Attendees of the Western Gallery’s Faculty Biennial event wandered through the art exhibits, snacked on treats, and engaged in conversation on Thursday, Apr. 11, 2019. Ella Banken//AS Review
By MacKenzie Dexter
The 2019 Western Gallery’s Faculty Biennial showcased recent work by faculty from the Design, Art and Art History departments. The exhibit shows the community what faculty artists at Western have been creating on their own time.
“All the faculty of the Department of Art and Art History and the Design Department are invited to participate in the Biennial,” Hafthor Yngvason, director of Western Gallery and Campus Sculpture Collection said. “This is an exhibition of recent works, intended to show a small sample of what the faculty members are currently working on, so the artists themselves choose what they want to exhibit.”
The Faculty Biennial gives the community a peak into the contemporary art Western faculty has been creating, said Pierre Gour, Western professor. The exhibit encompasses the members of the facility and shows the community who we are and what we’re doing, Gour said.
“We are letting the community see what we are researching and experimenting with,” Gour said.
The Faculty Biennial shows the rest of the school and public what Western faculty artists are doing outside of the classroom, Sasha Petrenko, Western professor, said.
“Art professors are not always in the classroom teaching. They are out on their own learning and creating just like their students,” Petrenko said.
“It’s exciting to see what my colleagues have been up to and for students to what we’re up too,” Petrenko said. “It shows that we freak out with show deadlines as well. We’re all in this together.”
The Faculty Biennial is also for community members who are interested in art and in what Western artists are up to, said Ryan Kelly, Western professor. People who support us and are interested in our work are able to come to see our work, said Kelly.
“Our research is different from other departments and it is not always accessible. It gives the community a look into what we do,” said Kelly.
Several other artists in the Faculty Biennial include Christopher Hartshorne, Seiko A. Purdue and Sebastian Mendes, who recently passed away in 2018.
Sharron Antholt, a former Western professor, displayed her collection in a a side exhibition dedicated to retired faculty.
“Sharron Antholt’s “Nothing to Look At” is a special section that honors a recently retired faculty member. This is the second time we have this kind of side exhibition,” said Yngvason.
Antholt’s “burn drawings” used the sun and a magnifying glass to draw and burn through Nepalese paper. The collection took around four years to complete.
“The ideas I was thinking about when I started this work included simplifying my work and making work that was less personal, less about me. ” Antholt said. Antholt was excited to have her work displayed and believes that featuring a retiring professor in the Faculty Biennial is a great idea.
Members of the Western Art Gallery, including Huni Long, Preservation and Museum Specialist of the Western Gallery, spent weeks setting up for the Faculty Biennial.
While the walls, lighting and design were all being juggled, Long said the majority of the work was put into the details.
“We had to pay attention to the themes and details so they don’t clash. Each wall space has one central theme so it isn’t too busy,” said Long.
It was important to the Western Gallery that people come in and feel comfortable with the space they are in. This event was for everyone in the community, so it was important to create an open space, said Long.
The Faculty Biennial is available until May 9, 2019 at the Western Gallery.