Pattern / Place
Pattern / Place is a group exhibition featuring Midwest-based artists who investigate the use of pattern through traditionally domestic modes of creating. Often referred to as “Women’s Work”, this colloquial term ascribes specific craft processes to traditional female gender roles. The artists included in this exhibition utilize an array of artistic practices and media that speak to or make reference to these processes. Using sculpture, installation, performance/video, language, and drawing, these artists explore how pattern and repetition exist within these modes of work. Through this investigation the artists consider how these acts of repetition and accumulation of pattern begin to speak to notions of place.
Place becomes a layered word and idea. It is an area reserved for a specific purpose or activity, a portion of space designated for someone, and a privilege resulting from one’s role or position. It is the artist’s place within interpersonal relationships, within a domestic sphere, within heteronormative clichés, or within a feminist praxis. Some pieces take traditional domestic working modes to claim, celebrate, and take ownership of the tradition and value that comes from a learned experience while other pieces actively attack and dismantle the traditional “place” held for outdated roles and what they represent. The weight of this exhibition bears on the viewer, questioning their place within these structures. The physical labor exerted in the production of each piece is evident - however, the underlying pressure of emotional labor swells to the surface.
Pattern / Place is co-curated by Marla Roddy (Registrar, Beeler Gallery / Gallery Associate, Brandt-Roberts Galleries) and Lance Pruitt (The Ohio State University MFA Candidate). Exhibiting artists include Allison Baker (Minneapolis, MN), Pati Beachley (Pittsburgh, PA), Cat Mailloux (Columbus, OH), Erica Mendoza (Knoxville, TN), and Jamie Lynn Williams (Indianapolis, IN).
Place becomes a layered word and idea. It is an area reserved for a specific purpose or activity, a portion of space designated for someone, and a privilege resulting from one’s role or position. It is the artist’s place within interpersonal relationships, within a domestic sphere, within heteronormative clichés, or within a feminist praxis. Some pieces take traditional domestic working modes to claim, celebrate, and take ownership of the tradition and value that comes from a learned experience while other pieces actively attack and dismantle the traditional “place” held for outdated roles and what they represent. The weight of this exhibition bears on the viewer, questioning their place within these structures. The physical labor exerted in the production of each piece is evident - however, the underlying pressure of emotional labor swells to the surface.
Pattern / Place is co-curated by Marla Roddy (Registrar, Beeler Gallery / Gallery Associate, Brandt-Roberts Galleries) and Lance Pruitt (The Ohio State University MFA Candidate). Exhibiting artists include Allison Baker (Minneapolis, MN), Pati Beachley (Pittsburgh, PA), Cat Mailloux (Columbus, OH), Erica Mendoza (Knoxville, TN), and Jamie Lynn Williams (Indianapolis, IN).