Taylor Assistant Professor of Art Laura Stevenson’s exhibition Out of Sight will be on display in the Metcalf Gallery of the Modelle Metcalf Art Building on the Taylor Campus from Feb. 3-27.
There will be an artist talk on Friday, Feb. 7, at 6 p.m. in the Rediger Chapel Auditorium of the Boren Campus Center. Reception will follow in Metcalf Gallery.
Stevenson is interested in discovering more about what may often appear as unseen in cultures, the news, and our daily lives.
“While composing groups of figures and considering their interaction or lack of interaction in my work, I think about my personal choice to engage or disengage with people I am surrounded by, both familiar people and people whom I don’t know or have never met,” she said. “Several books that I’ve read recently address barriers that feed the ‘us and them’ mentality, keeping us from engaging with strangers, neighbors, or people who may not be like us.”
Her current work shows curiosity in perception and amalgamation. Webster says that amalgamation “implies the forming of a close union without complete loss of individual identities.” As Stevenson creates her work, she ponders and asks questions about what this concept could look like in our increasingly polarized society.
After a fellowship experience in China during the summer of 2018, Stevenson explored mediums that would become new ways for her to navigate through ideas. Out of Sight shows a variety of mediums, including interactive installations. Stevenson also collaborated with Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts, Tracy Manning, and theatre arts students to create a performance art piece that will be performed live the night of the reception.
The Metcalf Gallery hours are 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday.
