The Ordinary Expands

The Silber GalleryGoucher College Athenaeum

The Ordinary Expands

M. Gert Barkovic

Jessica Braiterman

Brent Crothers

Steven Dobbin

Michelle Hagewood

Huguette Roe

TRAsh Collective

“�Creativity�is�piercing��the�mundane�to�find��the�marvelous.”������

� � � � ������–Bill�Moyers

In The Ordinary Expands, artists M. Gert

Barkovic, Jessica Braiterman, Brent Crothers,

Steven Dobbin, Michelle Hagewood, Huguette

Roe, and TRAsh Collective, explore the familiar

and everyday through the metamorphosis

of mundane materials. By presenting mass-

produced, disposable objects in unusual

contexts, each artist’s work is familiar, yet

strange. Their individual ideas and expressions

influence their material choices. All the pieces

create seductive visual statements, and while

some speak of the minimalist and formalist

legacy and are purely visceral, others speak of

the temporality of art and culture. Regardless

of their language, each artist transcends the

materials and proves that there is beauty in

ordinary simplicity.

LauraAmussen,curator

2

Untitled,2010Plastic

M. Gert Barkovichasalwaysenjoyedthe

simplicityoflifeanditsoftenoverlooked

details.Materialsgivevaluetoobject-

makingforher—shefindsthesmallrevela-

tionsintouchingsurfacesandidentifying

newmethodsortechniquesself-evolving.

Objectscanconflictintheirtexture,place-

ment,andstarkness,butthiscompels

Barkovicasafabricator—shesewssteel,

cement,orrubbertogetherwhiletryingto

remainsimpleandhonest.ForBarkovic,

heating,bending,orformingmaterialsal-

lowshertobeasilentcommunicator.By

involvingothermatterinherpieces,she

experiencesvariedkindsofsatisfaction

fromherforms.Theoverwhelmingphysical

natureoftheseindustrialmaterialscreates

asenseofsolaceandcontemplation.

5

Aurora,2008-10buttonsandwire

AtthecenterofJessica Braiterman’s

workaretumblingmetaphors.Formsare

massive,thenrenderedweightless;the

ordinaryinvertsintothecosmic;tangled

massesrevealhiddenregularities.Aurora

revelsintheseinversions,aimingnotfor

resolutionorstillness,butforaquietinthe

mindwherepointsoftensionaredelicately

balanced,ordinarylogicissuspended,and,

perhaps,evenahintoftheinfinitesurfaces.

6

Water Wars,2005usedgardenhoses

Inthepastdecade,Brent Crothershas

evolvedfrombuildingsculptureswith

organicmaterialstoworkingorganically

withmaterialsdiscardedbyaconsume-and-

throw-awaysociety.Hispiecesareatypeof

physicalpoetrywithanemphasisonform,

ontherelationshipsofmaterials,andonour

relationshiptothesematerials.Theartwork

comes,inpart,fromastrongenvironmental

connectiontoaoncesustainableworld.

9

Reclamation Variation,200916'x9'x8"paintcans(courtesyofCauseyContemporary)

Steven Dobbinhasbeenaspecial-educa-

tionteacherforover20years;throughout

thattime,hisprimarygoalhasbeento

developtheabilitiesofstudentswhomay

havepreviouslybeendismissedoutofhand

orperceivedtolacktheskillsnecessaryto

succeedinaworksetting.Bytakingstudents

outofatraditionalclassroomsetting,Dobbin

providesthemwithskillsthatmayprove

beneficialinthefuture.

Duringarecentjob-sitepaintingproject,

Dobbinbegantoexaminethepaintcans

surroundinghim,aswellastheabandoned,

discardedones,thecolorsinsidethecans,

andthecontrastingrustormetalrims.Asan

artist,hehasalwaysjuxtaposedhiscareer

andhiscreativeworkandsobegantocor-

relatethesecanswiththeverystudentswith

whomhewasworking—studentsoncecast

aside,studentswhosepossibilitiescould

onlyberealizedwithtime,energy,andeffort.

Oversixmonths,Dobbincollected945paint

cans,discardingthepaintinanenvironmen-

tallyfriendlymannerandexacerbatingthe

variousdegreesofrustoneach.Thesecans

haveevolvedintoanumberofinstallation

pieces,whichhavebeenshowninNewYork,

NewJersey,Washington,DC,andMaryland.

11

Infrastructure Specimen, Drunk,2009digitalimage

Michelle Hagewoodexplorestheulte-

riorworldsofmarinemicrobes,rainforest

undergrowth,andurbanunderstructuresin

searchofmicro-andmacro-cosmosesthat

areonthebrinkofburstingorcollapsing.

Interestedinthehumanintrusionfound

throughouttheseecosystems,Hagewood

usesdrawinganddigitalmanipulationasa

toolofexperimentalintervention,research-

ingandprocessingtheformsandbehav-

iorsthroughpseudo-scientificmethods.

Theresultingimagesoftendramatically

divergefromtheoriginalsourcematerials—

pointingtothebeautyandfailureinherent

inhumanity’scontinualquestforcontrol.

12

Wrinkled Cokes,2009photograph

Huguette Roe’simages—whereinsheextractsonlyachunkof

ascene—revealhersensitivitytodetail.Inherphotography,she

leanstowardgraphiccompositions,rhythms,colorcombinations,

repetition,andpattern.In2008,Roebegantodevelopadifferent

subject,anelementoftheenvironmentwithanindustrialtouch,

aboutwhichshewaspersonallyconcerned.Shediscoverednear-

abstractpatchesofcompressedmatterinthemostunlikelyplaces:

recyclingfacilities.Herworkrelatestotheobject’slife,where

everythingisprocessedandreprocessed,refuserescuedfora

newidentity,capturedandcompressedforanewlife.Whereyou

seetrash,sheseescomposition,texture,andcolorcombination,

individualobjectsbecomingtormentedmatter,lostandcrumpled

intoripplingsurfaceslikeanabstractpainting.

Trashball,2009trash

15

TheTRAsh CollectivewasfoundedbyartistsKatieWalbergand

GerryMollwiththepurposeofsynthesizingartwithenvironmen-

talactivism.TheCollectiveisbasedinKnoxville,Tennessee,and

engagespeoplethroughpublicartwheretheywork,play,andlive.

Theyusenontraditionalsculpturalmaterialstocreatefun,surprising

publicartworktochallengecommonlyheldperceptionsoftrash,

waste,garbage,refuse,rubbish,andjunkofallkinds.TheTRAsh

Collectiveisguidedbythebeliefinthetransformativepowerofart

increatingpositivechange.

TheTRAshCollective'sbelovedmascotisTRAshball.Thisgnarly

ballhadhumblebeginningsasasmalltumbleweedofurbandebris.

Itmeandersthroughtheurbanlandscape,feedingoffthediscarded

wasteproductsleftbehind,allthewhileexpandingandgrowing.

ThereisnotellingwhereyoumightfindTRAshball—itfreelyroams

theKnoxvillearea,showingupwithTRAshCollectivemembersat

localartshowsandenvironmentalevents(occasionallybeing

thrownoutduetoitstrashybehavior).Ithasevenspawnedother

“TRAshballs”inEastTennessee,aswellasinotherprominentinter-

nationallocations(suchasBuenosAires,Argentina).

Trashhasbecomeanordinarypartofourenvironment—itisubiqui-

touswithinoururbanlandscape.Wehavecometoexpectfast-food

wrappersdowneverybackalleyandplasticbagsblowingpast

usonthestreet.Trash,becauseofitsvolumeandourconsistent

exposuretoit,becomesfamiliarand,therefore,invisible.Byexpand-

ingandpersonifyingthistrashintoanever-growingball,TRAshball

increasesvisibilityandprovidesanopportunitytorevisitourrela-

tionshiptotheseproductsthatlitterourenvironment.

11235-J128 10/10

DIRECTIOnS

BaltimoreBeltway,I-695,toexit27A.Makefirstleftontocampus.

GAllERy HOuRS

11a.m.to4p.m.Tuesday–Sunday.410.337.6477

TheSilberGalleryisfreeandopentothepublic.

TheSilberGalleryprogramisfundedwiththeassistanceofgrantsfromtheMarylandStateArtsCouncil,anagencyfundedbythestateofMarylandandtheNEA,andtheBaltimoreCountyCommissionontheArtsandSciences.

www.goucher.edu/silbergallery

The Silber GalleryGoucher College Athenaeum

november 9 – December 12, 2010(ClosedNovember24-28)

artists’�reCeption�

Thursday, november 18, 6-8 p.m.

M.�Gert�Barkovic,�Jessica�Braiterman,��Brent�Crothers,�steven�Dobbin,��Michelle�Hagewood,�Huguette�roe,trash�Collective

The Ordinary Expands