{"id":146,"date":"2017-12-04T23:12:29","date_gmt":"2017-12-04T23:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/artcriticism\/?p=146"},"modified":"2017-12-11T15:58:40","modified_gmt":"2017-12-11T15:58:40","slug":"the-dedo-maranville-fine-arts-gallery-at-vsu-gets-into-the-halloween-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/artcriticism\/2017\/12\/04\/the-dedo-maranville-fine-arts-gallery-at-vsu-gets-into-the-halloween-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery at VSU Gets Into the Halloween Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sarah Moore<\/p>\n

\"Oil
Carrie Ann Baade, A Three Headed Tiger Cursing Heaven, 2010, oil on panel, 18 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cute and Creepy<\/em>, a show curated by Carrie Ann Baade, traveled to the Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery at Valdosta State University this fall. Perfectly timed\u00a0 for Halloween vibes, the exhibition opened mid-October and ran until early November. The original show, which debuted in 2011 at Florida State University, was larger with more artists. The VSU\u00a0 walls were covered with paintings and drawings ranging from large-scale oils to small-scale drawings in colored pencil. Baade was present in elaborate, black Victorian garb to talk about how the show came to be and about each artist. Her own work is featured in the show; oil paintings in large and small scale speak about mythology, femininity and power. A Three Headed Tiger Cursing Heaven<\/em> presents the viewer with a woman in elaborate garments with three roaring tiger heads. The figure is surrounded by flames which curl and ascend into the clouds.<\/p>\n

\"Mixed
Kelly Boehmer, Belly Up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I entered the gallery for the first time on the opening reception my attention was immediately drawn to the middle of the room where two large mixed media sculptures by Kelly Boehmer\u00a0 loomed. The crowd that snaked through and mingled in the gallery were drawn to these works, with many leaning in closer to absorb all of the textural and morbid details. From a distance it almost seems as though these works were acting the way a fire on a cold night would; people communed around them, conversed, and stood close, but not too close.<\/p>\n

\"A
Kelly Boehmer, Pink Garden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first, Belly Up,<\/em> is\u00a0a wolfish sculpture comprised of mostly textiles in shades of garish green, with the occasional splash of hot pink or bright red throughout. The teeth in the mouth of the creature seem real, and quite off-putting.\u00a0The second sculpture, Pink Garden,<\/em>\u00a0creates more of a scene or environment for the creature featured in the work to exist within. The ground is covered with tentacle like green tubes, acting as grass of sorts. Towering at least six feet tall is a bright pink tree made of transparent fabrics which are stuffed with yarn and other deliciously textural material. Hiding and playfully perching all over the tree are actual stuffed, preserved carcasses of a range of small animals. One weasel in particular caught my eye, with his obviously dead face and beady black glass eyes. Standing next to the tree is a creature which looks like a mixture between a dystopian Eeyore and a baby elephant. The same pink, transparent materials are used on the creature, but here they have a different feel. Are we looking inside of this creature? What are we seeing, entrails, blood vessels, organs? Boehmer perfectly encompasses the show\u2019s title and sets the stage for the entire show. From a distance these works are whimsical, cute and a bit ethereal, but the closer you get the creepier and more disturbing the sculptures become with the transparency of the materials and the inclusion of preserved animal carcasses. Boehmer also has several wall hanging sculptures in the show, each also utilizing animal skins and parts to create soft, cute, gruesome scenes which beg to be touched while simultaneously staying your hand with discomfort and repulsion.<\/p>\n

\"Mixed
Jessica Joslin, Max, 2015, antique hardware and findings, bone, brass, painted steel and wood, glove leather, glass eyes, 14″ x 8″ x 8″<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Elsewhere in the gallery space a screen in the back of the gallery soundlessly loops through the animations of two different artists. The works of Jessica Joslin perfectly complement and contrast Boehmer\u2019s sculptures. Joslin uses the skeletons of animals and modifies them with filigreed metal parts to create really dynamic, steampunk-esque creatures that still feel alive. Two of her creatures are perched atop circus-like wooden spheres in an endearing balancing act. The two-dimensional works are varied and neatly displayed. I tried to pick favorites, but each artist\u2019s style was unique and highly rendered. The large oil paintings could be stared at forever, each featuring their own brand of monsters. The dainty, colorful drawings by Lori Field echo the playfulness of Boehmer\u2019s and Joslin\u2019s sculptures. Her subject matter is a mixture of animals, flowers and delicate figures arranged in a dreamlike space where real world rules like gravity take a backseat. This show was FUN! October was the perfect month to host the show and the works were vibrant, disturbing and dynamic, creating an environment within the gallery that felt removed from the outside world. Each time I visited the gallery after the reception was a welcome escape from the humdrum of daily life.<\/p>\n

\n

Sarah Moore is majoring in Art at Valdosta State University, and is originally from Athens, Pennsylvania. Moore will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Art in December 2017. Moore is focusing on ceramics and metalsmithing and plans to pursue a Master\u2019s degree and teach at a university level.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sarah Moore Cute and Creepy, a show curated by Carrie Ann Baade, traveled to the Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery at Valdosta State University this fall. Perfectly timed\u00a0 for Halloween vibes, the exhibition opened mid-October and ran until early November. The original show, which debuted in 2011 at Florida State University, was larger with … Continue reading The Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery at VSU Gets Into the Halloween Spirit<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":430,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[38,9,46,45],"class_list":["post-146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cuteandcreepy","tag-carrie-ann-baade","tag-cute-and-creepy","tag-dedo-maranville-fine-arts-gallery","tag-valdosta-state-university"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/artcriticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/artcriticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/artcriticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/artcriticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/430"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/artcriticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/artcriticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":311,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/artcriticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146\/revisions\/311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/artcriticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/artcriticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/artcriticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}