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Mesa Contemporary Art Museum - 45th Annual Contemporary Craft Exhibition

– Juror’s Statement

We thank all the artists who submitted work for consideration in the 45th Contemporary Crafts Exhibition, and applaud your passions and commitments to your crafts.  We would also like to extend our gratitude to all the staff of the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum for their diligence and professionalism in bringing this show to fruition.

At an artist talk that we attended years ago, Leonardo Drew pointed out a shift in the way that art is considered.  The point, he surmised was not ‘what is good art vs. bad art,’ but instead ‘What IS art?’

Correspondingly, many might also ask the question, “What IS contemporary craft?”  To answer this, we believe that one must first consider two questions, “What is craft?”  and “Where is the demarcation between craft and art?  Is craft simply an artistic category related rigidly to specific materials, such as clay, metal, wood, and fiber, and fixed traditions and techniques related to the creation of objects constructed of those materials?  And, how far can a practitioner extend and challenge the recognized boundaries of a craft’s tradition and materials before the work loses all of its links to the field?  Additionally, is the distinction between craft and art simply determined by functionality - or lack of it, or is the inclusion of a “message” or “concept” the crucial delineating factor for determining contemporary craft?

As gallerists and jurors of this exhibition, our conception of contemporary craft, and thus the criteria for which we made our selections for this exhibition, considers the preceding questions as well as several other factors.  When experiencing a contemporary craft work, we contemplate on the material and how the piece simultaneously conforms to and challenges the traditions of the craft through the addition of novel materials and/or use of innovative techniques.  The work can eschew any sense of conventional functional purpose, but a commitment to the spirit of the traditions of the materials and techniques is a must, as is an impeccable detail and attention to craftspersonship.  That is, the piece borrows from and extends a deep understanding of the traditional craft, and evidence of many years of practice are apparent.  While we are drawn to unexpectedness in material use and technique, the innovations must work in an artistic and aesthetic sense by effectively addressing the elements of design. Furthermore, innovations and expansions have to successfully convey the intended concepts of the creator of the work.  In other words, the person creating contemporary craft needs to use the innate vocabulary, social meanings, and techniques typically associated with a field of craft successfully to convey the particular vision or message.  Finally, we hope to feel a strong sense of the artist behind a piece of contemporary craft that speaks out beyond the boundaries that are sometimes imposed by tradition.

Artist, Sir Grayson Perry, ruminating on the path of his career with ceramics stated, “I think it (his ceramic art) sits uncomfortably in the art gallery because it was already an art form and yet it was an artform that was linked to craft and tradition.”   While we understand unease that some people may have concerning craft or contemporary craft, we do not feel that any of the works selected for this exhibition ‘sit uncomfortably’ in this contemporary arts museum. Rather, we believe that these works sit boldly in the gallery representing some of the best examples of current contemporary craft in America, and we are grateful to have been a part of this exhibition.

Artes Magazine - JUNE 2020

Artists for decades have been interested in exploring the sculptural and reflective properties of light and how it affects an object within the space it occupies.  Larry Bell, one of the artists associated with the West Coast group, “Light and Space,” best known for his glass boxes and large-scaled illusionistic sculptures, created a wide range of work based on the theme of light and reflection beginning in the 1960s.  Throughout his oeuvre Bell used the language of minimalism and geometric abstraction to construct his illusionist fabrications where the existing space became part of sculptures.  The exhibition Transparent, Translucent, Reflective, Refractive” at Yun Gee Park Gallery, in Tucson, Arizona, displays the work by Collen Quigley, Zak Timan and Moira M. Geoffrion who continue along this path of investigation.

Colleen Quigley, ‘Divergent’ (2020) Laser cut fluorescent and mirrored acrylic
36 × 26 × 1”. All images courtesy Yun Lee Park Gallery.

This is a subtle exhibit in which one observes artists’ explorations of light, color and reflection made in unlike methods and materials. Colleen Quigley, a multi-disciplinary artist, throughout her career has cut across painting, sculpture/installation, ceramics and acrylic.  She appears to be interested in the object and how it’s immediate setting are interconnected.  Her brightly colorful geometric constructions are the most formal of the three artists in this show.  Although three-dimensional in scope, the majority of her pieces hang on the gallery wall, revealing reflections and shadows created by the juxtaposed planes of the translucent vibrant components.

Colleen Quigley, The Fabric of Time (2020) Laser cut fluorescent and mirrored acrylic
34 × 59 × 1”.

The technique of layering is important in this art and Quigley effectively places different acrylic forms on top, underneath and beside one another.  In some pieces the varied parts appear to dissolve within the stratums yet are enhanced by her technique of repeating shapes in a number of sizes within the composition.  Through this method she builds visual interest, depth, and complexity.  Two notable works are Divergent, and The Fabric of Time—both resemble a molecular diagram that is bristling with electronic current produced by Quigley’s use of color and the placement of layered parts.

Zak Timan is a mixed-media sculptor known for his imaginative glass constructions. According to Timan “My sculptures have a relationship with jazz music.”  However he never illustrates an event or narrative but instead captures an essence of radiant energy, hoping to invite a viewer to step out of their everyday world into the realm of imaginative wonder.  Anger, 2020 comprisedof a Fresnel lens, glass oil lamp and steel reveals his ability to bring dissimilar materials together so to create a simple yet powerful form.

Zak Timan, Sadness (2020) Oil-filled hand-blown glass, LED light, metal base
13” diameter.

Framed in black, a circular shape with a black grid in the center functions like a window through which one is allured by the emotive power of its prismatic color akin to the William Turner’s bursting translucent contrasts of light and color.  Sadness, 2020 is a circular sculpture in which an LED light is suspended in oil on a metal base.  This round, black glass sphere, only 13 inches in diameter, commands a dynamic presence.

Moira M. Geoffrion’s art is mysterious, arresting and striking.  Geoffrion is a seasoned artist whose art works span a spectrum of mediums and styles.  Throughout her work she continues to combine information derived from personal experiences and the immediate environment she inhabits in the Southwest.  An enigmatic sensibility pervades the many photographic acrylic constructions on display filled with symbols, metaphors, and imagery taken from real life.  In her judiciously formed translucent shapes she fuses dissimilarities, within the interlocking multilayered dimensional planes.

Although the works on view all have been made within the past few months, the origins of her method of using fragments of multiple photographs on acrylic go back to 2007 when she had an exhibition at the Altes Museum in Moenchengladbach, Germany.  According to Geoffrion, “In subsequent shows over the years I have adhered the translucent imagery to Plexiglas so that I could then make rigid 3D pieces in which internal lighting is affixed. This unique light source provides an internal glow to these “plexi” sculptures creating a sense of energy while illuminating plant and nature forms and textures, which, because of the complex layering of images, becomes intriguing and somewhat unrecognizable.”

In each of these fabrications boundaries appear to dissolve yet fuse.  Time becomes transfixed in the kaleidoscopic sculptures with veiled narratives co-existing.  A gallery wall comprised of 16 small-lighted pieces is impressive.  Even though each individual sculpture operates as its own separate entity, this entire assemblage could also be conceived as an installation.

Moira M. Geoffrion, ‘The Fragments of My Imagination #1’ (2020) Acrylic, 8 × 7 × 3 ½”.

The Fragment of My Imagination #1 is an eye-catching work that evinces an architectural sense with its fitted triangular panels.  The linearity of the amassed elements are enhanced by a stunning orange vertical section adjoining a transparent protruding clear unit on which the striated pattern on the upper area similar to ancient stairs turned sideways is repeated.  Opposite in lightness to this work is Fragments of My Imagination #12 that resembles the burning blaze of a fireplace.  Despite the warm glow emanating from its interior lighting, it is a more somber work manifesting a haunting sensibility.  The Fragments of My Imagination #14, looks like a hexagon turned on its side with its top detached however, where the missing part is absent another emerges in the space.  Compositionally this piece is enchanting because each see-through surface plane lets one observe scenes along side, underneath and on top of the other.  This piece comprised of organic pageants is accentuated by light and shadows.

Moira M. Geoffrion, ‘Nature’s Kaleidoscope’ (2020) Acrylic; steel, 36 × 20 × 14”.

Included in the exhibition are some additional pedestal pieces by Geoffrion.  Nature’s Kaleidoscope bears a semblance to a kiosk on which some information is missing because of the blank spaces throughout the metal surface.  The vertical steel horizontal panels serve as the structure for the flattened acrylic planes displaying organic motifs.  The play of shadows on the wall and the radiant light from within the edifice adds to its allure.

Rich in depth, visually subtle, her work beckons one to linger and explore.  A type of secretive language of abstraction and representation is evident within the bifurcated and quixotic structures.  Additionally a type of encapsulated energy appears to pervade this emblematic work that evokes intense curiosity.  While sympathetic to the problems of the world in this era of political strife Geoffrion prefers to celebrate idiosyncratic invention and refutes negativity.  Her art is evocative of private puzzles requiring time to decode hidden messages presented on transparent shapes.  There is no obvious message in her art.  One might conclude that perhaps she has embarked on a personal quest of investigations, seeking an understanding about the collective unity of life and the concurrent presence of dissimilarities.  It is the open-endedness of this work that is inviting.

The use of color and harmony by all three artists in this exhibition is comforting. When one looks at non-representational artwork one’s brain unconsciously quests for signs of rhythm and order in trying to make sense of what is presented.  Collectively this show in the time of COVID 19, with art devoid of fear, pain or strife affords viewers a positive alternative perspective.

By Elaine A. King, Contributing Art Critic

Yun Gee Park Gallery, 4226 E. 2nd St., Tucson, Arizona

Transparent, Translucent, Reflective, Refractive,” through late July 2020.

 

Read on Artes Magazine's website here

Art Jewelry Forum-DECEMBER 2017

Yun Gee Park Gallery & Atelier—South Korean artist Jeong Hwa Lee uses the medium of jewelry, with its associations to the body and socially prized objects, to explore humankind’s relationship with the earth and our allo-human neighbors. In her Mine series, Lee minifies strip mines to translucent and glowing ring-sized representations that rival the beauty of the gems that come from them. The rings are crimson red, to represent blood diamonds, or earth-toned, and they are often accented with mineral gold. She also further explores this theme through the creation of brooches that resemble the crystalline structures plucked from the walls and floor of a mine. For these brooches, she uses Japanese paper clay, with its association to earth, to fabricate objects of substantial visual weight that are meant to symbolize the replacement and healing of the scarred areas of the earth and a return in the mind of the wearer and viewer to a state of wholeness and remembrance. Lee’s desire is for her rings and brooches to find a place in jewelry boxes next to the precious products of the mining process, visualizing the home from which the gems and minerals were extracted and reminding one of the cost to the earth for their removal. Lee earned her BFA and MA from Hanyang University, and has exhibited her work in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Art Jewelry Forum-NOVEMBER 2017

Yun Gee Park Gallery & Atelier—Youmi Kim uses wire to create works that at once have volume and an energy of line. Her substantial biomorphic forms have an elegant transparency that suggests drawing in three-dimensional space as they adorn the wearer. For this work, Root of Plant 1, Kim deftly accents the serene earth tones of the woven brass wire with a vibrant synthetic wire that provides bold contrast and evokes the ever-merging dichotomy of nature and technology. Kim studied in Nova Scotia, Canada, and completed MFA studies in metalwork and jewelry in South Korea. Her work has been exhibited in Korea, Germany, Spain, Canada, and the United States.

Art Jewelry Forum - October 2017

Yun Gee Park Gallery & Atelier—Hwa Jin Kim’s work starts from lines overlapping and repeating as the artist’s hands move to meet each other. This process of line to form creates elegant objects that are at once organic and architectural. Further adding to this duality is the material that she employs to create her forms. The wax she uses is stable at room temperature, yet reacts to the warmth of her hands. This process of hand building stresses the connection between the artist and materials and allows her to create objects thatmaintain a general geometric pattern while also expressing handmade warmth. Kim completed BFA and MFA studies in South Korea, then ontinued formal studies for two more years in Germany. She is currently being exhibited in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Art Jewelry Forum - SEPTEMBER 2017

Yun Gee Park Gallery & Atelier—This work, entitled Desert Snow Swirl, is a brooch from Valerie Mitchell's Force Field series. Masterfully created from silver, copper, and vitreous enamel, it captures the raw and powerful beauty of the Western desert. It was chosen for The Enamelist Society’s Alchemy 4 exhibit and is currently on display at Arrowmont School of Arts and Craft. It will continue on to other exhibits, but will be available to collectors at the finish of its exhibition tour.

QUARTERLY

James Renwick Alliance

SUMMER 2018

TRAVEL

TUCSON

JAMES RENWICK ALLIANCE
TRIP TO TUCSON, AZ
By Geraldine Ostrove

Twenty three JRA members and friends spent three packed days of visits to the art and craft community of the Tucson region. The trip was expertly planned and led by fiber and mixed media artist, Claire Campbell Park. Remarkably, in this brief time we visited four collections, seven home studios, five galleries, five museums, and seven notable restaurants.

The collectors’ homes displayed spectacular art and stunning architecture. Farah and John Palmer have a significant glass collection that includes works by Lino Tagliapietra, Dale Chihuly, Dan Dailey and Dante Marioni, among many other works by Seattle and Tucson artists. The spacious grounds of their contemporary home have been brilliantly landscaped by Farah. Seymour and Marcia Sabesin, supporters especially of local and regional artists, display their collection inside and outside a 1985 home designed by Judith Chafee, a pioneer of contemporary modern architecture. Sheryl and Bob Greenberg’s striking, minimalist, white home was awarded the Home of the Year 2016 by the American Institute of Architects, Southern Arizona. Their art is displayed with comparable restraint. Having lived in Tucson for 30 years, Dan Leach described himself as a “home-grown” collector. He lives in a 1937 house and owns a collection of objects numbering in the thousands.
Artists welcomed the JRA group to their homes and studios. Claire Campbell Park’s fiber and mixed media work was displayed in her home as well as at the Davis Dominguez Gallery. We saw examples of her earlier series and her current series, rectangular hangings of luminous linen, whose multi-hued palettes are influenced by Josef Albers’ color theory.
At the art-filled home and studios of Betty and Joe Harris, Betty spoke to us about her metalwork, elegant design, and her jewelry, often set with semi-precious stones. Joe, a native of Arizona and collector of local artifacts, makes a variety of metal objects. The couple also creates collaborative works.
Rancho Linda Vista began in 1910 as a cattle ranch and has been an arts community outside Tucson since 1969. Among the residents who welcomed the JRA group was Joy Fox, who makes abstractly figurative ceramic sculptures, serene, timeless and sometimes playful. She and Albert Kogel create whimsical collaborative works in wood and clay. We also visited the studio of Judith Stewart, who sculpts the female form in clay or bronze.

Another home and studio was that of Eleanor Moty and Michael Croft. She is a metalsmith, jeweler and pioneer in the application of electroplating and photo-etching, a “founding mother” of American studio jewelry. Her exquisite works now consist entirely of one-of-a-kind brooches, only six to eight in a year. Michael, a knife maker who began metalsmithing as a jeweler, developed a passion for toy automata after his retirement from academia. The objects he collects, as well as makes, delighted his JRA visitors.
Su and Ned Egan divide their time between Tucson and Oregon. Su is a weaver who employs Scandinavian techniques, and Ned a sculptor who fashions scrap metal into fantastical and humorous pieces. We also met Carrie Seid, whose serene work uses color and light as structural components in metal box frames covered with translucent fiber netting or plexiglass.

At the Tucson Museum of Art, officials introduced us to newly built galleries showing the exhibits Dress Matters: Clothing as Metaphor and Mid- Century Perspectives, a show of architecture and furnishings. We viewed exhibits at the Arizona State Museum, a major archaeological repository of artifacts and documents representing the pre-history and history of Arizona and the Southwest, and at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson, where the well-known Native American basket maker Terrol Dew Johnson took time from the workshop he was conducting to give us an illustrated lecture. A highlight was the cultural museum, botanical garden, and nature preserve, Tohono Chul, which means “desert corner” in the Tohono O’odham language. Featured artist, Janet Windsor, introduced us to her nature-inspired, light-filled quilts. Pima Community College houses the Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery in its Center for the Arts complex, which exhibits a wide range of contemporary artists and media, including paper artist and maker Helen Baribeau, who introduced us to her work.

Galleries continue to provide an important component of Tucson’s craft and art life. Tom Philabaum, a clay and glass artist, opened his glass gallery in 1982. In its annual High Fiber exhibit, the Conrad Wilde Gallery exhibited impressive works by Jodi Colella, Monica Durazo, and Eun-Kyung Suh, among others. The Etherton Gallery, specializing in 19th and 20th century photographs, shows regional artists working in other media as well, such as the current exhibit of white, sculptural works of paper artist Rhod Lauffer. Among the artists represented by the Davis Dominguez Gallery for contemporary art were several whom the JRA group met during this trip. The distinctive Yun Gee Park Gallery for selected contemporary media seeks to appeal to all five senses of visitors to its rooms and gardens.

JRA visitors experienced the impressive richness and variety of the artistic life of Tucson and the surrounding region during this extraordinary trip.