BLANDEN ART MUSEUM

West Gallery

January - December 30, 2023

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About the Exhibit

"We shape our buildings - thereafter, they shape us."

                                                                              - Winston Churchill. 

 

The need to build is a paramount requirement, a fundamental need to survive; it is also about the drive to leave a legacy of beauty and order. Structures of all shapes and sizes are signatures of culture and society. Like frozen music in space, they play for the viewer a song of age, the hopes of a people, and a    record of dreams. They are an art and a requirement. It is through the lens of a culture's buildings and dwellings that helps form historical understanding. Architecture is one way that a society can express itself, presenting a likeness to the world. The foundation of order and beauty that stand the test of time      structures define a longing for understanding.     

  

This exhibit brings together objects and works of art from the collection that     directly reflect these delineations in conjunction with more abstract and   conceptual depictions of structures and the grid. The artwork on display covers multiple periods, cultures, and styles. It is a testament to the excellent and rich assortment contained in the collection. Architectural history is an evolving account of human energy that spans centuries reaching back to ancient times, providing a global perspective. The construction of buildings, structures, and grids is more than the carving of stone or the placement of glass. It is about    understanding something bigger than ourselves, our place in the universe. Expressions of this understanding are witnessed through drawings, paintings, sculptures, and photographs of structures. Artists can reflect the spirit of time locked forever through the talent of the hand and the eye.    

 

Through the interaction of realistic depictions, abstractions, and conceptual forms, viewers can survey how the grid, architecture, and perspective have shaped our understanding of history, culture, and society. Structures are physical evidence of human change. The art inspired by this evidence reflects a          perspective boundary and is a witness to history.   

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Second Floor Gallery

January 7 - February 18, 2023

 

Director’s Statement:

“You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” ― Ansel Adams

 

Life is infused in the images created by artist Evan Price. Interested in capturing the individual personalities of the people around him in Midwest Iowa, Price uses a technique to layer his images with multiple facets of a singular person, developing scenes that are timeless and relevant reflections of the contemporary world. He has an exciting way of pausing time and grasping memories, emotions, and physiological states.

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Originally from Rockford, Illinois, Price has always loved photography. This affection brought him to Fort Dodge and Iowa Central Community College to study photography with instructor Rochelle Green. As an artist and professional interested in portraiture photography, Price gains inspiration from artists such as Ansel Adams, Jerry Ghionis, Mark Clennon, and Daisuke Takakura.

      

Evan Price's works are time capsules of reality for future generations to understand and contemplate. He creates a surreal matrix of images that are photomontages of a person's persona and shadow—presenting a still from life unfiltered.   

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Artist Statement:

 In my opinion, more important than living is successfully and thoroughly leaving a legacy for your loved ones that will walk this earth long after you are gone. Through photography, I seek to vessel my creativity and outlook in a way that will leave a unique, lasting impression on many generations to come. The ability to take one entity and display it in several diverse moods, lighting situations, exposures, perspectives, and viewpoints; that is what captivates my interest the most! To me, it directly references to how you can take a person, change their surroundings, environment, and support system, and change their entire perspective on life.

 

Bio:

My name is Evan Price. I am a father, friend, and a very talented and dedicated individual. I was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois; the second most dangerous metro area in Illinois. Through pain and destruction, I learned to alleviate my mind through channeling hurt into passion, and that passion into my natural born abilities. Photography is my most loved ability of all.

East Gallery

September 10 - January 21, 2023

 

Bio:

Mary Muller was born in Illinois, the 2nd of 4 children. She graduated from       Bloomfield Hills High School, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, in a class of 24. Majoring in Studio Art, Muller graduated from Principia College in Elsah, Illinois.

After her marriage to Bill Muller of Des Moines, she began to pursue her art when their youngest of 5 children entered school. While studying with Dimitar Krustev in Des Moines, she began teaching art to help augment the family income. This        opportunity became a career coupled with her painting. Drawing about 1000 portraits in art festivals and fairs, studying with Robert Brackman in Connecticut, teaching  watercolor at the Des Moines Art Center, represented by several art galleries, and traveling in Mexico and Europe on painting trips has given her an entire life and beautiful experiences. Portrait commissions have become a significant painting     activity, while she struggles to work in as much landscape as possible. Teaching workshops in Iowa and other states and entering local and national art competitions have allowed her to earn some awards and success in and beyond Iowa. Her       volunteer efforts have centered around teaching inmates at the Mitchellville prison.
 

Artist Statement:

The application of lighted abstract forms to nature and arranging them in balanced design has been the base from which I work - in any medium. The power of color  becomes increasingly apparent to me because it is so influenced by the changes  occurring in the atmosphere around it. I love the form and am especially drawn to pastel and oil because their opacity is perfect for establishing a form. (I have found watercolor more of a medium of suggestion and have not used it for some time,    although the challenge of its transparency is inspiring.) Portraits are a perfect vehicle for form, and I especially enjoy drawing out the inner sensitivity of the subject.

Because teaching takes up a lot of my time, I have not yet tired of exploring the     effect of painting on a red background, a chief interest of mine since 2000. I have a series in mind of some large florals, in some of which I will be studying this effect. Who knows? I rarely plan the future. It has a way of opening up for me and            unfolding. - Mary Muller

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• Evan Price - Iowa Eyes: A New Perspective - Second Floor Gallery  

  •  January 7 - February 18, 2023​

• Deborah Zisko - Land Changes - East Gallery 

  • February 10 - April 22, 2023​

• Fiber: Selections from the Blanden Collection - Second Floor Gallery 

  • March 4 - June 17, 2023​

• Mitchell Squire - Spectacular Saint - East Gallery 

  • May 6 - July 22, 2023​

• Carmon Slater - Selected Works - East Gallery                             

  • Aug 5 - October 21, 2023

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