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FOR THE EARTH
Living in the Ruburbs: The current exhibit at the Athens Institute
for Contemporary Art (ATHICA), titled "Ruburbs & Other Spaces
In Between: Land Use and Environmentalism," is curated by
Uuinn Gorman and Sage Rogers, and it looks at the impact of hu
man life on the environment. Ruburb (pronounced like suburb) is a
term used to describe the space that is neither completely urban,
nor completely rural. Gorman suggests that a broader view of en
vironmentalism is called for, with a more comprehensive concept
of "nature." The show's catalog explains that the wo*ks exhibited
"illustrate the potentially productive interweaving of human and
nonhuman, culture and nature, development and conservation."
These works also "suggest how we inevitably shape landscapes by
identifying desirable visions of 'nature' and making decisions in
their pursuit."
Vehicle (SFV). Critchley has even supplied a theme song. Marco
Viliam's urban life video begins with a vacant quality found in
large apartment complexes in big cities. The soundtrack progresses
and the video is quickly filled with people moving through city
spaces, crowded streets and long lines, with subways full of people.
The only thing missing in this show is artwork outside of
the gallery. I wish to find, hiding in the wooded areas near the
parking lot, an ur.imposing suggestion of sculpture. "Ruburbs &
Other Spaces In Between: Land Use and Environmentalism"
will be on view through May 27. Check Out There! for upcoming
related events. ATHICA is located at 160 Tracy St., in the Chase
Street Warehouses, and is open on Thursdays, 6-9 p.m., and Friday
through Sunday, 1-6 p.m. See www.athica.org for more info and
directions to the gallery.
Ants, Cracks, and Islands: Carol Lafayette's "Atta" is a multi-me
dia installation with a video projection on the wall and on stones
placed on the floor. The viewer can control the video projection
with cast resin knobs on the nearby podium. Objects imbedded
in the knobs suggest the content of the associated video projec
tion. A knob with a locust inside activates a projection of a locust
leaving its shell. Turn the knob one way and the locust
comes out, turn it the other way and the locust crawls
back into its skin. Move the knob slowly or quickly—the
locust follows your cue. Cows with eyes like headlights
in the dark amble into view. Water level changes in a
floodplain; ants carry leaves to feed a fungus; blades
of grass grow tall and wave in the wind; and leaves
grow with the seasons (activated by the knob with an
acorn in it). Lafayette used nighttime motion-sensitive
cameras, time-elapsed photography, and radar imaging
of a leaf cutter ant (Atta texana) colony to gain these
images. Terri Dilling's monotypes depict flowers grow
ing through cracks in the pavement. With velvety blacks
and a sophisticated neutral palette, Dilling captures the
strength of nature. Her work is included in the exhibit
"Ladylike? Women Artists Working in the South,"
currently up at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center.
Cheryl Gilge is an MFA student at the University of
California in Riverside. Her gouache paintings on view
in "Ruburbs" look like traditional studies of homes, but
the home is missing. Ellen Jantzen, who has a degree
from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
in Los Angeles, CA, uses digital photography to create
scenes showing what is no longer there. "Holding up a
Mirror to Progress" shows a new housing development
reflected in a mirror in front of a pristine natural en
vironment. Karen Hennessee is displaying three small
digital prints mounted on wood and embellished with
paraffin and sand. The prints are views of uprooted
trees on the beaches of Georgia's Jekyll Island. Steven
Bleicher received an MFA from Pratt in 1979, and
teaches at Coastal Carolina University, in South Carolina.
His "Route 66 Series" combines images and maps from
that highway with memorabilia.
Orchids and Irises: An exhibit of silk paintings by Jamie Kirkell is
on view in the State Botanical Garden of Georgia Visitor Center
through Apr. 30. Kirkell "was introduced into a 500-year-old ba
tik and textile design guild" after his Peace Corps experience in
Southeast Asia. "Laelia Orchid" places a bright orange orchid and
green stems against a turquoise sky. He uses dark backgrounds in
► Kudzu, Farmland and Flamingos: For her work in the
exhibit at ATHICA, Jenn Manzella relies heavily on
materials found in nature. She transforms paper she has
created from local kudzu and okra into sculpture, ex
panding boundaries between sculpture and printmaking.
"Stacking Time with Line and Paper" resembles bone-
colored vertebrae, capable of twists and turns, with
threads hanging from it. "Rising Stack" is a more color
ful column; it seems like a collection blown apart by the wind. "36
Suspended Paths" is a relief, with sheets of sewn paper hanging at
varying distances from the wall. An etched line meanders through
it, dodging holes in the paper. Manzella also has work in the "MFA
Candidates Exhibit" at the Georgia Museum of Art. Gary Carlos
has created a mosaic from a grid of tiles, individually decorated
with circles and dashes, which suggest the aerial view of farmland
with boundaries and irrigation circles. The overall image appears
abstract, but is actually two children looking over a mountain
of donuts. Bryan Hiott is displaying photographs of current-day
"monuments" in Gettysburg, such as the "Cul-de-Sac Monument"
and the "Storm Drain Monument." Free postcards are offered in a
tourist-style kiosk. Hiott received his MFA from Parsons The New
School for Design in 2006. Catherine Plaisance is displaying
digital prints of suburban homes with excessive lawn ornamenta
tion. There are 13 Pink Flamingos, 12 grills, tons of toys, 11 rolling
trashcans, and 17 white plastic chairs, in addition to a lawn full
of trash bags. Jay Critchley is displaying his "Big Twig Project"
documented via video and banner. He is also displaying a poster
describing his design project "Martucket Eyeland Resort & Theme
Park," which includes an intergalactic portal and the Sports Futility
Jenn Manzella at ATHICA
"Evening Iris" and "Cattleya Night," which accentuate the vivid
color obtained in the batik process. In addition to large paint
ings on silk, Kirkell is displaying Giclee prints. He has had work
commissioned by such notable venues as The Chrysler Building in
New York City. This work is appearing in botanical gardens across
the Southeast, as well as the Niagara Botanical Garden in Ontario,
Canada.
A Souvenir: There is also a small collection of award-winning works
from the State Botanical Garden's Art Competition, on view in the
Center. Works by David Hale, Drei Baume, Anne Brogdon and
Jessica Holland have been made into souvenirs: playing cards,
glasses, coasters, gift bags and stationery. At least one item for
sale from each award-wining piece can be found in the gift shop.
The Botanical Garden is located on South Milledge Avenue, see
www.uga.edu/botgarden for more information.
Belh Sale
Starting an artistic revolution? Tell me all about it. Email your art news to
outthere@flagpole.com and put Art Notes in the subject line.
16 FLAGPOLE.COM • APRIL 18,2007
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