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Margaret Pesek: Intercessors/Icons
June 5 - June 26, 2010
Margaret Pesek grew up on a farm just west of Omaha, Nebraska. She
attended Mercy High School, a Catholic girl's school in Omaha, and
went on to graduate from the University of Iowa with a BA in English
and Fine Art in 1996. She is now a graphic designer, illustrator, and
fine artist employed as Senior Graphic Designer the Country Music Hall
of Fame and Museum. She has lived in Nashville, TN for about nine
years.
Artist's Statement:
"They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they
proffer the merits which they acquired on earth" -- from Catechism of
the Catholic Church
One of best things about being Catholic, as far as I'm concerned, is the
constant presence of saints. Lose something?... turn to St. Anthony for
assistance in your search. Going on a trip? -- St. Christopher's watching out
for you if you ask him to. Miracles attributed their lives become their area of
specialty. They're a little like personal assistants to God that never fail to
pass on messages left for him while he was out. And there seems to be a
saint assigned as a go-to for almost any problem. It's always left me feeling
very much protected in a large and uncertain world.
Also dear to my heart are icons, shrines, and images of saints. In elementary
school, I was once accused of going to a church where we worshiped
statues. Being 6 or 7, I didn't have the skills to explain the reality of Catholic
dogma... so I think I refused to share my Barbie with her at recess. The
suggestion I was given later on to explain the position of holy
representations is this: "They're like photos of family members who aren't
with us anymore, but we want to remember every day -- so we put them in a
beautiful frame and place it somewhere special."
I began to play with the idea of protectors for random aspects of myself and
those around me -- anchors for the little loose ends. Some
are real, most are not (but probably should be).
Minor Victory
May 1 - May 29, 2010
Artists:
Patrick DeGuira, Brady Haston, Keith Herzik, Mark Hosford, Chris Kerr, Jennifer
Leach, Lesley Patterson Marx, Hans Schmidt Matzen, Bryce McCloud, Paul
Nudd, Onsmith, DeeDee Scacci, Tom Stack and Manuel Zeitlin
MINOR VICTORY
Driving through parts of Nashville can eerily remind one of being somewhere
in Chicago and there is the same feeling of sprawl and desolation. At times,
this feels like we are part of one great American city. However, this is not the
case as both cities have their own rich and historical identity and are
separated and encircled by America’s farms and countryside. Both Nashville
and Chicago are home to and have been home to many iconic and notorious
characters. John Wayne Gacy, Bill Murray, Hugh Hefner, Donald Rumsfeld, and
countless Blues legends hail from Chicago. Nashville has its own cast of great
and infamous characters: country stars that are to numerous to count, the
notorious Bettie Page, and even the bumbling Fred Thompson.
The artists in “Minor Victory” are the proverbial pumpkin seeds in the melon
we call America and they have walked down the same streets and alleys as
Al Capone and Johnny Cash. As to be expected, any show combining artist
from these cities will be weird at best. “Minor Victory” has an eclectic mix of
irreverent images that lampoon the idea of the traditional print alongside
images that push abstraction toward its own ambiguous goal. Somehow, the
artists in this show continue to work with an eye to the future as the country
goes through an unsettling economic down turn. This show offers the
viewing public a reprieve from the daily saturation of familiar images seen on
the ever present viewing screen and gives back a little something more to
mull over.
Every Memory Has A Golden Name
Irene Wills , Mark Sloniker and Ellen Sadler
April 3 - 25, 2010
Mark Sloniker grew up in rural Wisconsin, the son of a factory worker/wood
craftsman and a substitute teacher. He spent most of his youth in the woods
watching the animals and putting on operas among the trees.
In high school, he studied music and took a few art courses. He received an
associate arts degree from Cornerstone College and a Bachelor of Music from
Millikin University.
In 1997 Mark moved to Nashville. Through small steps and good friends, he
started taking freelance jobs in commercial art while also working at a non-
profit organization. He eventually quit the non-profit and took various jobs
ranging from the decorative arts to graphic design.
In 2004, he was approached by his friends who make up the band Venus
Hum to do the artwork for their next album, The Colors In The Wheel. This
collaboration grew to encompass everything visual for them including CDs,
posters, and even characters.
Currently, he is employed by Animax Designs as a workshop supervisor
building puppets for major theme parks all over the world.
Artist Statement:
Every Memory Has A Golden Name
Decoration has long been a favorite outlet for me in my life. I’ve always
taken mundane photographs and added wild elements to them to spice them
up. Drawing on inspiration from Victorian cartouches and similar forms of
adornments, I have created a series of chandelier-like forms covered in
filigree and flowers. Within this beautiful setting are hidden secret scenes
from my childhood and my private thought life. Scenes that, long ago,
seemed to too shameful to reveal to anyone, but now seem to require some
measure of decoration much like a reverent monument to a lost part of
myself.
Irene Wills
Her vision for her art is to focus on nature and the landscape around me. Her
interpretations are all in the spirit of American impressionists. "Since I am
essentially a colorist, color gives me many of my inspirations. I have been
painting for 25 years and have worked in watercolor and oils- now I
concentrate on oils. I am attracted to any garden views and landscapes."
Ellen Sadler
She has always loved the beauty of nature, the scope of color and the
subject matter to be discovered in creation. She has a special interest in the
delicacy and excitement of watercolors, which she has manifested in her
paintings for many years. More recently, Ellen has broadened the medium of
expression of her artistic interests to include oils.
Oliver and Lucha
March 6 - 27, 2010
Oliver was born Decatur, GA and lived there until June of 2009. She has since
moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Art has always been a huge part in Oliver’s life
with influences such as Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Jim Henson, Egon Schiele
and her grandmother Marla Holcomb. Today, she works in illustration,
painting, printmaking, bookbinding, and creating puppets.
Lucha Rodriguez was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. She earned her
BFA in Graphic Design from The Art Institute of Atlanta in 2006. She is
currently a MFA candidate in Printmaking at The Savannah College of Art and
Design Atlanta. Rodriguez’s print work has been shown in Mexico, India,
France and the United States. She has produced various “pink projects”
ranging from etchings, monoprints, serigraphies, to immersive surreal
environments. Rodriguez develops series of organ inspired “Creaturettes”
which expand into her own extravagant symbolism related to the body as an
internal space.
Watkins five + 5
February 6 - 27, 2010
An exhibition by Watkins College of Art and Design Fine Arts Department
Faculty: Brady Haston, Terry Thacker, Ron Lambert, Derek Cote and Kristi
Hargrove and Watkins students: Lauren Willis, Clayton Lancaster, Robert
Dunn, Claudia O'Steen, Alexis Hicks and Tim Marchbanks.
Nashville Scene's Critic's Pick
It's Not Hellfire: Prints and Drawings by Jessica C. White
January 2 - 30, 2010
Jessica relocated to Asheville, NC after graduating in the spring of 2009 from
University of Iowa with an MFA in printmaking and a Graduate Certificate in
Book Studies. There, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, she established
Heroes & Criminals Press, a fine press following in the tradition of artisans in
the crafts of printing and bookbinding, but with the driving principle that
“small animals make first paths” - ordinary people can make a big impact on
the world through simple, everyday actions. Through the press, her goal is to
create her own work as well as to act as a vehicle for emerging writers.
Along with printing and binding, she continue to explore ideas through
painting and drawing.
Statement:
Similar to the way animals were used in folktales and ancient mythologies to
explain the mysterious world of the past, I create images with animals that
attempt to make sense of uncertainties in our world today. Children’s book
images, medieval bestiaries, and folk tales inspire my investigations both
visually and textually. Much of my exploration revolves around good versus
evil, right and wrong, justice, and wonder.
Artist Books by Elizabeth Munger
As a native Iowan, Elizabeth Munger has been making art as early as she
can remember. She received her B.F.A in printmaking from the University of
Iowa in 2000 and in 2009 her graduate certificate at University of Iowa’s
Center for the Book. She spends most of her days in the studio working on
various projects including printing artist books, making paper, and conjuring
up numerous new art projects. At home she can be seen working with
textiles as well as combining different materials and mediums to create small
collages, but most often she can
be found running amuck with her dog, Mr. Pants.
Statement
Creating art work is a way to communicate my day to day life, and
to reflect on wider themes that overlap my personal experiences with the
world around me. My work tends to be autobiographical and narrative often
exploring current life experiences. Various materials and techniques, such as
collage, drawing, and print making to reach out visually in hopes of making a
connection to a shared human experience in a language that feels like home.
Fabrics, sewing patterns and needle and thread, convey my thoughts and
feelings as I piece together my ideas. Textile work is beginning to show up in
my prints and collages fusing together my other interests with my academic/
professional environment. This stitching together of worlds is becoming vastly
important as I recognize who I am and how I’ve grown as an artist.
Choosing recognizable images that include animals, I begin to relate to
this image and repeat it in different environments. Exploring the adage of a
wolf in sheep's clothing, or the sheep in wolfs clothing, has given light to who
I am and who we are as a humans. Drawing on this archetype as part of a
repertoire of self portraits, I search for what is there or not there, and an
attempt to uncover what is lurking underneath.
At Twist 58
Matt Christy: Wrench Rupture Suture
Matt Christy is a writer and an artist from Nashville. He graduated from
Watkins College with a BFA in Fine Arts. He has written criticism for Number:
an art's journal. Matt might someday pursue a Master's degree in art criticism
and critical theory.
Previous Exhibits 2009
Previous Exhibits 2008
Previous Exhibits 2007
Previous Exhibits 2006
June 5 - June 26, 2010
Margaret Pesek grew up on a farm just west of Omaha, Nebraska. She
attended Mercy High School, a Catholic girl's school in Omaha, and
went on to graduate from the University of Iowa with a BA in English
and Fine Art in 1996. She is now a graphic designer, illustrator, and
fine artist employed as Senior Graphic Designer the Country Music Hall
of Fame and Museum. She has lived in Nashville, TN for about nine
years.
Artist's Statement:
"They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they
proffer the merits which they acquired on earth" -- from Catechism of
the Catholic Church
One of best things about being Catholic, as far as I'm concerned, is the
constant presence of saints. Lose something?... turn to St. Anthony for
assistance in your search. Going on a trip? -- St. Christopher's watching out
for you if you ask him to. Miracles attributed their lives become their area of
specialty. They're a little like personal assistants to God that never fail to
pass on messages left for him while he was out. And there seems to be a
saint assigned as a go-to for almost any problem. It's always left me feeling
very much protected in a large and uncertain world.
Also dear to my heart are icons, shrines, and images of saints. In elementary
school, I was once accused of going to a church where we worshiped
statues. Being 6 or 7, I didn't have the skills to explain the reality of Catholic
dogma... so I think I refused to share my Barbie with her at recess. The
suggestion I was given later on to explain the position of holy
representations is this: "They're like photos of family members who aren't
with us anymore, but we want to remember every day -- so we put them in a
beautiful frame and place it somewhere special."
I began to play with the idea of protectors for random aspects of myself and
those around me -- anchors for the little loose ends. Some
are real, most are not (but probably should be).
Minor Victory
May 1 - May 29, 2010
Artists:
Patrick DeGuira, Brady Haston, Keith Herzik, Mark Hosford, Chris Kerr, Jennifer
Leach, Lesley Patterson Marx, Hans Schmidt Matzen, Bryce McCloud, Paul
Nudd, Onsmith, DeeDee Scacci, Tom Stack and Manuel Zeitlin
MINOR VICTORY
Driving through parts of Nashville can eerily remind one of being somewhere
in Chicago and there is the same feeling of sprawl and desolation. At times,
this feels like we are part of one great American city. However, this is not the
case as both cities have their own rich and historical identity and are
separated and encircled by America’s farms and countryside. Both Nashville
and Chicago are home to and have been home to many iconic and notorious
characters. John Wayne Gacy, Bill Murray, Hugh Hefner, Donald Rumsfeld, and
countless Blues legends hail from Chicago. Nashville has its own cast of great
and infamous characters: country stars that are to numerous to count, the
notorious Bettie Page, and even the bumbling Fred Thompson.
The artists in “Minor Victory” are the proverbial pumpkin seeds in the melon
we call America and they have walked down the same streets and alleys as
Al Capone and Johnny Cash. As to be expected, any show combining artist
from these cities will be weird at best. “Minor Victory” has an eclectic mix of
irreverent images that lampoon the idea of the traditional print alongside
images that push abstraction toward its own ambiguous goal. Somehow, the
artists in this show continue to work with an eye to the future as the country
goes through an unsettling economic down turn. This show offers the
viewing public a reprieve from the daily saturation of familiar images seen on
the ever present viewing screen and gives back a little something more to
mull over.
Every Memory Has A Golden Name
Irene Wills , Mark Sloniker and Ellen Sadler
April 3 - 25, 2010
Mark Sloniker grew up in rural Wisconsin, the son of a factory worker/wood
craftsman and a substitute teacher. He spent most of his youth in the woods
watching the animals and putting on operas among the trees.
In high school, he studied music and took a few art courses. He received an
associate arts degree from Cornerstone College and a Bachelor of Music from
Millikin University.
In 1997 Mark moved to Nashville. Through small steps and good friends, he
started taking freelance jobs in commercial art while also working at a non-
profit organization. He eventually quit the non-profit and took various jobs
ranging from the decorative arts to graphic design.
In 2004, he was approached by his friends who make up the band Venus
Hum to do the artwork for their next album, The Colors In The Wheel. This
collaboration grew to encompass everything visual for them including CDs,
posters, and even characters.
Currently, he is employed by Animax Designs as a workshop supervisor
building puppets for major theme parks all over the world.
Artist Statement:
Every Memory Has A Golden Name
Decoration has long been a favorite outlet for me in my life. I’ve always
taken mundane photographs and added wild elements to them to spice them
up. Drawing on inspiration from Victorian cartouches and similar forms of
adornments, I have created a series of chandelier-like forms covered in
filigree and flowers. Within this beautiful setting are hidden secret scenes
from my childhood and my private thought life. Scenes that, long ago,
seemed to too shameful to reveal to anyone, but now seem to require some
measure of decoration much like a reverent monument to a lost part of
myself.
Irene Wills
Her vision for her art is to focus on nature and the landscape around me. Her
interpretations are all in the spirit of American impressionists. "Since I am
essentially a colorist, color gives me many of my inspirations. I have been
painting for 25 years and have worked in watercolor and oils- now I
concentrate on oils. I am attracted to any garden views and landscapes."
Ellen Sadler
She has always loved the beauty of nature, the scope of color and the
subject matter to be discovered in creation. She has a special interest in the
delicacy and excitement of watercolors, which she has manifested in her
paintings for many years. More recently, Ellen has broadened the medium of
expression of her artistic interests to include oils.
Oliver and Lucha
March 6 - 27, 2010
Oliver was born Decatur, GA and lived there until June of 2009. She has since
moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Art has always been a huge part in Oliver’s life
with influences such as Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Jim Henson, Egon Schiele
and her grandmother Marla Holcomb. Today, she works in illustration,
painting, printmaking, bookbinding, and creating puppets.
Lucha Rodriguez was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. She earned her
BFA in Graphic Design from The Art Institute of Atlanta in 2006. She is
currently a MFA candidate in Printmaking at The Savannah College of Art and
Design Atlanta. Rodriguez’s print work has been shown in Mexico, India,
France and the United States. She has produced various “pink projects”
ranging from etchings, monoprints, serigraphies, to immersive surreal
environments. Rodriguez develops series of organ inspired “Creaturettes”
which expand into her own extravagant symbolism related to the body as an
internal space.
Watkins five + 5
February 6 - 27, 2010
An exhibition by Watkins College of Art and Design Fine Arts Department
Faculty: Brady Haston, Terry Thacker, Ron Lambert, Derek Cote and Kristi
Hargrove and Watkins students: Lauren Willis, Clayton Lancaster, Robert
Dunn, Claudia O'Steen, Alexis Hicks and Tim Marchbanks.
Nashville Scene's Critic's Pick
It's Not Hellfire: Prints and Drawings by Jessica C. White
January 2 - 30, 2010
Jessica relocated to Asheville, NC after graduating in the spring of 2009 from
University of Iowa with an MFA in printmaking and a Graduate Certificate in
Book Studies. There, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, she established
Heroes & Criminals Press, a fine press following in the tradition of artisans in
the crafts of printing and bookbinding, but with the driving principle that
“small animals make first paths” - ordinary people can make a big impact on
the world through simple, everyday actions. Through the press, her goal is to
create her own work as well as to act as a vehicle for emerging writers.
Along with printing and binding, she continue to explore ideas through
painting and drawing.
Statement:
Similar to the way animals were used in folktales and ancient mythologies to
explain the mysterious world of the past, I create images with animals that
attempt to make sense of uncertainties in our world today. Children’s book
images, medieval bestiaries, and folk tales inspire my investigations both
visually and textually. Much of my exploration revolves around good versus
evil, right and wrong, justice, and wonder.
Artist Books by Elizabeth Munger
As a native Iowan, Elizabeth Munger has been making art as early as she
can remember. She received her B.F.A in printmaking from the University of
Iowa in 2000 and in 2009 her graduate certificate at University of Iowa’s
Center for the Book. She spends most of her days in the studio working on
various projects including printing artist books, making paper, and conjuring
up numerous new art projects. At home she can be seen working with
textiles as well as combining different materials and mediums to create small
collages, but most often she can
be found running amuck with her dog, Mr. Pants.
Statement
Creating art work is a way to communicate my day to day life, and
to reflect on wider themes that overlap my personal experiences with the
world around me. My work tends to be autobiographical and narrative often
exploring current life experiences. Various materials and techniques, such as
collage, drawing, and print making to reach out visually in hopes of making a
connection to a shared human experience in a language that feels like home.
Fabrics, sewing patterns and needle and thread, convey my thoughts and
feelings as I piece together my ideas. Textile work is beginning to show up in
my prints and collages fusing together my other interests with my academic/
professional environment. This stitching together of worlds is becoming vastly
important as I recognize who I am and how I’ve grown as an artist.
Choosing recognizable images that include animals, I begin to relate to
this image and repeat it in different environments. Exploring the adage of a
wolf in sheep's clothing, or the sheep in wolfs clothing, has given light to who
I am and who we are as a humans. Drawing on this archetype as part of a
repertoire of self portraits, I search for what is there or not there, and an
attempt to uncover what is lurking underneath.
At Twist 58
Matt Christy: Wrench Rupture Suture
Matt Christy is a writer and an artist from Nashville. He graduated from
Watkins College with a BFA in Fine Arts. He has written criticism for Number:
an art's journal. Matt might someday pursue a Master's degree in art criticism
and critical theory.
Previous Exhibits 2009
Previous Exhibits 2008
Previous Exhibits 2007
Previous Exhibits 2006
| Disaster at Sea, Chris Kerr |
| Patron of the Romantically Ambiguous |
| Protector of New Restaurants |
Mitch O'Connell: Practice Makes Perfect
July 3 - August 28, 2010
Mitch O'Connell's stunning illustration work has been featured in magazines
from Newsweek to the New York Times, on the covers of million selling CD's
and advertising campaigns from McDonalds to Coca-Cola. His fine art work
has been exhibited from New York to Berlin to Tokyo. His tantalizing tattoo
designs are a fixture on the walls of tattoo shops around the word. His work
can be found in three books: Good Taste Gone Bad, Pwease Wuv Me and Mitch
O'Connell Tattoos.
July 3 - August 28, 2010
Mitch O'Connell's stunning illustration work has been featured in magazines
from Newsweek to the New York Times, on the covers of million selling CD's
and advertising campaigns from McDonalds to Coca-Cola. His fine art work
has been exhibited from New York to Berlin to Tokyo. His tantalizing tattoo
designs are a fixture on the walls of tattoo shops around the word. His work
can be found in three books: Good Taste Gone Bad, Pwease Wuv Me and Mitch
O'Connell Tattoos.
Todd Greene in Twist, etc
August 7- August 28, 2010
Artist Statement:
For years I have been interested in the exploration of paradox free will and
predestination, being and not being, self preservation and self-destruction. I
have used visual metaphors for these thoughts including carnival clowns
complete with religious roadside slogans, rabbis flying new patriot
machine-like helicopters, paintings and constructions resembling the
miraculous balancing rock formations seen in the Southwestern landscapes
of the U.S. and reproductions of imagined futuristic cave drawings. It is my
intention to continue in this vein for my own personal awakening and desire
to create spiritual devices to be discovered by the public.
August 7- August 28, 2010
Artist Statement:
For years I have been interested in the exploration of paradox free will and
predestination, being and not being, self preservation and self-destruction. I
have used visual metaphors for these thoughts including carnival clowns
complete with religious roadside slogans, rabbis flying new patriot
machine-like helicopters, paintings and constructions resembling the
miraculous balancing rock formations seen in the Southwestern landscapes
of the U.S. and reproductions of imagined futuristic cave drawings. It is my
intention to continue in this vein for my own personal awakening and desire
to create spiritual devices to be discovered by the public.
