join them in any profound way. I was immediately struck by the weight and darkness of the submitted work. In the past couple of years, I’ve noticed a strong trend in contemporary art from bold, bright colors and large, expansive work to this alluring, angsty uneasiness.
Even in this shadowy dread, artists create— often inspired by the dread.
Circling is methodical, ominous. Spiraling is unmanageable, slipping-out-of-grasp. To view a freestanding sculpture properly, one must circle the piece. To view any art, you must gaze at different parts, scanning in a free-flowing motion. A motif in modern horror, spirals can represent descent into insanity or hypnosis. This being said, they are often used in a more whimsical light, and are plentiful in nature.
As you walk through the gallery, I invite you to take your time with each piece. All have been hand-picked for their intrigue. There will be something you miss.