Join us May Art Walk for a remarkable group exhibition featuring four local artists.
Flock features multi-media work from Katie Pendley, Lauren Panichelli, Shelley Tate Garner, and Rudy Ellis.
ABOUT THE CURATOR
ROXANNE PICO LENZ
ROXANNE HAS ADMIRED ART FROM AN EARLY AGE. WHILE SHE HAS YET TO MASTER A PARTICULAR MEDIUM, SHE HAS ENTHUSIASTICALLY TRIED MANY -PAPER MÂCHÉ, ACRYLIC PAINTING, CAKE DECORATING, CROCHET, BEADING, EMBROIDERY, AND MORE. FOR ROXANNE, THE ACT OF MAKING HAS ALWAYS MATTERED MORE THAN PERFECTION.
THOUGH SHE MAY NOT CLAIM THE TITLE OF "ARTIST" IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE, ROXANNE'S CREATIVE STRENGTH LIES IN VISION, ORGANIZATION, AND MOMENTUM.
SHE IS THE POSTER DESIGNER, THE FLYER CREATOR, THE GENTLE NUDGE BEHIND THE SCENES-THE ONE WHO HELPS IDEAS TAKE SHAPE AND PEOPLE STAY ON TASK.
SHE BELIEVES THAT CREATIVE WORK FLOURISHES NOT ONLY THROUGH TALENT, BUT THROUGH ENCOURAGEMENT AND THOUGHTFUL COORDINATION.
WHEN SHE'S NOT CHEERING ON HER FAR MORE TECHNICALLY GIFTED FRIENDS, ROXANNE CAN BE FOUND DESIGNING HER HOME, ANTIQUING, OR GAZING OUT THE WINDOW AT THE BIRDS THAT GATHER AT HER MANY FEEDERS. "FLOCK" FEELS ESPECIALLY FITTING: A QUIET TRIBUTE TO COMMUNITY, CREATIVITY, AND THE BEAUTY THAT GATHERS WHEN PEOPLE (AND BIRDS) COME TOGETHER. AND SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN, SHE'S ALWAYS IMAGINING THE NEXT ARTISTIC MEDIUM SHE MIGHT BRAVELY TRY.
ARTISTS’ STATEMENTS
RUDY ELLIS
“FLOCK: ECHOES OF FLIGHT “ EXAMINES BIRD EXTINCTION AS A HUMAN-MADE RUPTURE IN THE EVOLUTIONARY LANGUAGE OF INSTINCT. BIRDS SURVIVE THROUGH INHERITED KNOWLEDGE-MIGRATION PATTERNS MAPPED ACROSS THE CENTURIES, NESTING RITUALS SHAPED BY CLIMATE, FEEDING BEHAVIORS REFINED THROUGH ADAPTATION. INSTINCT CARRIED THEM THROUGH ICE AGES AND CONTINENTAL SHIFTS. IT COULD NOT PREPARE THEM FOR ANNIHILATION AT THE HANDS OF PRIMATES.
USING MIXED MEDIA TECHNIQUES, 3D PRINTED SKULLS AND A VARIETY OF MATERIALS, THESE PIECES BECOME CONTEMPORARY RELICS THAT CONFRONT VIEWERS WITH AN ARCHITECTURE OF ABSENCE. THE SAME SYSTEMS THAT ARE ACCELERATING EXTRACTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL COLLAPSE ARE BEING USED HERE TO RECONSTRUCT WHAT HAS BEEN ERASED.
THIS WORK ISN'T ABOUT CONSTRUCTING A MEMORIAL TO THEIR LOSS. IT POINTS TO THE FUTURE OF LOSS THAT IS ONGOING, SYSTEMIC AND ENGINEERED. THE BIRDS ARE GONE. WHAT REMAINS IS THE EVIDENCE-BONES AND SILENCE-AND THE QUESTION OF WHAT INSTINCT WE HAVE CHOSEN TO OVERRIDE ON OUR OWN PATH TO EXTINCTION.
SHELLEY TATE GARNER
THE WORD “FLOCKED” SUGGESTS AN INSTINCTIVE COMING TOGETHER—A MOVEMENT TOWARD WARMTH, SAFETY, AND SHARED DIRECTION. TO BE FLOCKED IS TO BE GATHERED INTO SOMETHING LARGER THAN ONESELF, TO SURRENDER A MEASURE OF INDIVIDUALITY IN EXCHANGE FOR BELONGING.
YET EMBEDDED WITHIN THE WORD IS ITS SHADOW: THE REALITY THAT NOT ALL ARE GATHERED IN
—OR THAT SOME MAY BE GATHERED IN FALSELY. TO BE EXCLUDED FROM A FLOCK IS TO FEEL THE SHARP EDGE OF SEPARATION, TO STAND OUTSIDE THE CURRENT OF COLLECTIVE RHYTHM. IT IS EXPOSURE. AUSTERITY. VULNERABILITY. IT IS THE ACHE OF WITNESSING UNITY WHILE REMAINING UNTOUCHED BY IT.
A FLOCK MIGHT BRING TO MIND A DENSE MURMURATION FOLDING IN ON ITSELF WHERE NO SINGLE BIRD CAN BE DISTINGUISHED FROM THE WHOLE. PEWS FILLED SHOULDER TO SHOULDER, HEADS BOWED IN UNISON, LIGHT FROM STAINED GLASS DISSOLVING INDIVIDUALS. BELONGING CAN LOOK LIKE REPETITION WHERE COMFORT IS FOUND IN SIMILARITY AND SHARED DIRECTION.
IN CONTRAST, IMAGES OF NOT BELONGING INTERRUPT THAT RHYTHM. A SINGLE BIRD BREAKS AWAY FROM FORMATION. A CONGREGATION SPLITS, CREATING A GAP WHERE PRESENCE SHOULD BE. A SHADOW FALLS ACROSS THE EDGE OF A GATHERING WITHOUT FULLY ENTERING IT. THESE WORKS EXPLORE THE VISUAL TENSION AS FLOCKED BECOMES A MEDITATION ON INCLUSION AND ABSENCE. EXPLORING THE FRAGILE LINE BETWEEN BEING HELD WITHIN THE MANY AND STANDING ALONE BEYOND THEIR REACH.
LAUREN PANICHELLI
MY WORK IS HEAVILY MOTIVATED BY MY VOYEURSHIP OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC AS A CIVIL SERVANT. I EXPLORE STORYTELLING THROUGH CLAY AS A WAY TO PROCESS THE PUBLIC NEEDS THAT I ASSESS AS A LIBRARIAN. MY WORK SPEAKS OF ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES SUCH AS NARRATIVE FICTION, SOMATIC MOVEMENT, PEDAGOGY, AND COMMUNION AS METHODS OF COMMUNICATING IN OUR CONTEMPORARY WORLD. I RELY ON THE MATERIAL PERMANENCE OF STONEWORK TO SPEAK OF OUR ARCHIVE FEVER AND THAT WE MAY SEEK REMEDIES IN EMPATHIZING TOWARDS THE PAST. THE POODLE BECOMES MY FIGURATIVE GUIDE IN ADDRESSING DECORATION BEYOND UTILITY. HISTORICALLY THEIR HAIRCUTS KEPT THEM BUOYANT AND THEIR JOINTS WARM IN THE WATER WHEN HUNTING DUCKS.
THEY'RE BRED TO LIVE ALONGSIDE US AS TOOLS. THROUGH SUPERFLUOUS DECORATION WE'VE ALTERED THEIR CLASS SIGNIFICATION. THE DECOMMISSIONED POODLE BECOMES AN ACCESSORY OF WEALTH, SHOWMANSHIP, AND FUTILITY.
KATIE PENDLEY
“FLOCK: A LOVE STORY “EXPLORES THEMES OF ADAPTATION AND TRANSFORMATION AS A DEEPLY PERSONAL REFLECTION ON NAVIGATING TODAY'S WORLD. THROUGH THE RECURRING IMAGERY OF FEATHERS AND NESTS, THE WORK CONSIDERS STRUCTURES OF BELONGING—RANGING FROM INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS TO BROADER POLITICAL LANDSCAPES. THESE FORMS SERVE AS BOTH SHELTER AND CONSTRAINT, ECHOING THE FRAGILE BALANCE BETWEEN SAFETY AND VULNERABILITY.
ACROSS THE SERIES, BIRDS ARE REPEATED AND ABSTRACTED AS SYMBOLIC VESSELS FOR LOVE, GRIEF, ANXIETY, AND ANGER. THEIR SHIFTING FORMS MIRROR THE EMOTIONAL STATES THAT SHAPE OUR INTERNAL AND COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCES. BY LAYERING REPETITION WITH ABSTRACTION, FLOCK UNRAVELS COMPLEX SUBJECTS THROUGH A VISUAL LANGUAGE THAT IS AT ONCE DELICATE AND UNSETTLED, INVITING VIEWERS TO REFLECT ON THEIR OWN PROCESSES OF ADAPTATION WITHIN AN EVER-CHANGING ENVIRONMENT.
Opening reception is May 8 from 6:00 to 9:00.. Exhibition available May 8 - 22.