How to go
What: 10th Annual HWD Exhibit
Where: Rosewood Gallery, 2655 Olson Drive, Kettering.
When: Through Oct. 7.
Info: 937-296-0294 or playkettering.org/gallery.
Upon entering the Kettering’s Rosewood Gallery space for the 10th Annual HWD show of sculpture, the viewer’s eye is drawn to one huge installation in the middle of the room.
There, Dana Goodman takes exhibit visitors through the seasons of a pig’s life on the farm: fattened by corn, transported to the slaughterhouse, and becoming food for consumption.
His life-sized sculpture, “150 Left,” was constructed of clay, wood, steel, and fiber. He was one of 34 artists who submitted 83 pieces for consideration, and one of the lucky 16 entrants whose works were chosen by juror Geoff Riggle.
“Watching the world stage of food production over the last few decades, I am convinced that people are less equipped than ever to make rational decisions about what they should be or are eating,” said Goodman, professor of ceramics and sculpture at IPFW, the joint campus of Indiana University and Purdue. “As an avid gardener and former livestock raiser, it is fascinating to me that a growing number of people are rediscovering the relationship of working the soil to grow their own food, and raising animals for their own consumption.”
Interestingly, a series of small works in the adjoining gallery by Mary Skrenta would at first seem to be unrelated in any way to Goodman’s installation. But pig intestine is listed among the materials she used for “Eulogia.”
A fascinating work by Joe Lauricella is as graceful as it is imposing. His “Light Torso” is constructed of steel rod and steel wire with a patina finish. The female form rises up as if to jump on passersby.
There are 20 works in all, with several artists showing more than one piece: Cynthia Bornhorst-Winslow with her embellished ceramic vessels; Michael B. Hays’ metal works “Ventricose Maw” and Tumescent Wallow”; Arthur Kettner’s artfully arranged geometric stoneware; and Charlotte Wachtel’s primitive pieces constructed of bone, shell, plant fiber, gourds, and wood.
Other participating artists: Katie Adams, Kathy Burden, Matthew R. Burgy, Pamela L. Deaton, Eric Hamlin, Doug Harlow, David Kenworthy, Alice Robrish and Alice Bordenkircher Tavani.
“Each of the works in HWD 2016 exhibits a seductive fragmentary order that adds to its allurement,” said Riggle, head of jewelry design/metalsmithing at Miami University’s department of art. “By challenging preconceptions and fostering viewer exploration, this robust body of work proves the value of creative objects has not been lost contemporarily. I extend my sincerest appreciation and reverence to all the artists who supported this exhibition.”
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