[E]MISSION[S]: CRITICAL

 

 

[E]MISSION[S]: CRITICAL 
March 29-May 18, 2019

Reception: Friday, March 29, 5:30-7:30 pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, March 30, 10am

 

[E]MISSION[S]: CRITICAL is an environmentally-themed exhibition featuring four contemporary artists - Evan Anderman ‘83, Lucinda Bliss, Tom Hall, and Jim Sardonis ‘69 - reflecting on the state of our natural surroundings in light of climate change.

Through an intertwining presentation of diverse mediums, these four artists share different aesthetic perspectives: from a ‘macro’ view of the planet and her resources photographed in Colorado from the air at 3,000 feet, down to the more ‘micro’: intimate and personal journeys through the woods and waters of northern New England. By the experiences reflected in these works, the artists offer compelling personal insights into the drastically transforming environment that we all share.

Lamont Gallery, Emissions Critical, Evan Anderman, Cattle Camp, Yuma, CO

 

Photographer and geologist, Evan Anderman ’83, uses aerial photography to “challenge our understanding of the relationship between human development and the natural world by documenting the way we use the land.” His photographs of farmlands, ranches, and other sites altered by humans become abstracted when viewed from this new perspective. Anderman carefully selects these scenes while flying his Cessna 206 over Colorado’s landscape taking photographs with his camera pointing out the open window of the plane. You can see a video of him working in this way on WEDU ARTS PLUS

Lucinda Bliss, is a mixed media artist, academic, and runner who uses drawing, painting and installation to catalog many of the experiences she has while running in Nature. Bliss will run a certain route – through the woods, on farmland, along a watershed - and while out on this environmental inquiry she will focus on the experiences, sounds, smells and sights that she encounters. Back in her studio, Bliss will draw from GPS records of the “shape” of her route. Many of the works in this exhibition draw from her piece - Tracking the Border - a year-long project funded by the Kindling Grant in which Bliss explored the 611-mile border between Maine and Canada. For Bliss, this “…exploration became increasingly linked to personal questions about gender, power, and place. The relationship between escalating environmental degradation, human migration, and an increasingly nationalistic view of borders runs through the work alongside a personal poetics of place.”

 

Painter Tom Hall creates works inspired by the Maine woods where he lives and works. His landscape paintings often feature dark trees and forests – some standing tall and alone, some in strong groups and some landscapes feature the lonely stumps of a clear-cut forest. Hall works from sketches he draws while out in the woods. He then brings these sketches to his studio to work. He also incorporates materials such as paper, cotton, linen and denim to add richness to the surface. You can see examples of Hall’s work and his painting process on his YouTube channel.

Jim Sardonis ’69, creates large-scale sculptures in stone and bronze for public institutions and private residences. His work is inspired by nature and natural forms and he aims to use his “…work to raise awareness about the kinship and interconnectedness of all living things and the importance of environmental conservation.” This exhibition will feature a number of Sardonis’ bronze and stone models as well as photographs of corresponding public works. We are fortunate to have one of Sardonis’ large-scale works here on campus; Simple Gifts is a granite archway featuring two dove-like birds atop polished pillars. It is located across from the Lamont Gallery over a pathway between the Phelps Science Center and the Forrestal-Bowld Music Center.

 
 
"Inside Lamont Gallery’s latest exhibit: [E]MISSION[S]: CRITICAL" - Exeter News, April 2019

 

 

 

 

Lamont Gallery programs are supported in part by the Michael C. Rockefeller ’56 Visiting Artists Fund. 

 

Image Credits:

Evan Anderman ‘83, Cattle Camp, Yuma, CO, 2013, Photograph. Lucinda Bliss, Bedrock Revisited, 2019, Graphite pencil, watercolor, and gouache on paper. Tom Hall, Clearcut (Moose River Valley ll), Mixed media on canvas. Jim Sardonis ’69, Reverence, 1989, African black granite.