“A journey implies a destination, so many miles to be consumed, while a walk is its own measure, complete at every point along the way.FLY is a journey, but walk it if you like.”
So begins FLY, a site-specific installation by Deb Todd Wheeler that currently resides in the Hoffmaster Gallery in the Wriston Art Center.
Visitors begin this journey by picking up a flashlight and magnifying glass from off the wall. They then use the items to follow a trail of about 500 small pins, each containing an image. The trail encompasses the entire room, going up, down, and in many different directions. “As the visitor follows the path of the pins, a charming and comical story about a wasp’s search for identity and true love unfolds as it encounters various forms of artifice along the way,” said Ester Fazji-DeGroot, Wriston collections manager.
This installation is based on Wheeler’s work “Ludicrum: naturalia, artificialia, scientifica v.4,” which combines her interests in historical science, nature, scientific instruments, metals, and “wondering” about the world. She is a metalsmith and sculptural artist, and is on the faculty at the Massachusetts College of Art.
Wriston also features two other exhibitions, one of which is “Remembrance: Russian Post-Modern Nostalgia.” The artwork at Lawrence is one part of this exhibit, with two others located on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus (until April 25). Organized by Intart, the International Foundation of Russian and Eastern European Art, this traveling exhibit highlights work by contemporary Russian artists.
Finally, “Estampas de la Revolucion Mexicana” (Prints of the Mexican Revolution) features linoleum cuts that chronicle the events of the Mexican Revolution. The prints, which were made in 1947 by Mexican artists, narrate the history of the Mexican people. These prints are part of the Wriston Art Gallery’s permanent collection.
The Wriston Galleries are open Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to
4:30 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. All three exhibits run through May 16, 2004.