“Utopias” new visions and better places in contemporary art
at Anne Arundel Community College- Cade Center for Fine Arts Gallery- Arnold, MD
I attended the juror’s talk for the opening of the “Utopias” exhibit on November 10th, 2011. This national show was juried by Jeffrey Cudlin. Of the 40 pieces that were submitted for the show, 6 per artist, 15 were chosen by him to represent what he said to be “different claims and views of utopia.” There were 9 artists in the show with one to three pieces each. It was a small show and a small gallery but I felt it was better for how powerful each composition was.
First walking into the gallery, you ignore the art on the walls for this huge floor sculpture in the middle of the room. It was titled “Up, up, and away/ up, up, and here” by Dan Tulk from Chantilly, Virginia. This creation was from mirrors, wood, and stone pavers. It was a seemingly simply model to me. I didn’t really see any message. The next large piece took attention for an entire wall. I really liked this acrylic painting by Merril Steiger (New York, New York) called “Parallel Universes”. This canvas was 84 X 60 and every inch was hypnotizing. It definitely stood out from the gallery. The top had a black sky with these bright interpretations of stars. Falling downward were such abstract elements it was simply a beautiful capture of her thoughts. Juror Jeffrey Cudlin referred to the color palette used as “hard-edged acrylics” and they were wonderful. Next, was a photograph titled, “Blue Infinity” by Kevin Hinkle; Bridgewater, New Jersey. I thought this was a painting at first glance; it was the most uplifting, smooth, beautiful color of blue I have ever seen. The entire photograph was this blue color with the tiniest fade to white at the bottom where there was an inch or so of what appeared to be a rooftop or building. The empty blue space was very minimalistic and powerful. Louise Captein from Galena, Ohio had three small untitled pieces. They were each very colorful and abstract with a contemporary choice of materials and textures. Right beside these was another larger piece I enjoyed; a mixed media by Jessica Murray from Washington, DC, who was present for the Juror’s talk. Her piece was abstract in a nonrepresentational way. There were lines and flat colors arranged in layers, looking very decorative. Different blues and reds complementing each other with mostly a blue wash. Jeffrey Cudlin stated it looked like a “reference to different systems”. The next pair in the show was oil on wood by Ryan Schroeder (Silver Spring, Maryland). A tiny piece with two young boys titled “Hunt, Hunt” and a larger piece titled “Silent Desperation”. The larger piece was very depressing having a couple sitting on a couch with the “Hunt, Hunt” picture hanging on the wall above them. Their facial expressions were sad and absent. The almost dead, lifeless plants sat around them with the exception of one on the table. It is a psychological piece of the couple being so close and yet they are staring at the ground, distanced from each other on the couch. Another artist, Jacob Cook (Syracuse, New York) took a post-depression era approach with “Midwestern Lanscrape” and “Midwestern Landscrape II”. These are mezzotint on paper and very nicely done. Both are landscape views with houses but no people. The sky in both compositions has these clouds that are very emotional towards the piece. I really like this medium and both compositions next to each other, they are phenomenal. Sue Johnson from Lexington Park, Maryland, also had two pieces that were longer and also similar. “Jell-O Mountain” and “Edge of Town” were gouache on pigment print. I didn’t really care for these two that much. The pop art style looked very photoshopped. The juror liked these compositions and said they were an “adolescent wonderland….very commercially appealing”.
All in all, I think Jeffrey Cudlin did an amazing job picking different views of utopia. I felt very inspired seeing so many variations of this idea. I think it was a great exhibit.
Marlene Wiedmaier 