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June Issue 2006
Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, Offers New Exhibitions
June will bring a celebration of painting and sculpture that challenges the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. In the West Wing, the Turchin Center will present Ronna S. Harris: A Painting Retrospective in Galleries A and B; Thomas Koole: A Site-Specific Installation in the Carroll Gallery and an exhibit by students of the Center's Community Art School in the Mayer Gallery, and on the University Gateway Plaza and Bridge, Hanna Jubran Sculpture: Reflection On Aesthetic Journey. (The East Wing galleries will be closed for installation during the month of June, and will re-open on July 7, with exhibitions planned as part of An Appalachian Summer Festival.)
Ronna S. Harris is an Associate Professor and Head of Drawing and Painting in the Newcomb Art Department at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. Harris was represented in the Turchin Center's inaugural exhibition. While researching Harris' work and choosing a painting for inclusion in their very first exhibition, the Turchin Center staff was drawn to the idea of curating an entire presentation that would establish an historical view of the artist's work, and offer a lens through which to view the conceptual and artistic evolution of Harris' life and work. In this summer exhibition, their vision is realized.
Harris' paintings and drawings might seem, at first glance, to be traditional tributes to the human form, but she invites closer inspection, juxtaposing women posed in classical stances with contemporary settings as a means of exploring modern societal constraints. Of her work, Harris says, "My paintings speak to female attitudes, orientations, perspectives and emotions and embody the tension of women breaking with tradition while remaining within society's structure; a tension that is underscored by the juxtaposition of the classic and the modern."
Ronna S. Harris: A Painting Retrospective will be on display in Galleries A and B of the West Wing through Sept. 30, 2006. A Lunch and Learn lecture about Harris' work will be held at the Turchin Center June 21, 2006, from noon-1pm.
The Turchin Center has invited artist Thomas Koole to reinvent its non-traditional Carroll Gallery for the summer months. Koole works, as many contemporary artists do, in the installation, or site-specific, format, which differs from a more traditional exhibition format, in which curators select and design the presentation of particular works. Koole's interest in installations stem from his fascination with the concept of what is "real". To explore the subjectivity of this concept, he utilizes the context of place to create an environment for the viewer to experience "realness". Koole explains that he prefers the site-specific format because, "the experience is more 'lived' as opposed to - implied by viewing distance of 'the picture'". Koole's work will be on display in the Carroll Gallery through Sept. 30, 2006.
In the Mayer Gallery, the Turchin Center will showcase works by the center's very own local artists. This exhibit will feature works created by artists of all ages in the many and varied workshops offered through the center's Community Art School. The Community Art School Exhibit will be on display in the Mayer Gallery through July 29, 2006.
On the University Gateway Plaza and Bridge, the Turchin Center will display Hanna Jubran Sculpture: Reflection On Aesthetic Journey. Currently a Sculpture Professor at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, Jubran has taught ceramics, sculpture and three-dimensional design at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Since 1996, he has participated in over 278 exhibitions, international symposia, national and international conferences, and over 50 lectures and workshops. Acclaimed internationally for creating works that are not only visually pleasing but also open for tactile exploration, Jubran creates sculptures that include free-standing interior pieces, wall hangings and monumental outdoor pieces. He has created works exclusively for the visually impaired to explore with touch, and has been exhibited widely throughout the US and Europe. He works in bronze, wood, stone and steel. Jubran's work will be on display in the Turchin Center's University Gateway Plaza and Bridge through Sept. 30, 2006.
Also during the month of June, the Turchin Center's Community Art School will present a variety of workshops for children and adults. Workshops are available for people of all ages and skill levels, and are taught by professional artists and art educators in and around its Arnold P. Rosen Education Wing.
For more information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Turchin Center at 828/262-3017 or visit (www.tcva.org).
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