University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Visual Arts Dept Graduates & Students will exhibit works in a variety of media in "Laying it Down" in the Main, Frable, Helena Davis and smallspace Galleries. The participating artists are Matt Batzlaff, Kevin Calisto, Jessica Heikes, Jo Anna Hickman, George Karos, Mikelle Lindsey and Denise Sokolsky. "Laying it Down"'s themes include personal relationships, the passage of time and the use of everyday materials. The show will feature sculpture, printmaking, installation, fiber works, ceramics and works on paper.
Matt Batzlaff’s background in horticulture and landscape informs his installation works. He creates "contemplative sculptures that describe emotion in an abstracted way," using a minimal amount of material to make organically layered pieces. His works examine both the structural qualities and impermanence of their materials.
Kevin Calisto received his BFA from The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY in both Painting/Drawing and Art Education. His work is "familiar and coincidental, based from light, landscape or material." His monoprints are layered records of time, creating through additional screen printing processes.
Jessica Heikes received her BFA from Pittsburg State University in Kansas and is a multi-year fellow at the Penland School of Crafts. Exhibiting nationally, Heikes’ works "aim to capture varying degrees of human presence" by "dipping, soaking, pouring (and) stiffening women’s blouses and skirts in plaster." She re-imagines the fabric as monuments; the sculptures installed in "disregarded spaces," hinting at loss and memory.
Jo Anna Hickman received her BFA from the Crafts/Material Studies Dept of VCU and recently received a scholarship for study at Haystack Mountain School of Craft in Deer Island, ME. A member of the Handweavers Guild of America, Hickman uses embroidered text on large fabric works to provide visual "commentary on the residue of relationships."
George Karos received his BFA from Towson University and is a 2011 recipient of the Workhouse Clay National First Place prize. Karos’ work focuses on the sensory reactions to material, balancing "the fragility of clay" with other materials, inviting viewers to question the tactility and approachability of his ceramic sculptures.
Mikelle Lindsey is "immersed in capturing the uncomfortable feelings that expose risk while proposing humor." This duality in her works is evident in her videos of everyday tasks executed with force and in precarious and meticulously executed installations of household materials. Spontaneity and physicality are present in her pieces.
Denise Sokolsky’s background in medical technology informs the visual language of her layered works on paper. Her beautifully rendered pieces address the "dichotomous qualities inherent in nature…translucency and opacity, fragility in strength, depth and surface, fragmentation and unity." The saturated works are visually complex and vary in scale.
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June 27 - July 20, 2014
Laying it Down: Recent Graduates & Current Students
University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, Visual Arts MFA Department
Main, Frable, Helena Davis and smallspace Galleries
Featuring:
Matt Batzlaff
Kevin Calisto
Jessica Heikes
Jo Anna Hickman
George Karos
Mikelle Lindsey
Denise Sokolsky
Opening Reception for the Artists
Fourth Friday, June 27, 2014
7:00-10:00 pm
ARTIST TALK DURING THE RECEPTION
7:30pm
Free and Open to the Public
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