 "Predictions" was selected as the theme for the show to coincide
with the end-of-world predictions mainly represented by the end of
the Mayan Long Count calendar on the winter solstice. Nine artists
from Logan County contributed to the exhibit, crafting their art to
address their personal views on the future, whether the world ends
or, if not, how we as a species move into and create the future.
Christopher Tice, professor of art at Lincoln College, created a
multi-layered piece he calls "Utility," essentially his view of what
the world would resemble after a fire consumed the planet. The piece
is an amalgam of ordinary objects he placed on a container and
finished off in his backyard forge. While the melted objects retain
their shapes and seem random, Tice has created symmetry on the
surface. He then mounted a video projector above the piece that
shows a subtle movement, a cycle to time, in his words. "I am trying
to create a visual effect on a physical surface," Tice explained.
For the exhibit, Lincoln High School teacher Jason Hoffman
submitted three pieces that explore his current focus on the link
between a museum exhibit and one for an art gallery. "My pieces
explore a survival aspect, whether it is the end of the world or a
new beginning, and how we as individuals respond to mortality," he
said. To Hoffman, art is something he thinks about every day -- how
what he sees can be translated into something that speaks about the
issues we face in everyday life.
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Moses Pinkerton, the host for the exhibit, also contributed
several pieces. "If a piece of my art turns out right, people should
be able to look at one of my works and tell what it is saying," he
said. He is not a big fan of the abstract movement. His piece
"Ripe," a hand holding an Earth burgeoning with possibilities, is a
personal view about the potential available to all of the occupants
of our planet.
Bonnie Mayo's two paintings strongly express her optimism, with
themes showing the sun rising on a landscape still occupied and
changed by people. For her, art is "a process of thinking about a
subject for several weeks and then getting to a point where it is
time to put paint on canvas," she said. "I wake up one day and know
the time is right to create the actual painting." She is also
careful to use a frame that accentuates the focus and colors of her
art.
While the photos accompanying this article give a sense of what
the artists want to convey, the exhibit definitely needs to be seen
in person to appreciate the creativity.
The show "Predictions" is open at the Lincoln Art Institute, 112
S. McLean, until Jan.12. Pinkerton may be reached there at
217-651-8355 for more information.
[By CURT FOX]
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