If your idea of art is still-life paintings, you might have a new definition of art by the time you leave George Caleb Bingham Gallery’s new exhibit. The gallery is currently hosting “Where I End And You Begin,” an annual showcase of MU graduate students’ work.
The exhibit, sponsored by the Association of Graduate Art Students, features the works of students in the MU Art Department’s Masters in Fine Arts program. The students emphasize in a variety of different medias, from printmaking to pottery. Materials used in the pieces range from seashells to bullets — from altered furniture to plastic Barbies.
The title of the exhibit was decided in advance by the artists involved, so everyone could think about it as they worked, said Norleen Nosri, one of the graduate students featured.
The title, “Where I End And You Begin,” refers to the connection between the artist and the viewer.
“Titles can have different meanings (to different people),” Nosri said. “The audience will look at it differently. The title might give a little indication of what (the piece) is, but you can end it.”
Nosri said the title of the exhibit was very general, which helped her to simplify her work: a set of delicate and translucent clay vessels.
“It’s a study of form on the wheel,” Nosri said. “I picked the clay body white so I can concentrate on just the form. I wanted it to call people in to look at the work.”
The entire gallery not only houses the exhibit, but it also contributes to several of the works. The lace tablecloth of Trudy Rogers-Denham’s “Sue” continues off the wall, embossing the floor with the same patterns in dirt. Nearby, tendrils of greenery spread out from an altered dresser and seem to take the viewer out of the gallery in Catherine Armbrust’s “Nature Preserves.”
The works of fellow students are easier to connect to, said Greg Orloff, an undergraduate art major who attended the exhibit.
“(In galleries downtown) there’s a bit more of a serious nature,” Orloff said. “This is still the school world.”
Bingham Gallery gives graduate students the chance to express themselves. Participating in a show like this is beneficial, said Catherine Armbrust, a graduate student featured in the show.
“It gives us a chance to see our work in a ‘clean space,’ outside of our studio and a chance to step back and see what is really happening in a piece,” Armbrust said. “It also gives us a chance to let the public interact with our work — to get unbiased feedback from viewers with fresh eyes.”
Armbrust said the show brings the graduate students together as an artistic community.
“We build the show together, seeing what pieces work well with each other,” Armbrust said. “It’s great to see what folks in the departments outside your own are working on.”
The exhibit is free and will be at Bingham Gallery until Feb. 4. Bingham Gallery is located in A125 of the Fine Arts Center.
