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 The year 2020 dealt some devastating blows to the
membership of the art club as well as the Art Institute. With the
onset of the coronavirus, art exhibits had to be halted. Then later
in the year the sudden passing of founder Toby Prange aka Moses
Pinkerton put the future of the art institute in limbo for a time.
Therefore, Thursday night’s opening reception was in many ways an
“out of the ashes” story. It was a story of moving forward without
forgetting our past. It was a story of watching a new generation
take the reins and carry on a legacy, but with a new fresh look.
Jason Hoffman had been one of Moses’ good friends and a fellow
artist. He and Moses spent a lot of time together and worked on a
number of art projects together. It seemed only fitting that the
talented young artist would be the one to step up and take those
reins and keep the art institute alive for the future.
Late in 2020, Hoffman and his partner Marcia Cook
were able to purchase the art institute building. The couple began
right away giving the interior a fresh look. In essence the gallery
is still very much the same as it was when Moses ran it, but with a
few significant changes. The gallery has a much brighter atmosphere
with new paint and just a few minor changes to the layout of the
room. With the dark hardwood floors, it makes for an amazing
backdrop for the many pieces of art that were on display on Thursday
evening.
Hoffman and Cook are utilizing the building for two businesses.
Hoffman will offer the art gallery and maintain the partnership for
monthly showings by the Logan County Arts. Cook has re-located her
Moksha Center for holistic well-being to the building, and in the
tradition of Moses Pinkerton the two have established a living
quarters in the building as well.
As visitors arrived on Thursday evening the first art
installation they saw was a large sign “yes, we’re open.” The
“Enamel on Panel” piece by Hoffman was a celebration of a new year
and the fond farewell to the year of coronavirus.
Mounted next to that sign was a lovely blooming flower with a large
smiling lip set in the center. A closer look at the work reveals
that it is made up entirely of painted face masks. The work by Bev
Noble is entitled “2021 – Return of the Smile.” The two works
together define the theme of the April show 'Transitions,' a
statement about moving forward while respecting and remembering the
past.
Midway down that same wall hangs a tribute to Moses.
The pencil drawing by Margie Douglas entitled “Ode to Moses”
captures perfectly the personality of the man.
Hoffman works with a number of mediums, but has always been well
known for his work with wood. It is a talent that was passed on to
him from his grandfather and father who both enjoyed working with
wood as well. When Hoffman was young, he had a teacher who
recognized his talent and vision and encouraged him to explore his
artistic side through his wood creations.
Thursday night, Hoffman had three works that spoke to
the legacy of his late mother. His mom had relied a great deal on
the old fashioned remedies when someone was ailing. This included
the consumption of healthy foods and the use of Vick’s Vapo Rub.
Hoffman works included a Polychromed wood orange entitled “RX Orange
Antibiotic Vitamin C,” and a large jar of vapo rub. In addition he
brought back a work that has been seen in the past, the electric
cord plugged to an outlet that was created originally to symbolize
the use of electric medical devices to assist his mother in her
final days. The cord especially, attests to the suffering that
occurred for many in 2020 as they found themselves fighting for life
on an electric ventilator, struggling to survive the coronavirus.
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Another poignant piece spoke to the changes of the
mind and body during illness. Sheralyn Bolton offered a piece
entitled “a glimpse and the she’s gone again – Alzheimer’s.” The
acrylic and mixed media piece utilized light to dark color movement
and pieces of broken mirror to reflect the transitions of the mind
during the progression of the disease.
A faux granite assemblage entitled “Slightly infected
April 2020” by Alice Ferguson spoke clearly to the situation our
community found itself in one year ago.
The piece with the Logan County Courthouse at the top was made up of
a number of pieces that reflected how we felt boxed in or
compartmentalized as we endured quarantine. Closer inspection also
showed that from time to time the coronavirus landed in one of those
boxes and floated around within the community.
In addition to the more serious works, the theme of transition was
reflected in a light-hearted manner by several of the artists.
Jan Villarreal offered up an acrylic on canvas work
entitled “Butterfly Transition” that incorporated all the stages of
the lifecycle from caterpillar to butterfly. With the painting done
primarily in shades of green, blue and yellow, the orange butterfly
was the first to catch the eye, but closer inspection revealed the
complexity of the painting and the cycle of life it was meant to
portray.
A canvas by Randy Washam entitled “Apple to cider”
also offered a lighter, happier representation of the theme.
A fun and interesting piece that got a lot of
attention from guests was a work by Steve Stover entitled “Mickey.”
The work was a more literal translation of the theme “transition” as
Stover used pennies and transformed them into a work of art.
It was one of those pieces that the further one stood from it the
easier it was to appreciate the fine detail of the painting. Mickey
was one of two such works submitted by Stover.
Other artists who contributed to the April show included Laura
Elliott, Deborah Splain, Pamela Moriearty, Sharon Fak, Nicole Lee,
Jeff Williams, Ruth Fredericks and J. Simpson (with Pamela Moriearty.)
Throughout the evening the gallery was buzzing with visitors. Guests
were required to wear face masks and asked to keep their distance
from one another. The capacity inside the gallery was limited and
when necessary guests were asked to wait outside for others to leave
before entering.
As in the past, the show was admission free, but donations to
support the gallery were happily accepted at the door. The majority
of the art on display is for sale and can be purchased by contacting
Hoffman or Cook. The show will run through May 7th and the art
gallery is scheduled to be open on Friday evenings from 5 p.m. to 8
p.m.
The next show will open on May 7th and will be a solo show by
Bloomington artist Lisa Lofgren.
[Nila Smith] |
