Feb 2007 SeeSaws – Wks 1 & 2

Sinks – The Gallery @ Concordia University
I missed this show.

Cadillac – Lora Reynolds
Banal is the word of the day. The work does not teeter far from your average photo album snapshots. A couple of people figure into one or two, but other than that, you’re just looking at everyday environments. But in true Lora Reynolds gallery fashion, William Eggleston is a historically significant artist. As such, I intensely study the photos for hints of extraordinary skill. I saw tight compositions and strong colors, but nothing very exciting. Banal is the word of the day. NOT BAD

Utility Trances – Bolm Studios
I have no memory of this show, I think I missed it.
UPDATE: I did see it.  Unfortunately, I only recall experiencing Greg Pond’s speaker sculpture and Ben Roosevelt’s photos.

America Starts Here, 1985-1995 – AMOA
Full disclaimer: I studied under Mel Ziegler. Which is kinda odd because I don’t really remember seeing his work until after taking his classes. With two semesters of critiques and comments, I think I understood what I was looking at. The public, everlasting work, socially engaged, commemorative: words that hold true and also flip themselves on their heads. Plop art was not the only way. A softer argument can be just as effective and sometimes more memorable. And though they originated from a conceptual point, they felt grounded and accessible. Oh, but the text! The specificity of a lot of the work demanded narratives to describe what was at play. To borrow someone else’s descriptor, it was “poetic” how the visuals parsed all of the other ideas and activities. I’m satisfied with the fragile balance of ephemeral work vs. object and how it was presented that I say GREAT

The Paper Sculpture Show – AMOA
A counter-balance to ephemeral decade’s past work is a temporary construction today. Or maybe that’s a continuation of ideas. Even though the show was physically engaging, I wasn’t really into it. But that doesn’t excuse the number of adults who were whining about not taking their contributions home. Really, if a two year old can understand that they are contributing to the show, why can’t a 42 year old? BAD

I’ll tell you ’bout what I sees.