Today, we step into the Maude Kerns Art Center for "As We See It: Six Sculptors," an exhibition running through March 20. When you enter a gallery of sculpture, the air feels different. Unlike the flat plane of a painting, sculpture demands a physical negotiation of space. You cannot simply look; you must move. You must witness how a curve of stone or a pinch of clay catches the light as you circle it.
The vivid thread connecting these six artists is a profound grounding in the tactile. Whether it is the "striations and translucence" of Christine Paige’s stone or the "squishy, tactile" clay favored by Anna Golden, these works are born from a direct, hands-on conversation with the Earth.
Take, for instance, Karen Myers. Her work, like the striking bust of a woman emerging from flames, translates the forest into the studio. She doesn't just represent nature; she incorporates the literal textures of bark and the curve and curl of feathers into her forms. Then there is the whimsy of Ellen Tykeson’s Jump, a bronze capturing the precarious, joyful tension of a child mid-climb.
I was particularly moved by Anna Golden’s "Goddess Altars.” She portrays women as vessels of creative energy, placing them on altars to serve as focal points for self-care rituals. These are not just objects; they are reminders of the "true essence of who we are.”
Sculpture brings a unique vulnerability to the table. It is "less representational and more abstract," as Paige notes, inviting a conversation of questions rather than answers.
Go to Maude Kerns. Move around these pieces. Let their weight and flowing gestures evoke the important landmarks of life's journey.
