Clothing, fanciful illustrations and photos from space.
by John Cain
Three outstanding exhibits presented in three Northwest Indiana communities are showcasing the diversity of visual art in the new year. The symbolism that is inherent in what we choose to wear and how this affects and defines our cultural identity will be explored in the South Shore Arts exhibit “Uniforms, Outfits and Accessories: Photographs” by Joel DeGrand, Feb. 12 through April 8, 2012, in the gallery at The Center for Visual and Performing Art, Munster.
An opening reception will be held on Sunday, Feb. 12, from 1 to 3 p.m.
For the past three years, DeGrand has been documenting and examining the peculiarities and complexities of what people wear. He believes it is important to define our cultural identity visually and historically. His photos act as both a reminder and an educational tool, having the ability to break down prejudices and enlighten senses to think about the past and its relationship to the future.
DeGrand makes the photographs in “Uniforms, Outfits and Accessories” life-size in order to better represent the importance of apparel and allow the viewer to confront the subject matter with a greater sense of reality and cultural identity. He feels the project has much to do with the time frame in which it was completed.
“Photographs have a unique characteristic of capturing the moment,” he says, “But also tell a story years later when things have evolved or morphed into something else.”
“Mindless Mayhem: The Art of Ron Villani” runs through March 18 at Valparaiso University's Brauer Museum of Art. Villani's characters and subjects connect to a wide variety of popular cartoon and illustration styles seen in print sources throughout the mid- to late 20th century, including pulp science fiction of the 1940s and 1950s, gritty sci-fi fantasy worlds and the visual culture of circuses and carnivals, with the artist's sideshow banners referring most directly to this transient and colorful culture. Villani's art connects visually to the Monster Roster and Imagist groups, Chicago artists who emerged in the 1950s and 1960s.
Villani was born in Chicago and graduated from the School of the Art Institute. His paintings and illustrations have been widely exhibited, published, and collected. He has also illustrated for advertising agencies, design firms, record companies, and numerous national publications. Villani has been art director on projects for Apple, Audi of America, Crate & Barrel, Sports Illustrated, Anheuser Busch, McDonald's, Navistar International and Mercedes Benz.
The Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit “Earth from Space,” a set of 20 posters that feature images and text, will run through March 11 at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City. Satellite imagery of earth reveals the swirling arms of a massive hurricane, triangular shadows cast by the Great Pyramids, and the grid-like pattern of Kansas farmland.
A collaboration with the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, the traveling exhibit won a 2007 U.S. Geological Survey communications award. The exhibit presents large color reproductions of images captured by high-tech satellites constantly circling the globe.
Rare views of dust storms, forest fires, volcanic eruptions, and hurricanes are accompanied by text that explains how satellite imagery is gathered and used to explore the Earth. Documenting environmental cycles, natural disasters, and manmade ecological effects, satellite images provide clues about the dynamic nature of our planet and offer rich opportunities to engage students in a wide range of science curricula.
Find out more about area arts activities and events by watching John Cain on Lakeshore Public Television's “Eye on the Arts,” every Thursday at 9 p.m. on Lakeshore News Tonight.
