Showcasing the work of renowned artists is nothing new for Owens Community College. Their latest exhibition, which is being presented jointly by the Walter E. Terhune Art Gallery on the Toledo campus and the Library Gallery on the Findlay area campus, is a prime example. The “Urban Signs” exhibit by nationally acclaimed Northwest Ohio native Amanda Burnham opens on January 11.

The Library Gallery will be offering a public reception and gallery talk by Burnham on January 19, at 5pm, while the Terhune Gallery will be holding a guest lecture by Burnham the following day at 9pm in the Fine and Performing Arts Studio Theatre, Room 111.

“Almost all of my works on paper start on site; I wander around or drive around looking for interesting subject matter in the landscape of the city and make the drawings right where I find whatever it is I’m looking at.  In the summer, I spend a lot of time in traffic medians and such with a mobile kit in my backpack — pencils, watercolors, pens, ink, and a couple of boards pre-stretched with watercolor paper.  I also work in my car.  My drawings provide a basis for the imagery in my installation pieces which are essentially more abstract, distilled agglomerations of the things I see.  In my lecture, I plan to discuss in some depth the nature of my process and they way it evolved,” says Burnham.

Burnham’s work has been exhibited at the Dorsch Gallery in Miami, the GV/AS Gallery in Brooklyn, N.Y., the Harrington Arts in San Francisco, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Conn. and the Toledo Museum of Art.

“I was very motivated to put together a show in Toledo, not only because so many of my family and friends live here, but also because I can trace a lot of my interests in terms of subject matter to growing up here. The Owens show features a site specific work installation work — it was designed and made particularly for this space, and will only exist for the duration of the show.  It’s an opportunity to see a work — a drawing that you can physically walk into – which will never be seen again once the show closes.” 

“Urban Signs” will remain on display through February 10, and is free and open to the public. For more information call the Toledo campus at (567) 661-2721 or the Findlay campus (567) 429-3088. You can also visit www.owens.edu.

Tags: Amanda Burnham, art, Exhibits, John Dorsey, Owens, Star

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 12th, 2011 at 6:45 am and is filed under Arts and Life, Exhibits, Star.
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