BLOOMINGTON- The Waldron Arts Center is excited to present three new shows in the galleries for August and September. In the Miller Gallery, Huner Emin presents the installation, Manufactured Democracy. This exhibition, consisting of a series of light boxes, as well as a video, remarks on the experiences of the Kurdish and Iraqi people during and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Emin’s reference to the Purple Fingers election of 2005 provides a concise backdrop for the individuals whose names are represented and memorialized by the artist in his work. The installation is a somber reminder of the humanity of those whose individuality is so often lost in the statistics fed to those who are only experiencing a conflict of this scale secondarily.
Up Close: Blooming Earth is a unique opportunity to experience an unlikely artistic medium – mycelium. In this work, artist Maria Schechter, uses foraged materials and botanical painting methods, in addition to a variety of mycelium species. Each piece evokes a sense of wonder at the abilities of nature, as well as encouraging each individual viewer to experience and explore their natural worlds. Schechter’s focus on centuries-old techniques, ethical foraging, and ecologically-responsible artwork creates an environment in which it is possible to better understand our symbiotic relationship with the world that surrounds us.
In the Spotlight Gallery, Rebecca Woodward presents her show, Maternity = Me/Ma + Eternity. In this series of portrait paintings, Woodward documents the transition each woman is passing through during pregnancy to motherhood. The paintings depict women in their true lives, wearing their own clothes in their own homes, shortly before a time when their identities will become not about their own individuality, but about their role as parents. Woodward’s depictions reference her own experience in motherhood, which in turn help her to illustrate the beauty, struggle, and normality of parenthood.
These three new shows will open with a reception during Gallery Walk, August 2, from 5-8pm. There will be an additional reception during September’s Gallery Walk, September 6, from 5-8pm.
