The University of Mary Washington Galleries will host “Mapping Nowhere: Rosemary Kate Jesionowski” at the duPont Gallery and “Reinterpreting the Decorative Arts” at the Ridderhof Martin Gallery from Friday, September 7 through Friday, October 5.
Blue Willow from Memory, Service for 12, 2009, Kohler factory vitreous porcelain, 72 x 72 overall, © Molly Hatch
photo credit: Rich Maciejewski, Courtesy of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center
The opening receptions for both exhibitions will be held Thursday, September 6 from 5 to 7 p.m., with the reception for “Mapping Nowhere” in the duPont Gallery and the reception for “Reinterpreting the Decorative Arts” in the Ridderhof Martin Gallery. Eric Standley, associate professor of studio art at Virginia Tech, will present the talk “Process and Paradox” on Sunday, September 23 in conjunction with the “Reinterpreting the Decorative Arts” exhibit. The lecture begins at 2 p.m. in Combs Hall, Room 139. Admission is free to the talks, receptions and exhibitions.
“Mapping Nowhere” features the work of faculty member Rosemary Jesionowski, assistant professor in multiple imaging and an accomplished artist and member of the Richmond art community. The exhibit is an investigation of place, land and how we identify ourselves through location. Jesionowski’s images simultaneously reference her experience of place and her investigation of the relationship between people and place.
“Reinterpreting the Decorative Arts” includes the work of eight artists whose practice involves the use of forms and/or materials traditionally associated with decorative arts objects and ornamentation. Taking inspiration from traditional and historical precedents, artists Angelo Arnold, Barrett Hanrahan, Molly Hatch, Kevin Quale, Alexander Rosenberg, Maura Schaffer, Romy Scheroder and Eric Standley transform, manipulate and otherwise reinvent the existing vocabulary into a new language rich with layers of meaning.
Rosemary Kate Jesionowski, Mapping Nowhere: From E to A, 2012, mixed media, 40 inches in diameter. ©2012, Rosemary Kate Jesionowski
Both galleries are located on College Avenue on the Fredericksburg campus and are open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. The galleries are closed during university holidays and breaks. Free parking for gallery visitors is designated in the lot on College Avenue at Thornton Street. For directions and more information, call (540) 654-1013 or visit http://galleries.umw.edu.
About Brynn Boyer