INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Artists: the next generation
Herron School of Art and Design
Closed May 24
While art school hones a student’s skills in a particular medium, or maybe two, by the end of a four-year program she or he has also evolved a particular interest or concern as an artist. Some tend towards autobiographical work à la Frida Kahlo, while others become inclined to protest à la Jenny Holzer. This year’s Herron School of Art and Design graduating class, if anything could be said about the group as a whole, springs from familiar territory as far as artmaking goes: Nothing strays too far towards any particular spectrum — at least if this year’s juried student show is any indication. What is noticeable, though, is the quality of the work: There’s nothing shabby here or ill-conceived, which is consistent with years past. Having the show juried is certainly a contributing factor.
This year’s juried show highlights the work of students who choose to submit it for consideration — so this may just be a fraction of the visions this class has evolved in the course of study.
As exhibitions go, this one is sizable: All sections of the lengthy galleries are filled with sculpture, painting, furniture, jewelry, graphic work and one or two multimedia installations. There’s a surprisingly small representation of photography and painting, but what’s here is well selected by jurors Jennifer Complo McNutt (curator of contemporary art at the Eiteljorg Museum) and Scott Willy (partner in the design firm Three-Sixty Group).
I wasn’t surprised to learn after my visit that Heather Shebeck’s “Party Pics” (charcoal on paper), a large-format drawing that speaks to the moment — young people dancing in a darkly lit space — earned a merit award. Other awardees include the cringe-inducing “The Meat Eaters” (oil on canvas) by Michael Schulbaum, a caricature of sorts in which a sinewy woman slices into what appears to be a cooked squirrel, a heavyset man hunches over his meat and potatoes and a baby gleefully tucks into a mess of something, blood everywhere, while two ghostlike figures are engaged in some sort of dance in the next room. Bean burger, anyone?
There is a strong showing of furniture and woodworking — Erin Dace Behling’s “Untitled, Case Goods” among them. A somewhat retro-feeling cabinet, this is a functional piece with drawers and mirror and a touch of turquoise paint.
Graphic work is also on display, including a brochure on Trader’s Point Creamery, plus a smattering of posters that speak to today’s trends of silhouetted figures rendered in a frenetic collage-type aesthetic. Kelly Murray’s paper dress, composed of phone book pages, reminds me of “The Money Dress” (made of dollar bills), now on view at the Indiana State Museum in its Subversive Knitting show. Amazing what one can do on a budget.
The Herron 2008 Juried Student Show closed May 24 at Herron School of Art and Design. For more information about the show, the school or individual artists, visit www.herron.iupui.edu or call 317-278-9423.