Art From the Heartland: Interpretation Guide

Interpretation Guide

Best of Show & Director’s Choice Madonna by Clarissa Pezone Reimagining the iconic image of the Madonna, Pezone’s “Madonna” shows the figure in modern contemplation. The larger figure appears to inhale deeply as the bust she tenuously holds looks on with a stunned expression suggesting she is gasping for air, unable to act.

CURATORIAL STATEMENT

BRYN JACKSON Images and objects have historically been circulated to various effect. While some, over the course of the past century, have argued that art should serve no purpose beyond its mere existence, it has proven particularly useful in such exercises as establishing dominance, expressing power, inspiring desire, signaling virtue, constructing identity. The list goes on. Theoretically ‘free’ interplay between signs, symbols, images, and objects has pushed Western society, particularly that of the U.S., into a state of crisis. We, as a nation, have so deeply invested in systems that benefit from our compartmentalization and commodification that we are now seemingly unable to imagine a viable alternative to our contemporary condition. And the institutions that are built to support these systems are not adequately held accountable to the physical, psychological, social, or ecological traumas they inflict.

What distinguishes this year’s Art from the Heartland from any other is that the works in these galleries are presented in the context of global disruption. Five hundred thousand people have died worldwide due to COVID-19-related complications in a matter of months, and much of the world has implemented social distancing policies that have brought the global economy and much of its activity to a standstill. Furthermore, the very technologies that connect us are one and the same with those that saturate our consciousness with an unending torrent of violence against our environments and against ourselves. That our systems are and have been failing us is plainly evident and is streaming live on all platforms.

To be situated in proximity to the “crossroads of America” is to exist and operate at a meeting point. The works you see here are a convening of ideas and talent informed by a spectrum of experiences and value systems. Positive exchange in this space is within reach.

But we must first seize this opportunity to ask ourselves, “Who are we, really?”

Above: Best of 2D: Cherie Sampson, ‘Uphold (from below)’ Sampson’s work is a complex examination of process and transformation. This videoperformance was created at the site of a half-alive cottonwood tree that had been previously struck by lightning. Images of Samson following chemotherapy treatment are juxtaposed against the altered body of the tree, expressing the conflicting nature of change.

Middle Left: The Hearing: Generation Dissonance and the Divine Dance by Kelley Hershberger Voyeuristic and surreal, Hershberger’s interactive work places the viewer as an active participant in the piece, allowing them to peek inside the world she has created. The miniaturized settings of common aspects of American life can be seen through the windows in the piece, offering a small and meticulous glimpse at Hershberger’s detailed creation.

Bottom Left: Wall by Meg Lagodzki Wall is an immersive experience that places the viewer directly in the scene, with the shocking feeling of beholding a momentous structure destine to be broken and shattered. Lagodzki’s work stems from a concern over how humans impact our environment and pursues conveying the scale of such actions onto canvas.

Detail of Lightly Shaded Distortions by Joe Bartz Taking inspiration from Country Joe and the Fish’s 1967 psychedelic rock song, “Bass Strings”, Bartz illustrates the emotion of the song while evoking hallucinatory wonder through distorted imagery and morphed reality.

Honorable Mention: Torso by Kyle Kingen The body in Kyle Kingen’s work represents more than an individual body. The vivid lighting moves viewer’s eyes around the intimate space while preserving the anonymity of the figure. By blending intimacy with strangeness, Kingen creates a scene that brings the implication of closeness while remaining at distant.

Las Hierelas (Iceboxes)

by Krista Hoefle Focused research on the issue of immigration, using newspapers of record, the LA Times, The Washington Post, etc., Hoefle illustrates different aspects of immigration, with an emphasis on the treatment of detainees crossing the border.

The Hearing: Generation Dissonance and the Divine Dance by Juris Krievins Voyeuristic and surreal, Hershberger’s interactive work places the viewer as an active participant in the piece, allowing them to peek inside the world she has created. The miniaturized settings of common aspects of American life can be seen through the windows in the piece, offering a small and meticulous glimpse at Hershberger’s detailed creation.

Honorable Mention: Group Dynamic by Anne Wedler Wedler’s theatrical retelling of social environments mixes danger and curiosity into an examination of human interaction. The anonymity of the figures invites viewers to place themselves within the piece and live vicariously through each other.

Feeling the Void by Jen Broemel

Euphorbia by Alice Becker

Feeling the Void is Broemel’s personal exploration of color and process.

Finding order in the chaos becomes a reoccurring theme.

Broemel is drawn to the improvisational process and placement of color, representing freedom, freedom to be oneself, to except what is, and to be in the moment.

Becker’s representation of the Euphorbia plant is both unsettling and unnatural in a manner befitting the subject. The endlessly flowering forms bloom outward in every direction, never giving the viewer a dull view, and forces them to confront the surreal beauty of plant life.

Coruscate by Lizz Stringfield

Ascension by David Chadburn

Stringfield’s work with her Coruscate series showcases her ability to emphasize the interactivity of human and nature. This collage piece blends the landscape into a twisting and tangled field, establishing the environment as a force that is acted upon by humans and a living thing that inversely shapes us.

David Chadburn’s work immerses the viewer in the natural splendor of geological formation.

By incorporating and sculpting gesso, the rock formations come closer to the observer, creating the feeling of being within a cave as the sunlight beams through cracks in the earth.

A Sunny Day by Sue Berkey Sunlight falling on floor tiles and we see shadows of objects, a mug and a vase of tulips, on the window sill.

Berkey’s water jet cut creation is a jig saw puzzle of tiles that represent a bright and beautiful moment of internal serenity.

Director’s Choice: American Dream: The Visa Lottery Game by Krista Hoefle A simulation of the Diverse Visa Lottery through an interactive small scale installation. Participants watch an instructional video, take a token, and attempt to win the 1 in 285 special prize contained in the toy capsule machine. Using a game-of-chance structure, Hoefle appropriated a Japanese NES game titled “American Dream” and modified it to recreate the Visa Lottery or Diversity Visa Lottery, one of four legal methods of immigration.

Above: Landscape, Memory and Bone Series by Jim Pearson Jim Pearson’s Landscape, Memory and Bone series shows enigmatic, breakable and dying landscapes. Within this fragile environment, marks and organic forms grow intertwined in unpredictable patterns. Layers of textural surface become deeper and richer as they are constructed and then deconstructed.

Below: Wake by Gary Schmitt The felted wool of Schmitt’s work not only describes the shape, it suggests other qualities. Blurring of intent, softness, or even antithetically, roughness. Schmitt explores how meanings can be contradicting – contrasting serious and humorous aspects of the subject.

Right: Pool Party by Megan Magill Creating primarily from existing images, Megan Magill’s work questions life’s uncertainty through the stories we share. The somber mood conveyed through Magill’s piece is relatable in experience and heavy in tone, symbolizing the unstable nature of the events of our lives.

Above: Pool Party by Megan Magill Creating primarily from existing images, Megan Magill’s work questions life’s uncertainty through the stories we share. The somber mood conveyed through Magill’s piece is relatable in experience and heavy in tone, symbolizing the unstable nature of the events of our lives.

Above: The Dualists by John Wolfer

Above: Unaccompanied by Krista Hoefle Inspired by the poem Saguaros by Javier Zamora from his book of poetry titled Unaccompanied, Hoefle’s work provides personal insights in the stories we share and discussions regarding immigration and the longing for improved living conditions. The book chronicles Javier Zamora’s unaccompanied border crossing, nearly 4000 miles from El Salvador to the United States, to be reunited with his parents.

Part of Wolfer’s Indians and Cowboys series, The Dualists reinterprets the iconic scene of the gunfight at high noon. The tension and anticipation are subverted by the seemingly comedic interaction of the toy soldiers turning their backs to each other while firing. Nevertheless, Wolfer’s depiction is a monument to the inherent struggles and conflict present in our history.

Above: Extra Large Textured Contemporary Bowl

by Nancy Keating

Above: The Past is Calling by Matthew Glover Nancy Keating’s work is an up-cycled vintage 1960’s era Princess Telephone with a mosaic of hand cut mirror and art glass accented with glass millefiore. Through her extensive practice, Keating has developed an appreciation for mosaic techniques while perfecting her own unique artistic style.

As part of her Contemporary Bowls with Texture series, Kouzov explores the manipulation of thrown clay and the process of creation.

Reminiscent of a saddle, the outer face of Kouzov’s piece is a fine hand threading of basket-like weaving. Trimming the bases of the bowl into a rectangular shape gives the piece added dimension and showcases Kouzov’s talent with clay.

Honorable Mention: When I don’t know who I am, I serve you by Gabriella Poulos Focusing on the variety of methods one can utilize to create the exact same object, Poulos plays with color, texture, and technical variation to create 110 wool pouches. The felt pouches were made using a variety of carded and uncarded wools, from several breeds of sheep.

Honorable Mention: Astro Mind by Zilong Su Zilong Su’s work depicts the popular Japanese manga character Astro Boy, also known as Mighty Atom, covered by euphorically animated characters in a warm and gleeful color palette.

Su’s approach to the westernization of media and the influences of pop culture on our lives provides unique insight on mass media and media consumption.

Walkways by Olga Evanusa-Rowland Olga Evanusa-Rowland’s work mixes media to illustrate concepts of physical and cultural impermanence through visual clues of distant times, materials and literature. Construction of the work informs the context of each piece, providing another layer of fragility and decay. By combining 2-dimensional found objects with 3-dimensional materials, Walkways explores ideas surrounding the artificial nature of the material world and the degradation of our natural environments.

Mazcaraos de Rozaes by Mike Allee Mike Allee believes there is a similar, yet alternate universe running parallel to our own that can only be captured through the lens of a camera. Through this belief, Allee is able to transform subjects and scenes into otherworldly creates that are simultaneously unnerving and awe inspiring.

Honorable Mention: The Garden by Michelle Peterlin Michelle Peterlin’s abstract work builds upon the foundational elements of line and pattern to display a visual intensity. Drawing upon the process of glazing paint to construct each layer, Peterlin creates an arresting physical, spiritual and mythical conflict but leaves to the viewer what that conflict may be.

Above: Everted Sanctuaries VI by Ryan Lewis

Above: Why Is This The Average American Pantry

by Cassidy Westjohn Cassidy Westjohn’s work is an exploration of the American diet. Advertisements train and fool us into craving junk foods simply by looking at the logos. Westjohn’s piece put this to the test by creating a pantry without any words or overt logos in an attempt to see if the viewer would still crave the food by simply seeing the colors and idea of familiar logos.

Everted Sanctuaries VI explores the complex needs of introverts. Transformed objects become metaphors for the often uncomfortable process of becoming temporarily extroverted. Lewis’ work was created with manual stop-motion animation and incorporates a book and typeface also created by Lewis.

Bottom Left: Wabash Far Away – 1 by Zachary Kaufman Kaufman’s piece documents members of the Peru Amateur Circus performing at a road show during their 60th Anniversary season. Drawing inspiration from a time when both Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circuses were headquartered in Peru, Indiana, which earned it the title, “Circus Capital of the World,” Kaufman captures a moment away from the performance that grounds the figures, both literally and figuratively.

Below: Two Box Reli by Wendy Smith Repurposed cigar boxes, containing a snapping turtle skull and a sea snail display the history of nature in the Midwest. Smith’s anatomical depictions of these long forgotten relics provide an alternative image of how the environment has been transformed and the fauna reshaped to better suit the precariousness of life.

Detail of Rose and Morose

by Kathleen Pahl

This Bag Contains Shredded Paper by Scott Espeseth

As part of Pahl’s Figural painting, Rose and Morose is an interplay of color and form that distorts the body through mark making and overlapping color.

Pahl twists and obscures the figure with layers upon layers of frenetic and ethereal mists of color that captures the emotion of boundless energy.

Paper waste, although not necessarily a common concern, is important to Espeseth. Utilizing the wrinkles and variety of textures in the interplay of light on plastic, paper, and wood, Espeseth’s realistic work is palpable to the viewer, so lifelike that it could be picked up off of the page.

The Hubris of Hieronymus (A Delightful Dimension)

by Stephen Creech Inspired by the forms found in Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights, Creech uses symbols of introspection and contemplation to form a prophetic dimension of oblivion. The light symbolizes the omnipotent warmth and glow that comes from power. In the absence of the light, the viewer is forced into self-reflection upon the hellish landscape below.

Adaptation

by Peggy Breidenbach Reflecting upon personal and universal observations about life, Breidenbach explores growth, change, and fragile nature of beauty through ceramics.

This work is part of her Accommodating series of pinched forms, which attempts to capture the remains of life’s push and pull through metaphor and representation.

Above: Teratment Plant by Alice Becker Water treatment, although not a common thought or concern for the average person, is represented through the dark industrial aesthetic of Becker’s work. By documenting a widely disregarded concern, Becker brings the importance of water health to the forefront of discussion about the environment and public health.

Below: Temple VI by Carl Kauffman A monolithic and somewhat chilling view, Carl Kauffman’s minimalist composition is breathtaking in its sublime nature. Reminiscent of skyscrapers and stone temples, Kauffman draws upon the rigid forms of harshness that pervade our lives and forces the viewer to reflect on whether they met these forms with a sense of foreboding or welcoming.

Above: Passage Matted Framed by Bryan Johnson Sandstone Rock ledges and cliffs typify Southeast Kentucky. In the midst of a drought, the little area Johnson captured was still lush from the ground water that seeps through the rock, giving life to plants and mosses that still receive some light in the secluded oasis.

Above: Truck-Stop’d: Twin Pyramids of Gizla by Christine Miller Pure happenstance on the side of the road forms the composition for Miller’s photograph. Drawing connections between the mountains of gravel and the monuments of the pyramids, Miller seeks to explore the similarities that can be found worlds apart from one another.

Above: Fish by Brad Bell Brad Bell documents the chance sighting he encounters, choosing to frame such happenstance as meaningful and impactful. The symbolism drawn from dead fish washed up on shore serves as a reminder to the fragility of life and the cyclical nature of existence.

Above: Underneath the L by Bill Schahfer Chicago is home to many coves of hidden abundance. Schahfer, serving as both explorer and documenter, finds a space abandon and overgrown beneath a bridge of the L train.

Framing the area as well-worn and reclaimed by nature juxtaposes the urban architecture of travel with the enveloping vines and grasses breaking through the concrete.

Above: Let’s Dance by Lilly McElroy Lilly McElroy’s gestural performances are both loving and cruel in their intent. Aiming to discuss the frustration of failure and the possibility of becoming obsolete, McElroy becomes both the story’s hero and a placeholder for the viewer, ever questioning power and the sublime.

Above: Preparing for the Next Day by Christine Abbott After spending more than a year creating images from a couple’s domestic interior, Christine Abbott takes her work from memory to her own home. Creating works from direct observation gives Abbott the nuanced perspective of being both an artist and a mother.

The Wall by Tim Hildebrandt

Free Big Extra by Heather Mawson

Hildebrandt’s abstract landscape provides a surrealist perspective of nature and its many forms. Upon closer inspection, many natural objects display abstract and surreal features. Hildebrandt draws on this concept to create works inspired by organic forms but removed from the natural world.

Six squares of collaged photographs layered with laminated newspaper advertisements comprise this work

by Heather Mawson.

The newspaper advertisements present in the piece are personally curated through phrases such as, “free”, “big extra”, and “are you free.”

Encroachment by Robert Mullenix With the superimposition of imagery and text, Mullenix draws awareness to the ever-increasing threat of climate change on the health of our planet. Dark imagery of churning tidal waves wash over the barely visible raised text spelling “WAIT” symbolizes the futility of asking nature to wait while the earth slowly decays.

Simple Thing by Aaron Brandt Best known for combining photography, illustration, and sculpture, Aaron Brandt focuses his work on the culture of Middle America.

Brandt’s pieces relate to the physical environment and societal structures present throughout the area in a method that interacts with the viewer.

Best of 3D: Kegel by Anastasia Sitnikova Anastasia Sitnikova is drawn to ambiguity of kegel weight, being that it has something to do with service and sacrifice. Although intended to cure physical damage caused by childbirth, Sitnikova brings forth dialogue surrounding the humiliating nature in Kegels, since it declares the standard one must fit all.

Above: Mother Earth 1 by Constance Collins Utilizing handwoven textiles as metaphors, Collins’ Mother Earth series takes viewers through the stages of the world from the pristine to the tattered piece representing the foreseeable future if we do nothing.

Fabrics become metaphors that address the environmental damage from the textile and fashion industries, which destroy waterways throughout the world, and leave individuals without clean drinking water while causing physical ailments.

Above: End of the Hall by Jeanette Hammerstein

Above: Dune by Curtis Bozif Inspired by the plains and endless fields of wheat and grass, Bozif creates a serene arena of natural splendor. The realistic interplay of light on the grassy strand is palpable to the viewer, bringing the face to face with one of the greatest features of the Midwest.

Jeanette Hammerstein’s painting relives her time as an emergency medicine physician. Through painting, Hammerstein has discovered an outlet for the energy required by clinical practice and a way to process the trials and tribulations that accompany the medical field. Expanding her art also informs her clinical view in a manner that is positively cathartic, creating a personal space that invites viewers to experience the emotions of the sterile environment.

Boy by Lisa Marie Barber Barber’s work is brought forth from a space of solitude and happiness.

Embracing the joyousness she finds in her garden as a living installation, Barber assembles playfully conceptual pieces that bring the viewer along for a journey through her mind.

Paper to Paper by Heather Mawson As part of an ongoing piece, Mawson read the 3 newspapers every day for the first 100 days of the US presidency in 2017. From those newspapers Mawson created handmade paper. This handmade paper contains fragments of information made into found word poems that are displayed above the handmade paper.

Zhou’s Knot

by Gary Shmitt Finding enjoyment in the unexpected, Schmitt uses the materiality of wool to investigate interconnected ideas and uncovering things he hadn’t expected.

The medium of wool has a great deal to say regarding the meaning of objects and how its characteristics can be transformed into something entirely different.

At The End of the Day, A Shovel is a Spoon by Michael Dinges Dinges’ work comprises of 422 engraved plastic spoons individually hung as a reflection of bureaucracy and progress. The text is an anecdote told by economist Milton Friedman to economist Stephen Moore on the conditions and trepidation of workers and bureaucrats.

Grain Elevator at Night by William Lemke Concentrating on texture, tone, and the emotional impact of light, Lemke’s black and white photography work is a continuation of his practice of inspiring viewers to appreciate nature and develop a desire to protect our shared environment.

Lemke chooses to focus on what is present in the scene and live in the present moment with the goal of sharing the beauty of nature with the viewer.

Pop Top by Constance Scopelitis Scopelitis’ drawings on lace handkerchiefs represent the various objects and creatures one might see on wash day while hanging clean laundry on the line. Emphasizing the juxtaposition of pristine lacework and images of vice and surprise form a dialogue between the object represented and the material it is displayed on.

Hidden Estrus by Nicole Condon-Shih Hidden Estrus is Condon-Shih’s ongoing research project exploring the facades of fertility in humans and other mammals. Saliva samples are collected and examined under a microscope, which are then translated using digital drawing, and then laser etched into racy florescent pink Plexiglas. This project catalogs daily saliva samples of women over the duration of a full menstrual cycle. The samples are then examined under a microscope, illuminating patterns including outlines of dried saliva, floating rock-like patterns, and even microscopic pieces of lint.

Above: Glendale Terrace by Marc Jacobson Utilizing his impressionist techniques, Jacobson examines the mundanity and sublime through a parking lot. The scene is structured in a manner befitting a grand landscape, drawing upon the contrast inherent with manmade environments.

Above: Minds Differ Still More Than Faces by R.A. Buys

Above: Sanding Away a Year’s Worth of Sunsets

by Lilly McElroy For two years, McElroy used her finger and pieces of sandpaper to remove the image of the sun from a stack of a year’s worth of photographs of the same sunset. Accompanying this piece is a 267 hours of video documentation and the final photograph that was made upon completion of the sanding process.

Utilizing streams of consciousness, R.A. Buys removes the identifying features of gender, age, and race that may divide us in order to create abstracted features devoid of recognition. Buys’ cutout wooden faces, highlighted with differing abstract patterns, depicts the unique variation between individuals and their internal environment.

Above: Where is Ana Mendieta? by Yuling Huang Above: Kidney Dish by Anastasia Sitnikova The found objects Sitnikova used in the creation of her piece, vintage kidney dishes or hospital dishes, are closely related to the concept of body, its weakness, its strength, and cure in transition between the two. Sitnikova’s work is trying to take them out of the original context and propose more romantic and inviting interpretation to the viewer.

Yuling Huang’s painting is dedicated to and reminiscent of a pioneer of performance art, Ana Mendieta. Mendieta fell to her death in 1985, and Mendieta’s husband, the minimalist artist Carl Andre, was charged with seconddegree murder but was later acquitted of his crime. Huang’s work is intended to raise awareness of both domestic violence and the incredible work of Mendieta.

Above: Pattern Recognition 4, Dead Laptop Series

by Michael Dinges Powerful algorithms can bring us together or drive us apart with their built-in disposition for Above: Protocol #2 by Krista Hoefle ever-increasing extremes. Dinges explores the In October 2019, Hoefle traveled to Japan for a perilous progress of technology on our modern research trip about gaming centers and toy capsule integrated lives. Engraved, dead Mac laptop culture. This piece is a Japanese perspective about computer. The text engraved on the dead American culture, a needlepoint of a screenshot laptop reads as “Algorithms Are the Utensils We from a Japanese NES game.

Use to Devour Each Other.”

Scatter by Olga Evanusa-Rowland The collage assemblages of Evanusa-Rowland’s piece are tenuously held together with tape, clothespins, and cord, serving dual purposes in content and construction. Her collages are made up of fragments and materials of humble origin: cardboard, paper, fabric, photographs, found objects, paint, and handwritten text.

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