Works hosted by the Steel Center for the Study of
Religion and Philosophy
_Page_1.jpg "Image collage of five different artists' works that are part of the exhibition \"Matter\"")
CONWAY, Ark. (September
17, 2024) — The opening of “Matter,” an art exhibition that explores the
concept of material culture in daily life, will take place Friday, September 27
from 4:10 to 5:10 p.m. in Hendrix College’s Ellis Hall (building 20 on the
current campus map). Ellis Hall is home to the Marshall T. Steel Center for the Study of Religion and
Philosophy, which is sponsoring the exhibition.
“Matter”
explores the connection between humans and the objects they use to define their
lives, relationships, identities, or beliefs. Composed of everything from coins
to cookware, material culture connects humans and the environment through objects
that we find meaningful. Student curator Sydney Austen ’25 will lead a
discussion of the works and introduce participants at this free,
family-friendly event open to the Hendrix community and the public.
Works in this
exhibition question how humans separate art from artifact and form from
function. In an era focused on commodity and short-lived products, “Matter”
presents art that expresses how objects come alive with cultural, and personal,
significance.
The exhibition
features five artists, working in various mediums, whose works explore unique
aspects of material culture:
Fabiola Gironi is a
contemporary artist from Milan, Italy, currently residing in Los Angeles. She
primarily works in painting and drawing. Prompted by her experiences of
motherhood, the Covid-19 pandemic, and a lifetime of international travel,
Gironi’s recent body of work focuses on still-life and interior depictions that
explore the transient nature of “home.” Her pieces Chimera and Archetype
feature objects that exemplify her life as an Italian woman and as a mother.
Caleb Cole is a
Midwest-born, Boston-based artist whose work addresses the opportunities and
difficulties of queer belonging. Using collage, assemblage, photography, and
video, they bring secondhand objects and media together for chance encounters,
deliberately placing materials from different time periods into conversation as
a means of considering a lineage of queer culture. Holecloth is a
textile piece that visualizes the desire to preserve that which is missing or
difficult to perceive.
Jordan
Kornreich
teaches painting and drawing in the Department of Art & Design at
Binghamton University. He is a visual artist and educator from Ithaca, N.Y.
Kornreich’s most recent series of drawings explores the idea of moving between
homes. These moments of transition remind the viewer of the impermanence of
existence in the world. His piece, Ghost, centers on the ideas of
presence and absence, identity and transience, gain and loss, isolation,
vulnerability, resilience, and independence.
Kathleen Thum is an
Associate Professor of Drawing at Clemson University in upstate South Carolina.
Her widely exhibited drawings, paintings, and wall installations explore the
ongoing shifting of power between mankind and Earth. Thum began collecting
carbon matter after spending time in Wyoming at an artist residency. Given the
state’s reputation for its energy extraction of “clean” coal, Thum became
curious about coal as an object with physical qualities that could be
understood through art. Her works, Wyoming Coal #1 and #4, depict
pieces from her collection that exemplify the complex history of coal.
Nathan Gorgen and Molly
Jo Burke are an artist and designer couple and parents of young children,
who collaborate on artwork as Byproduct Studios. Based in Ohio, their
collaborative work raises issues of environmentalism and waste, and the nature
of the materials and objects that surround their everyday lives. With their
newest series, they have begun to use the objects they collect in their family
life, such as unused children’s items and leftover components from home
improvement projects. Their pieces Domesticus Nature Morte I, II, & III
feature low-relief still life works inspired by their children, whose freedom
in artmaking cause them to see everything in their environment as a potential
sculpture.
About Hendrix College
Founded in
1876, Hendrix College is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools
That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges and celebrated among the
country’s leading liberal arts colleges for academic quality, engaged learning
opportunities and career preparation, vibrant campus life, and value. The
Hendrix College Warriors compete in 21 NCAA Division III sports. Hendrix has
been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. Learn more at www.hendrix.edu.
“… Through
engagement that links the classroom with the world, and a commitment to
diversity, inclusion, justice, and sustainable living, the Hendrix community inspires
students to lead lives of accomplishment, integrity, service, and joy.” —Hendrix College Statement of Purpose