Thursday, May 30, 2013

Meredith Setser: Tunnel Vision - Opening Reception


Exhibit: Monday, July 1–Thursday, August 1, Parkland Art Gallery
Reception: Thursday, July 11, 6–8 p.m., with gallery talk at 7 p.m.
Lecture: Thursday, July 11, 10:30 a.m., gallery
Workshop with Artist: Thursday, July 11, 1–4 p.m., Room S117


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Meredith Setser: Tunnel Vision


Exhibit: Monday, July 1–Thursday, August 1, Parkland Art Gallery
Reception: Thursday, July 11, 6–8 p.m., with gallery talk at 7 p.m.
Lecture: Thursday, July 11, 10:30 a.m., gallery
Workshop with Artist: Thursday, July 11, 1–4 p.m., Room S117

Fiber takes new form and meaning in artist Meredith Setser’s felt sculptures and installation, to be featured in a Parkland Art Gallery exhibit opening Monday, July 1.

“Meredith Setser: Tunnel Vision” will run through Thursday, August 1. Special events have been planned on July 11 in connection with the exhibit. First, an artist reception, 6–8 p.m. in the gallery, will include a talk by Setser at 7 p.m.  Setser will also provide an earlier lecture on her work, at 10:30 a.m. in the gallery. Finally, a special fabrics processing workshop featuring Setser has been planned from 1 to 4 p.m. in Room S117.

An assistant professor of printmaking at Heron School of Art and Design at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, Setser received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004. She is a 2011 recipient of an Efroymson Contemporary Art Fellowship. Setser has exhibited her work as a printmaker and installation artist both regionally and internationally, including Dittmar Gallery at Northwestern University; Open Studio Gallery in Toronto, Canada; Monmouth Museum, Lincroft, New Jersey; Penang State Art Gallery, Malaysia; and Museu de Arte de Brasilia, Brazil. “Meredith Setser: A Fantasy Felt Life” was recently published in FiberArts Magazine.

Traditional copperplate etching and its historical application of creating toile cotton fabric tie together Setser’s use of medium and process. In her artist statement for the upcoming exhibit, she said the ideas that inform her studio practice are inspired by “humankind’s increasing encroachment on natural habitats, which has resulted in urban settings where wildlife and people coexist in very close proximity to one another.

“My prints and printed installations attempt to celebrate the commonalities that exist between humans and animal species while at the same time posing questions about the ethics and surrounding consumption of natural resources.”

Setser’s July 11 workshop will teach the fundamentals of Nuno felting, a process of laminating wool fiber onto an open-woven fabric base such as china silk or muslin utilizing agitation and moisture, commonly used to produce garments and accessories. Each participant will produce a lightweight scarf using colorful merino wool and silk gauze. Supplies are included. Registration is required through Community Education; the deadline is July 3 and the fee is $50. For more information or to register, please contact Community Education at 217/353-2055.

Summer gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; the gallery will be closed on Thursday, July 4. To find the gallery when classes are in session, we suggest using the M6 parking lot on the north corner of the campus. Enter through any door and follow the ramps uphill to the highest point of the first floor, where the gallery is located. The gallery windows overlook the outdoor fountain area. For more information please call the gallery office at 217/351-2485 or visit our website at artgallery.parkland.edu.

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Parkland is a section 504/ADA-compliant institution. For accommodation, call 217/351-2505.