In a year when few have attended museums or galleries and The Met and MoMA feel out of reach, the Tremaine Gallery has turned over the space to the Arts faculty to exhibit their work. This year, the Faculty Art Show – Process: Exploring Vulnerability as Strength – communicates the importance of embracing new approaches to art during times of uncertainty. For artists, this may come in the form of adapting styles and techniques out of one’s comfort zone. The exhibition comprises a broad range of art disciplines, from photography, digital media, and cyanotypes (cyan-blue photographic prints), to watercolor, sculpture, and the use of innovative uses like coffee and 3D printing. The artists include Mr. Brad Faus, director of the art program; Mr. Greg Lock, director of photography; Ms. Sarah Anderson Lock, former arts administrator; Ms. Colleen MacMillan, instructor in photography; Ms. Colleen McGuire, instructor in visual arts; Ms. Terri L. Moore, director of the Tremaine Gallery; Ms. Christine Owen, instructor in ceramics; and Ms, Ann Villano, instructor in film.

These teachers found their inspiration for art in many different ways. Ms. Moore conceptualized the exhibition’s theme during a conversation with an alum, Spencer Finch ’81, a career artist. In their conversation, Mr. Finch gave Ms. Moore the challenge to move away from her usual style and blue-grey palette. With a background in science and climate change, Ms. Moore’s inspiration for Extinction came while watching a documentary on the plight of the polar bears. With Mr. Finch’s suggestion in mind, Ms. Moore said, “I realized that not only are we working artists, but we are educators. We’re asking everyone to learn to embrace vulnerability as strength.”

With a background in sculpture, Mr. Lock considered portraying physicality through photography with Not a Photograph (Trees). Consisting of 40 shots of hillside trees, Mr. Lock performed extensive calculations with the photos and captured parts of the data to show in three dimensions. With the merged data and photos, his final image conveys the vulnerability of perception. Mr. Lock said, “My messages are to show how photography doesn’t always provide an accurate representation of anything.” 

Inspired by her work in Ireland and her family, Ms. MacMillan explores her Irish heritage with cyanotypes and vintage family lace. Her new work, Teaghlach, incorporates family lace passed down from generation to generation. Ms. Owen, a ceramicist, examines the roles of form and function in ceramics and highlights deliberate traces of construction techniques throughout her pieces. Ms. McGuire, an oil painter, created home vignettes and still lifes while Ms. Villano studies a sense of place in her Photoshopped landscapes. Mr. Faus and Ms. Lock study colors and textures in their different pieces.

On September 28th, the entirety of Lower Mid photography students attended a gallery talk led by Mr. Lock, Ms. MacMillan, and Ms. Villano, Spencer Humes ’24 appreciated the learning experience and the opportunity to explore the faculty art show. He said, “I thought it was interesting to see the final products that made our teachers say, ‘Yes! This is finished for me.’ It serves as a kind of benchmark [for our future works].”

The Tremaine Gallery will be open until October 19th, and is open to the on-campus community. The full exhibit can be seen virtually here.

https://sites.google.com/hotchkiss.org/faculty-art-exhibit-2021/home