the ordinary expands
DESCRIPTION
An art exhibit at the Silber Gallery at Goucher CollegeTRANSCRIPT
The Silber GalleryGoucher College Athenaeum
The Ordinary Expands
M. Gert Barkovic
Jessica Braiterman
Brent Crothers
Steven Dobbin
Michelle Hagewood
Huguette Roe
TRAsh Collective
“�Creativity�is�piercing��the�mundane�to�find��the�marvelous.”������
� � � � ������–Bill�Moyers
In The Ordinary Expands, artists M. Gert
Barkovic, Jessica Braiterman, Brent Crothers,
Steven Dobbin, Michelle Hagewood, Huguette
Roe, and TRAsh Collective, explore the familiar
and everyday through the metamorphosis
of mundane materials. By presenting mass-
produced, disposable objects in unusual
contexts, each artist’s work is familiar, yet
strange. Their individual ideas and expressions
influence their material choices. All the pieces
create seductive visual statements, and while
some speak of the minimalist and formalist
legacy and are purely visceral, others speak of
the temporality of art and culture. Regardless
of their language, each artist transcends the
materials and proves that there is beauty in
ordinary simplicity.
LauraAmussen,curator
2
Untitled,2010Plastic
M. Gert Barkovichasalwaysenjoyedthe
simplicityoflifeanditsoftenoverlooked
details.Materialsgivevaluetoobject-
makingforher—shefindsthesmallrevela-
tionsintouchingsurfacesandidentifying
newmethodsortechniquesself-evolving.
Objectscanconflictintheirtexture,place-
ment,andstarkness,butthiscompels
Barkovicasafabricator—shesewssteel,
cement,orrubbertogetherwhiletryingto
remainsimpleandhonest.ForBarkovic,
heating,bending,orformingmaterialsal-
lowshertobeasilentcommunicator.By
involvingothermatterinherpieces,she
experiencesvariedkindsofsatisfaction
fromherforms.Theoverwhelmingphysical
natureoftheseindustrialmaterialscreates
asenseofsolaceandcontemplation.
5
Aurora,2008-10buttonsandwire
AtthecenterofJessica Braiterman’s
workaretumblingmetaphors.Formsare
massive,thenrenderedweightless;the
ordinaryinvertsintothecosmic;tangled
massesrevealhiddenregularities.Aurora
revelsintheseinversions,aimingnotfor
resolutionorstillness,butforaquietinthe
mindwherepointsoftensionaredelicately
balanced,ordinarylogicissuspended,and,
perhaps,evenahintoftheinfinitesurfaces.
6
Water Wars,2005usedgardenhoses
Inthepastdecade,Brent Crothershas
evolvedfrombuildingsculptureswith
organicmaterialstoworkingorganically
withmaterialsdiscardedbyaconsume-and-
throw-awaysociety.Hispiecesareatypeof
physicalpoetrywithanemphasisonform,
ontherelationshipsofmaterials,andonour
relationshiptothesematerials.Theartwork
comes,inpart,fromastrongenvironmental
connectiontoaoncesustainableworld.
9
Reclamation Variation,200916'x9'x8"paintcans(courtesyofCauseyContemporary)
Steven Dobbinhasbeenaspecial-educa-
tionteacherforover20years;throughout
thattime,hisprimarygoalhasbeento
developtheabilitiesofstudentswhomay
havepreviouslybeendismissedoutofhand
orperceivedtolacktheskillsnecessaryto
succeedinaworksetting.Bytakingstudents
outofatraditionalclassroomsetting,Dobbin
providesthemwithskillsthatmayprove
beneficialinthefuture.
Duringarecentjob-sitepaintingproject,
Dobbinbegantoexaminethepaintcans
surroundinghim,aswellastheabandoned,
discardedones,thecolorsinsidethecans,
andthecontrastingrustormetalrims.Asan
artist,hehasalwaysjuxtaposedhiscareer
andhiscreativeworkandsobegantocor-
relatethesecanswiththeverystudentswith
whomhewasworking—studentsoncecast
aside,studentswhosepossibilitiescould
onlyberealizedwithtime,energy,andeffort.
Oversixmonths,Dobbincollected945paint
cans,discardingthepaintinanenvironmen-
tallyfriendlymannerandexacerbatingthe
variousdegreesofrustoneach.Thesecans
haveevolvedintoanumberofinstallation
pieces,whichhavebeenshowninNewYork,
NewJersey,Washington,DC,andMaryland.
11
Infrastructure Specimen, Drunk,2009digitalimage
Michelle Hagewoodexplorestheulte-
riorworldsofmarinemicrobes,rainforest
undergrowth,andurbanunderstructuresin
searchofmicro-andmacro-cosmosesthat
areonthebrinkofburstingorcollapsing.
Interestedinthehumanintrusionfound
throughouttheseecosystems,Hagewood
usesdrawinganddigitalmanipulationasa
toolofexperimentalintervention,research-
ingandprocessingtheformsandbehav-
iorsthroughpseudo-scientificmethods.
Theresultingimagesoftendramatically
divergefromtheoriginalsourcematerials—
pointingtothebeautyandfailureinherent
inhumanity’scontinualquestforcontrol.
12
Wrinkled Cokes,2009photograph
Huguette Roe’simages—whereinsheextractsonlyachunkof
ascene—revealhersensitivitytodetail.Inherphotography,she
leanstowardgraphiccompositions,rhythms,colorcombinations,
repetition,andpattern.In2008,Roebegantodevelopadifferent
subject,anelementoftheenvironmentwithanindustrialtouch,
aboutwhichshewaspersonallyconcerned.Shediscoverednear-
abstractpatchesofcompressedmatterinthemostunlikelyplaces:
recyclingfacilities.Herworkrelatestotheobject’slife,where
everythingisprocessedandreprocessed,refuserescuedfora
newidentity,capturedandcompressedforanewlife.Whereyou
seetrash,sheseescomposition,texture,andcolorcombination,
individualobjectsbecomingtormentedmatter,lostandcrumpled
intoripplingsurfaceslikeanabstractpainting.
Trashball,2009trash
15
TheTRAsh CollectivewasfoundedbyartistsKatieWalbergand
GerryMollwiththepurposeofsynthesizingartwithenvironmen-
talactivism.TheCollectiveisbasedinKnoxville,Tennessee,and
engagespeoplethroughpublicartwheretheywork,play,andlive.
Theyusenontraditionalsculpturalmaterialstocreatefun,surprising
publicartworktochallengecommonlyheldperceptionsoftrash,
waste,garbage,refuse,rubbish,andjunkofallkinds.TheTRAsh
Collectiveisguidedbythebeliefinthetransformativepowerofart
increatingpositivechange.
TheTRAshCollective'sbelovedmascotisTRAshball.Thisgnarly
ballhadhumblebeginningsasasmalltumbleweedofurbandebris.
Itmeandersthroughtheurbanlandscape,feedingoffthediscarded
wasteproductsleftbehind,allthewhileexpandingandgrowing.
ThereisnotellingwhereyoumightfindTRAshball—itfreelyroams
theKnoxvillearea,showingupwithTRAshCollectivemembersat
localartshowsandenvironmentalevents(occasionallybeing
thrownoutduetoitstrashybehavior).Ithasevenspawnedother
“TRAshballs”inEastTennessee,aswellasinotherprominentinter-
nationallocations(suchasBuenosAires,Argentina).
Trashhasbecomeanordinarypartofourenvironment—itisubiqui-
touswithinoururbanlandscape.Wehavecometoexpectfast-food
wrappersdowneverybackalleyandplasticbagsblowingpast
usonthestreet.Trash,becauseofitsvolumeandourconsistent
exposuretoit,becomesfamiliarand,therefore,invisible.Byexpand-
ingandpersonifyingthistrashintoanever-growingball,TRAshball
increasesvisibilityandprovidesanopportunitytorevisitourrela-
tionshiptotheseproductsthatlitterourenvironment.
11235-J128 10/10
DIRECTIOnS
BaltimoreBeltway,I-695,toexit27A.Makefirstleftontocampus.
GAllERy HOuRS
11a.m.to4p.m.Tuesday–Sunday.410.337.6477
TheSilberGalleryisfreeandopentothepublic.
TheSilberGalleryprogramisfundedwiththeassistanceofgrantsfromtheMarylandStateArtsCouncil,anagencyfundedbythestateofMarylandandtheNEA,andtheBaltimoreCountyCommissionontheArtsandSciences.
www.goucher.edu/silbergallery
The Silber GalleryGoucher College Athenaeum
november 9 – December 12, 2010(ClosedNovember24-28)
artists’�reCeption�
Thursday, november 18, 6-8 p.m.
M.�Gert�Barkovic,�Jessica�Braiterman,��Brent�Crothers,�steven�Dobbin,��Michelle�Hagewood,�Huguette�roe,trash�Collective
The Ordinary Expands