College of Wooster Art Museum to Present 'Drawing Narrative'

Jeff Gauntt's "Faithful Companion" (2004) will be among the many works on display when The College of Wooster Art Museum presents "Drawing Narrative" Oct 28-Dec. 9. (Image courtesy of the artist and Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York)

WOOSTER, Ohio - An assortment of images, from talking trees to paper-doll cutouts to erector-set like constructions, will be on display when The College of Wooster Art Museum hosts "Drawing Narrative," Oct. 28-Dec. 9 in Ebert Art Center (1220 Beall Ave.). The exhibition features works by 13 artists who share stories about their world through the images they create. The artists explore modern-day cultural frontiers, such as race, gender, and the implications of a digitally connected universe, through a range of media, including drawing, painting, collage, constructions, paper cutouts, and animated short films.

"A narrative depicts some aspect of the world as shaped by human beings, regardless of whether the story is internally or externally driven," says Kitty McManus Zurko, director/curator of The College of Wooster Art Museum. "These artists isolate an emotion, place, or moment in time using universal and recognizable cultural icons to 'draw' the narrative from the scene or figure. They convey an underlying sense of anxiety and uncertainty about our world in the 21st century, much like early explorers who visually captured seemingly objective information about their particular moment in time."

The artists' works are divided into four basic categories, beginning with Elaine Lynch (Cincinnati), Jane South (Brooklyn, N.Y.), and William Crow (New York), whose drawings, constructions, and collages can be described as abstracted non-linear narratives. The second group, which consists of New York artists Shahzia Sikander, Amy Cutler, and Marcel Dzama, focuses on the ambiguity and pathos found in myth, domesticity, and children's books, while the third group - Laylah Ali (New York), Kojo Griffin (Atlanta), and Chris Oliveria (San Francisco) - concentrate on the psychology of the figure. The fourth group, made up of Robyn O'Neil (Houston), Drew King (Cleveland), Craig Kucia (Miami), and Jeff Gauntt (Brooklyn, N.Y.), examine the relationships between humans and the natural world.

"Essentially, all of the artists in this exhibition use three basic strategies to connect with their audience," says Zurko. "As an artist/narrator, they avoid imposing personal biography; they heighten the emotional impact of their commentary by using a playful, cartoonish visual style; and they draw the viewer into the story by playing off human nature's hard-wired impulse to shape information into a story."

"Drawing Narrative" and its associated events and education programming are funded, in part, by The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation of Hudson, Ohio. The opening reception will be Friday, Oct. 28, from 7-9 p.m. with a gallery talk by Chris Oliveria from 8-8:20 p.m. There will also be a performance by Up River, a Celtic and old time music group featuring Teresa Morrison and Dan Moorefield, on Thursday, Nov. 10, from 7-8 p.m., and a Conversation in the Gallery with Kitty McManus Zurko, on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 12-1 p.m. In addition, Jane South will present an artist's lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 29, from 7-8 p.m. in Room 223 of Ebert Art Center.

The next event at The College of Wooster Art Museum will be "The Five Colleges of Ohio Juried Student Biennial," which features works by student artists from Denison University, Kenyon College, Oberlin College, Ohio Wesleyan University, and The College of Wooster who showcase their artistic abilities in a professionally juried exhibition, Jan. 24-March 5, 2006.

The College of Wooster Art Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. All receptions, lectures, exhibitions, and performances are free and open to the public. Group and class tours are also available. Exhibitions and related events are also supported, in part, by the Ohio Arts Council with state tax dollars "to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans."

For more information, call 330-263-2388 or visit www.wooster.edu/artmuseum.