Exhibition Puts Spotlight on Art Department Faculty

Wednesday, January 9, 2008 -

Metalsmith Kim Cridler and ceramicist Paul Sacaridiz identify with the traditions of their respective crafts, but these artists — two of the newest faculty members in the UW–Madison Art Department — also share a mission to expand on those traditions in innovative and diverse ways.

"I’m in love with objects… things you pick up and have a relationship with and how they define you as a human being," Cridler says. "I’ve always been drawn to the decorative and ornamental."

As she creates non-functional work, primarily in simple steel and bronze structures, Cridler reintroduces decorative features, from ceramics to elements that evoke the natural world, such as wax, hair, silk and bone.

While Sacaridiz continues to "answer" to the field of ceramics, he identifies with a generation of artists looking for fresh ways to use ceramics.

"It’s not just about pottery… I like to believe my work is part of a discussion about ornamentation, about planning and ultimately about craft," he says. "Ultimately, I’m interested in seeing the field advance."

Works by Cridler and Sacaridiz will be among those showcased in the 2008 Art Department Faculty Exhibition at the Chazen Museum of Art on the UW–Madison campus. These high-profile exhibitions — the previous one was held in 2003 — underscore the fact that, in addition to teaching, faculty members continue to create and display their art in museums, galleries, and other public places across the United States and abroad.

The 2008 exhibition — which opens with a public reception on January 25 and runs through March 30 — will occupy three of the museum’s temporary exhibition galleries and the entire fourth floor. The range of works will include paintings, sculpture, graphics, ceramics, textiles, woodwork, metalwork, glass, prints, and photographs, as well as performance, video, and computer art, by 27 current faculty, seven affiliates from related departments and Tandem Press, and 17 emeritus faculty.

For Cridler, Sacaridiz and other newer faculty, this marks their first opportunity to display their work alongside that of their distinguished UW–Madison peers.

Sacaridiz finds inspiration in ornamental details that others often overlook — such as the edge of a ceramic plate or the eaves of a historic building — and he often incorporates these elements into his larger works. He hopes that people who view his work will appreciate the sense of beauty and strangeness, while also taking a more critical look at objects and structures in their environment.

"I think I’ve done my job if they engage the work in other ways," he says. "I see what I do as part of a larger discussion among artists, planners, writers (and others)."

The kinds of decorative objects often found in antique and resale shops and how these objects fit into cultural and historical contexts fascinates Cridler. Growing up on a farm in Western Michigan, she marveled at seemingly common objects around home, especially after learning the family histories behind them.

She recognizes that crafted objects represent the culture and the people who create and use them and sees that such objects — like a drinking cup, a hair pin, or a spoon — exist in ways beyond their function.

"Every day I try to find something that is really beautiful" — such as details in the weave of a carpet or how tree branches look in the winter — in order to better understand what beauty means, she says.

"I wasn’t good at fixing things, but I love making stuff with my hands," says Cridler, who got hooked on metalsmithing. She describes her work as a "tribute to nature" — an attempt to create objects that come as close as humanly possible to the perfection and beauty in nature.

"That’s all I really want to do… I want to make things that people will want to look at for a long time," she says.

Printmaker Steven Driscoll Hixson – the newest member of the Art Department faculty – also hopes that the beauty reflected in his work pleases viewers and "gives them an opportunity to rest and immerse themselves in the composition."

Just as Hixson brings his passion for typography into his commercial design work, he also plays with typography in his printmaking. He exploits the geometrical similarities between letters and architectural shapes by combining elements of typography with abstract representations of natural and architectural forms.

"My printmaking is really more of a response to the landscapes I’ve encountered," Hixson says. "I use color and shape to re-create those environments …the landscapes of China particularly influenced me."

He found inspiration in China’s temples and rock formations and the folklore that accompanies those and other geographic elements. He was especially moved by the use and intensity of red in Chinese cities.

Even the tour guide’s narratives "had a significant impact on my work," Hixson says, adding that, through his prints, he offers a visual narrative of his experiences.

"(But) what I hope for is people can bring in their own experiences," he says. "I don’t want to tell them what to feel."

The opening reception for the exhibit on Friday, January 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. is free and open to the public.

During the course of the exhibition, several faculty members will give 40-minute gallery talks in Paige Court at the Chazen, at 12:30 p.m.:

• January 31: T. L. Solien
• February 6: Leslee Nelson
• February 7: Lisa Gralnick
• February 13: Paul Sacaridiz
• February 20: Frances Myers
• February 21: Carol Pylant
• February 27: Michael Jay McClure, exhibition overview
• February 28: Diane Sheehan
• March 5: Tom Jones
• March 6: Jack Damer
• March 12: Tom Loeser
• March 13: John Hitchcock
• March 27: Elaine Scheer, with Emily Auerbach

Support for the 2008 Art Department Faculty Exhibition has been provided by the Chazen Museum of Art Council, Hilldale Fund, UW–Madison School of Education, Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission, Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, Overture Foundation, Madison Arts Commission, Kohler Foundation, Inc., and Wisconsin Arts Board.

 Exhibitors

ART DEPARTMENT FACULTY: Derrick Buisch, painting and drawing; Laurie Beth Clark, video and performance; Michael Connors, digital printmaking; Kim Cridler, metals; Jack Damer, graphics; Jim Escalante, graphics; Steven Feren, glass; Aristotle Georgiades, sculpture; Lisa Gralnick, metals; Stephen Hilyard, video; John Hitchcock, screenprinting; Steven Driscoll Hixson, graphic design; Tom Jones, photography; Tom Loeser, wood; Truman Lowe, sculpture; Douglas G. Marschalek, art education; Dennis Miller, graphic design; Nancy Mladenoff, painting and drawing; Frances Myers, video; Leslee Nelson, textiles; Carol Pylant, painting; Douglas Rosenberg, video and performance; Paul Sacaridiz, ceramics; Elaine Scheer, mixed media; Gail Simpson, sculpture; T. L. Solien, painting, drawing, printmaking; Gelsy Verna, painting

ART DEPARTMENT AFFILIATES: Jennifer Angus, textile design; Julie Ganser, mixed media; Freida High Tesfagiorgis, painting; Diane Sheehan, textiles; Bruce Crownover, printmaking; Andrew Rubin, printmaking; Jason Ruhl, printmaking

EMERITUS FACULTY: Bruce Breckenridge, ceramics; Melvin Butor, painting and sculpture; Warrington Colescott, painting and printmaking; Fred Fenster, metals; Raymond Gloeckler, painting and woodcut/wood engraving; Robert Grilley, painting; Phil Hamilton, graphic design; C. R. Johnson, wood sculpture; Cavelliere Ketchum, photography; Richard Lazzaro, painting; Eleanor Moty, metals and jewelry; Ronald Neperud, painting; Daniel Ramirez, painting and drawing; Kenneth Ray, painting; Don Reitz, ceramics; John Rieben, communication design; William Weege, printmaking

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