Connecting Objects and Art

Where can someone find a fog machine, a tree trunk, a boulder, a doctoral dissertation, and an opera ticket, all in the same place? This isn’t some weird outdoor office space. It’s the 2015 Faculty Art Exhibit: Objects that Inspire, at the Karl Drerup Art Gallery.

Since its opening in the 1970s, the Karl Drerup Art Gallery has held a faculty art show almost every fall season and it has taken different forms over the years. "This year, we were asked to submit an object that inspired the piece you created in some way," said Jay Moskowitz, artist and teaching lecturer. Artists were then asked to explain the connection between art and object in their artist statement.

Jay Moskowitz submitted a fog machine "Clouds Lifting Over Pond", inspired by a photograph he took on top of Loon Mountain. This piece marks his 20th year submitting to the Faculty Art Exhibit. "The clouds really are the narrative," he said about the photograph, explaining how clouds can be coming or going, bringing storms or fair weather. "I needed to figure out about how to bring a cloud into the gallery." Moskowitz takes credit for the concept of his piece, but he gives Mike Heitz credit for the installation. Moskowitz also approached the science department for help with the idea. "For $8.99, I got a fog maker," he said. 

The winner of the longest artist statement goes to Jason Swift, Associate Professor of Art Education and Graduate Program Coordinator for Art Education, who submitted his 259 page doctoral dissertation as his object and artist statement. He spent six years writing the document, which includes research, stories, and photographs about what Swift learned about art from his grandfather’s farm. The dissertation is on display in the gallery, sticky notes and all, for visitors to thumb through.

Swift’s MFA is from the Rinehart School of Sculpture, but the piece he submitted, "The Tools You Need: The Hammer", is a painting and drawing. "I also like love to draw," said Swift, "I don’t see drawing as, like, a flat thing. To me, drawing is physical." 

Cynthia Robinson, Gallery Director, created a tree trunk sculpture called "Force from the Garden". "I started with the tree trunk, which sat in my studio for a number of years," said Robinson. She added landscape fabric, playing with tension and the idea of force of nature. Robinson imagined the form of a woman’s bodice somewhere in the piece. She later found a photograph of her grandmother or great-grandmother's garden where the tree used to stand, which she submitted as her object.

The Faculty Exhibit has always been a nice way to open the school year and introduce new students to the art department. It’s also a reminder of what art professors do outside the classroom. "Everyone who teaches here is also making art," said Robinson. The incredible artistic talent of PSU’s very own faculty is evident in this exhibit, and will be on display until September 26. The experience is sure to shed a new light on the objects people interact with every day.

More information about the Karl Drerup Art Gallery can be found at www.plymouth.edu/gallery

COURTESY PHOTO/PLYMOUTH.EDU