Faculty/Artists Exhibit the 'Here & New'
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 29, 2009) - Art enthusiasts and the curious alike are invited to peruse the work of the university's own celebrated artists at "Here & New: Works by the UK Faculty" presented by the Tuska Center for Contemporary Art (TCCA). The show featuring work by faculty at the University of Kentucky Department of Art runs Oct. 29 through Dec. 9. An opening reception in honor of the artists will kick off the show from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Tuska Center for Contemporary Art. The opening reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.
"Here & New" features the work of UK's art studio and art education faculty. Artists/faculty members showcased in the exhibition are: Ruth Adams, Garry Bibbs, Dennis "Bones" Carpenter, Jeremy Colbert, Gerald Ferstman, Rae Goodwin, Marty Henton, Hui Chi Lee, Doreen Maloney, Ebony G. Patterson, Allan Richards, Arturo Alonzo Sandoval, Bobby Scroggins, College of Fine Arts Dean Robert Shay, Hunter Stamps, Dmitry “Dima” Strakovsky, Lynn Sweet and James Wade.
"'Here & New' is reflective of the diverse talents of the UK art studio and art education faculty," says Benjamin C. Withers, chair of the Department of Art.
Works on display will range from the fine woodworking of Lynn Sweet and metal sculptures from Jeremy Colbert, James Wade and Garry Bibbs, to the abstract and biomorphic ceramic sculptures of Hunter Stamps, video from Dmitry Strakovsky, installation and performance from Rae Goodwin, and a conceptual piece by Doreen Maloney.
The late John Regis Tuska’s work will also be included in the faculty exhibit, as part of a new and ongoing component of the faculty exhibit, honoring a past faculty member for the purpose of educating the university and the community about the history of the Department of Art, established in 1918, and to celebrate its distinguished faculty. Tuska was chosen as the first faculty emeritus to be included in the yearly exhibit because the Tuska Center for Contemporary Art was named in his honor upon his retirement in 1993.
According to Kate Sprengnether, director of TCCA, "This yearly exhibit gives the university and the community an excellent opportunity to become re-acquainted with the highly- talented artists on the UK faculty. This year, there is the added bonus of intriguing work made by a new faculty, Rae Goodwin, and work by the vastly talented John Tuska."
New faculty member Rae Goodwin, director of foundations at UK Department of Art, will conduct a performance titled "displaced," during the opening reception for "Here & New." For this piece, Goodwin will invite gallery visitors into an installation that mimics a living room setting (with some odd changes) and ask them to talk about Grandmother. Goodwin will transcribe the stories that she hears into a book that will be available for viewers to read during the run of the exhibit. The purpose of this performance and installation is for Goodwin to develop an understanding of Grandmother, and to then come to some knowledge of her own paternal grandmother, who died before she was born.
With this exhibit, TCCA also begins a new tradition of opening the gallery on one weekend afternoon per exhibit. For "Here & New," TCCA invites families to the gallery for "Family Day at TCCA." The event will include refreshments and fun, kid-friendly activities. TCCA will be open for "Family Day at TCCA" from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, the special activities are scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. Goodwin will repeat her performance of "displaced" during "Family Day at TCCA" in hopes of gathering stories from young gallery visitors. This event is free and open to the public.
The Tuska Center for Contemporary Art (TCCA) is on the first floor of the UK Fine Arts Building, located on Rose Street. Gallery hours for the fall 2009 semester are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.
For more information on "Here & New" and events held in conjunction with the show, contact Kate Sprengnether, director of the Tuska Center for Contemporary Art, at (859) 257-1545 or e-mail to k.sprengnether@uky.edu. Patrons can also find more information online at the gallery's Web site at www.uky.edu/FineArts/Art/TCCA, blog at http://tuskacenterforcontemporaryart.blogspot.com, Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Lexington-KY/Tuska-Center-for-Contemporary-Art/95196942735, and Twitter account at http://twitter.com/TuskaCtrforART.