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By Monique Bos Work by Savannah College of Art and Design students, faculty members and alumni is on display at the Earle W. Newton Center for British-American Studies, located in Kiah Hall, 227 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. “Contemporary Focus on Maps: Paper Worlds and Canvas Empires” is a juried exhibition showing in the second-floor Focus Gallery through Sept. 30. The call for entries asked for submissions that reinterpreted the map tradition by creating new maps, which could be realistic, imaginary, conceptual or allegorical. The 12 works that were accepted employ a variety of media, including photography, digital imagery, screen-printing, woven fabric and drawing. The exhibition complements the ongoing show “Mapping the Past: A Selection of Antique Cartography from the Newton Collection,” on display in the three Map Galleries located on the first floor of the Newton Center. “Maps historically were connected with voyages and explorations,” said the show’s statement. “They also guide travelers to their destinations and provide information about the lands, cities, coasts and other features. As these artists show, maps also can explore dimensions other than the physical — they reflect interior landscapes, events, natural worlds or created worlds.” “Metrofixation 2 (detail)” is a digital illustration of an imaginary city created by Brett Callero. “Realistic representation of streets, parks, natural and manmade structures and boundaries exaggerate their illusion of specificity,” he said. “However, the illusion quickly dissipates because all functional data is absent. Only then, after a perplexing moment, one realizes they are immersed in nothing representing nowhere.” Art history professor Jonathan Field, Ph.D., created “Maxwell’s Demon (USA),” of which he said, “Pins puncture sheets of black neoprene rubber, forming images which evaporate as the viewer moves past the work, the pinheads flickering in and out of vision as light strikes them. The effect is one of elegy, the image dispersing, evasive, peripheral. [The work] was made in response to America’s reaction to the terrorist attacks of 2001.” Fibers student Jessica Landau screen-printed roads from her home state onto cotton. “These roads of Colorado once led to defined destinations, each completely memorized,” she said. “However, the longer I am gone searching for my new adult identity, the quicker the solid childhood identity is becoming jumbled up and directionless.” Paul O’Reilly developed a platinum/palladium print, “Ground Control (Planar Abstraction).” He said, “Creating a forum for perceptual shifts, free associations and viewer-designated content is the desired effect, rather than yielding empirical knowledge. By removing form from its functional context, the subject matter is de-centered, and the image belongs to the mind that gives it residence.” “All the Paths We Took There” is a two-plate etching with coffee, pencil, ink and acrylic on paper, created by Alexander Whittaker, a 2005 Master of Fine Arts in painting graduate. “Maps are our perception of ground, of the solid,” he said. “They are contentious and abused, fought over and died for. Maps are often used to lie, manipulate and exaggerate, yet they are trusted. Changing and informing us of change, maps document the most abstract aspects of our society.” Other work includes an untitled photograph by Geoffrey E. Aronson; a depiction of a 1966 landslide in “Aberfan, Wales — 21 October 1966” by Bernard J. Canniffe; a 3-D work, “Lost,” by Karen Carter; “La Costa” by Sarah Cox; “Astrolabe” by Gil Ruiz; and “Palestine I” and “Palestine II,” parchment and fibers hangings by Jay Sandifer. The exhibition is free and open to the public Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.
By Monique Bos Keri McLeod, a Savannah College of Art and Design Master of Fine Arts candidate in photography, showcases her work in “HumaNatureScapes,” her thesis exhibition. On display at Alexander Hall Gallery, 668 Indian St., the show runs from May 18-31, with a reception May 27, 6-8 p.m. McLeod examines intersections between nature and culture. In particular, her black-and-white photographs chronicle artifacts found on sides of roads throughout Georgia and South Carolina. “Over time, our society has separated itself spiritually from nature,” she said in her artist’s statement. “Human nature has become far from conscientious and has attached itself to a more important relationship: that of economics. We have become a replace, not a repair, society. These images are a variation of the different stages in which the circular balance and tension between nature and culture exists, in which I believe nature will ultimately prevail.” However, she said her concern is with artistic elements as well as societal issues. “While these images may offer a social commentary, the visual poetics of the space interest me,” she said. “My photographs are not a documentary, nor are they only about the object. They are about the land.” To see more of McLeod’s work, visit www.kerimcleod.com. ‘In House’ skates to Red Gallery Skateboards are both an artistic medium and the theme of the exhibition “In House,” showing at Red Gallery, 201 E. Broughton St., May 18 - June 28. On display are works that showcase the influence of skateboarding and street culture on various graphic arts, including advertising, fashion and video games. In addition, the traveling exhibition “32-inch Canvas,” curated by Mike Grimes, makes up part of “In House.” Grimes lectures at the show’s opening reception, May 19, 6 p.m. “32-inch Canvas” features works created on skateboard decks. “In House” also features work by SCAD alumni and faculty members, as well as nationally known graffiti artist Asylm. Metals and jewelry artists show work The metals and jewelry department presents “Alternate Endings,” an exhibition of work by 15 Bachelor of Fine Arts candidates. Pieces are created with materials including Corian, gold, silver and wood. Boxes of postcards featuring work from the exhibition are available for $10 each, with proceeds benefiting the Savannah Safe Shelter. The show is on display at May Poetter Gallery, 342 Bull St., May 13-28. An opening reception is slated May 13, 7 p.m., with a suggested $5 donation per person for the Savannah Safe Shelter. A closing reception also is scheduled for May 27, 7-9 p.m. Graphic design department holds show “I Am Design,” the graphic design department’s second annual show, runs May 12-18 at DeSoto Row Gallery, 2427 DeSoto Ave. A reception will be held May 14, 7-9 p.m. The juried exhibition features more than 30 pieces of work by 24 students in a variety of media. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Sunday, noon - 4 p.m. |
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