Speak, Object

November 16, 2017 – January 16, 2018

Judy Haberl, Hidden Agendas #1, Cast rubber, mixed media, 2008-2018.

Speak, Object

November 16, 2017 – January 16, 2018
Reception: Thursday November 30, 5:30 -7:30 p.m.
Gallery Talk: Artists as Collectors 6:00 p.m.

How do objects tell stories? What do they hold?

A narrative is embraced by an object, silently. Objects reflect who we are as a culture, they speak of and to the world that came before us, and for their makers. Ultimately, a work of art finds its voice through the viewer’s projection, contemplation, and connection. Often the best narratives about objects are the ones we cannot understand, leaving them up to our imagination. The works in the exhibition Speak, Object imply and also create their own narrative. Embracing a range of materials, they are all very personal and look both inward and out. As reflections of their respective artist-makers, they act as voice and vocabulary for ideas. In this way, they invite us to unpack what is otherwise inaccessible. They are gifts from the present to be valued in the future, mute objects that speak.

Participating artists:

Caleb Cole
Judy Haberl
Steve Locke
Greg Mencoff
Janice Redman

The work in the exhibit ranges from repeated forms to found items tenderly wrapped to rubber molds of transformed objects. In addition to the work curated for the exhibition, each artist has been asked to choose an object from their private collection to be part of their display, adding another layer of narrative and a way of thinking about what an artist is compelled to make.

Related programming:

Thursday, November 30, 6:00p.m.
Gallery talk with artists: Artists as Collectors

Tuesday, December 5, 12:15 – 1:15p.m.
Activities program with pizza and refreshments

ONE DAY ONLY!! Talking Things

Join us in the gallery and bring a treasured object and its story to share. This is a great way to reveal something about yourself and your history.

Continue sharing photos of your favorite things throughout the exhibit on Twitter and Instagram with hashtag: #talkingthings

Plymouth Spoon
Plymouth Rock: George Gooding & Benjamin W. Gooding of Plymouth
April 7, 1891 Patent No 20664, Manufactured by Codding Brothers & Heliborn

Thursday, December 7, 2017, 12:15 – 1:15 pm
Activities period – Pizza and refreshments
American Memory in a Silver Spoon

About as completely crazy a craze as ever took possession of this craze-susceptible country, is that for souvenir spoons.
“The Souvenir Spoon Craze,” The Collector, Dec. 15, 1891

A fad for silver souvenir spoons swept late 19th century America. Vikings, Columbus, George Washington, Salem Witches, and Plymouth Pilgrims all appeared on spoons. The makers of spoons chose icons, like Plymouth Rock, to adorn these decorative objects which gave owners a diminutive, yet tactile, connection to American history. Why were they popular? What purpose did they serve? This gallery talk will use a Plymouth Rock souvenir spoon from the 1890s to explore the ideas of object’s material for its creation of memory.