The Saranac opened two new exhibits on Friday night – Kurt Madison’s “Plight of Mind” and Carrie Scozzaro’s “g-Force.” Both artists are teachers – Scozzaro teaches art at a public school in North Idaho (Scozzaro), and Madison teaches at Spokane Fall Community College in Spokane. Scozzaro and Madison utilize mixed media and found objects in their work to comment on the old and new. The event was held at the Saranac Art Projects on 25 West Main Avenue, a warm brick-walled gallery space. The exhibits were shown in the two separate rooms of the gallery.
Carrie Scozzaro’s 16 pieces in the space were very thought-provoking. She used mixed media to create four sets of four pieces; each of the four pieces in a set represents a grandmother figure, mother figure, and two daughters. By exploring the differences in these generations, Scozzaro is able to comment on the effect that time has on society and on cultural values. Additional themes, such as the four directions, four seasons, and four elements further unite the pieces in each of the sets. Her work feels as if it is inspired by mystical, medieval, or mythological sources. One piece that was especially interesting (and was also the artist’s favorite) is entitled “Full.” This piece played the grandmother role in the “4-Letter Words” series. It is made from a board, disk-like object, intricate floral furnishing, egg, chain, and jawbone of an animal. These objects convey age, time, beauty, and wisdom, and consequently suit the grandmother role very well. Scozzaro’s choice to use black, light blue, gold, silver, and red imply the vastness of outer space and further emphasize the fullness of this role within society.
This event gave the community an opportunity to come together to enjoy the art and each other. People were occasionally dancing in the middle of the space and everyone was having a good time. The majority of the attendees were over 40 years old, whereas at Terrain later that night, the demographic was much younger. The exhibit also varied from Terrain in terms of size, attendance, and sound. The Saranac provided an intimate location for contemplation of these artists’ work.
When I first walked into the exhibit, I didn’t feel a strong connection with the work immediately. As I started to examine the work, my interest grew, but it wasn’t until I talked to the artist that I could identify specific themes and engage with the work. It was convenient to be able to go to this exhibit opening and talk with the artist, but what if artists are not present when we are observing their work? Is it the artist’s responsibility to communicate their content clearly, or is it up to the viewer to come to a conclusion of it? Can these conversations between artists and viewers take place through the work when the artists aren’t present?
"Full" by Carrie Scozzaro
Carrie Scozzaro with her work
Another series by Carrie Scozzaro
Kurt Madison's "American Psyche"
3 comments:
I totally get what you mean alot of their art is really hard to understand at first. Though really that's the point of their art, to be though provoking, and make you interested. Carrie's art is very unique, wasn't expecting a plaque with a duck head on it, anyone who knows care to explain???
Hi Sheldon -
That duck piece was entitled "Messenger" and represented a daughter-figure in that series. The themes of each of the series had strong ties and were very thought provoking, but they were almost like a puzzle that you couldn't quite figure out. I enjoyed this tension and the process of questioning.
Thanks for the awesome feedback Mary, yeah i never would have figured that out by just looking at the photos, but its really cool that all the pieces tie together to form one work of art overall instead of just separate pieces.
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