A trip of sheer curiosity landed me at FUNKe FIRED ARTS -- a gallery, studio, and education space located in the Hyde Park/Oakley area of Cincinnati. Along the way (at art openings, etc.), I'd met a couple of people that work or worked in the space, so I decided to check it out for myself.
What a great decision that was [patting myself on the back].
At FUNKe, the atmosphere is quite pleasant and maybe even a bit jovial. Artisans are working privately. Open classes are being held around clay wheels. Preparations for upcoming exhibitions are taking place behind mystical curtains. Still, folks like Kirk Mayhew are willing to stop everything they're doing to show you around and introduce you to their education schedule and gallery offerings (currently showing the 3rd Annual Member's Show) ...the reason for this post.
The current exhibition at FUNKe FIRED ARTS was a bit of a treat. A slew of skill levels are represented, but the standouts do just that ...stand out.
Amongst the standouts was Lindsay Garrett, an artist who created a life size (37' long) whale sculpture from (what appears to be) a wooden armature, foreign canned-whale-product-labels and an exterior covering of clay and paint. Her piece, entitled The Value Beneath, comments on the overseas consumption of whale meat ...something I assume Garret has strong feelings against. Still, the dazzling part of the sculpture was its interaction with time. From what I gather, on opening day the piece was an intact whale, but as time has passed, it's slowly decomposed and begun flaking off to expose its "whale-industry-product" labels ...or the value beneath. So when visiting the show, viewers are now presented with an almost-rotting corpse of a whale ...which is a rather powerful visual to say the least. (Which reminds me of the Margaret Boozer show mentioned HERE.)
Beyond Garret's work, also on a larger scale was a dramatic piece by Clark and Kramer titled Conceptual Drainage. For me, this was a great, simple statement and testament to material. The subject matter is something that everyone can relate to and the scale, approximately four feet tall, was pleasant and eye catching. Unglazed stoneware pours from the mouth of a glazed, pipe-like vessel to create a bit of movement that could easily find comfort wherever it may land next. This is simply a well made work that contains a great deal of suggested motion and association with running water ...therefor maybe it comments loosely on the generalities of sustaining life.
On the smaller end, there was much more work (of a mixed bag nature), but I'd still like to single out the work of Julia Feld ...and another one of my favorite pieces, Despondency (a teapot). I point this piece out because it, unlike most others, demonstrates a high level of skill in both sculpture and painting. It's rare to see an artist who can combine such different skill sets, so hopefully more people other than myself appreciate her work. Her "teapot" was a true demonstration of craft. The overall form was pleasing. The images were well planned. And most importantly, both elements worked well together. Also, if usable as a teapot, this is even more of a gem.
So with that, I conclude. Visit FUNKe FINE ARTS when you have a little time to spare. You won't be dissapointed. The current show is up through February 27th.
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