"Endangered" opens Thursday evening at the Lincoln Art Institute

[August 07, 2019]   LINCOLN - Logan County Arts and the Lincoln Art Institute will continue an art-filled summer with their August exhibit, “Endangered”. The show will debut with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, August 8 at the Lincoln Art Institute, 112 S. McLean St.

Gallery owner Moses Pinkerton explains that the “Endangered” theme can have broad interpretations. “One obvious example is the danger to plants and animals caused by environmental threats all over the world. However, many other things can be endangered by changes in our social lives, technology or by natural or manmade disasters. This doesn’t mean that the artwork will all be grim, merely that the artists are addressing a wide range of subjects.” Artists Allison Carter, Sharon Fak, and Pam Moriearty will be celebrating natural themes. Bees have become symbols of endangered nature to the artists and, as Carter points out, honeybees also remind us of the advantages of cooperation when faced with challenges.

Sculptor Jason Hoffman’s three dimensional contribution poses questions about the pharmaceutical industry and the dangerous products they supply that become part of the problem rather than the cure. The piece was inspired by the drastic consequences of the commercially driven opioid epidemic.

Our lives change as they are “improved” by progress and technology, leaving many aspects of life behind. Tony Shuff, Moses Pinkerton and Ruth Fredricks all remind viewers of this with their photographic and painted artworks.

Though automation has made life easier, Fredricks’ rendering of a treadle sewing machine recalls a time when home seamstresses made all the family’s clothes.  Many women enjoyed the soothing rhythm of the rocking treadle, and were glad for the chance to sit down. Shuff and Pinkerton ask what is happening to such familiar things as local stores or nickels and dimes as commerce is dominated by chain stores and online buying.

In contrast to the idea that hazards should be avoided, Moriearty points out that sometimes we actually court danger. “Whether it’s skydiving, paintball, or even chess, most people are willing to enter situations with some risk in order to test themselves. Life can be too sheltered without a little challenge.” Her acrylic painting, “Checkmate in One,” recalls the tension of a competitive match.

After the opening reception, the show will be available for viewing until September 7. For an appointment, people may call Pinkerton at 217-651-8355. Also available at the “Endangered” opening will be information on the September, 2019 LCA show, a solo exhibition by Illinois watercolor artist Patrick Sheehan.

[Pam Moriearty]