Denison: Exhibit 'Epoch' at Newark Art Space

The Newark Art Space, located in the downtown Newark building that houses the historic Crystal Ballroom, offers a preview of its anticipated late summer opening with a Denison University exhibition by senior studio art majors, titled ?Epoch.? The exhibition will host an opening reception on Friday, April 15, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Gallery talks by the artists will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by a performance from Denison?s Ensemble in Residence ETHEL, at 7:30 p.m. Food and drinks will be provided by Palumbo?s and Ohio Winery, both located in downtown Newark. The exhibition will be open through Saturday, April 23. Gallery hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Ron Abram at 740-587-6355 or visit Denison.edu. ?The interdisciplinary art program at Denison emphasizes creativity, community and individuality in its curriculum,? said Ron Abram, associate professor of studio art at Denison University. ?Faculty are excited about this year?s show and its setting in the building that was Newark?s Crystal Ballroom. Students have titled the group exhibition ?Epoch,? as a metaphor not only as a marker for their capstone experience as artists at Denison, but also as acknowledgment of the building?s history and current rejuvenation.? Reflecting the liveliness happening in the studios of Bryant Arts Center at Denison, this year?s senior art exhibition includes paintings, photographs, ceramics, sculpture, prints, installation art and a range of multi-media works. The group of art students come from as close by as Heath, Ohio, and as far away as Chengdu, China. As the title of the exhibition suggests, the work addresses issues of temporality and evolution, as well as issues of identity, body, disability, traditional practices and representation. Student artists include Ariel Baez, Tawnee GreenRiver, Jenny Kim, Philip Knox, Nancy Martinez, Rebecca Nisenbaum, Anna Rumbough, Rachel Silva, Ryan Song and Evan Stoler. Ariel Baez, from Boston, deconstructs the traditional sense of what a painting is and how it is created. He compiles a range of materials, such as wood, fabric, wire and other non-traditional materials to create a unique collage-like aesthetic. Website: http://drzarielito.wix.com/arielbaez. In her artwork, Tawnee GreenRiver, from Heath, Ohio, negotiates the dissonance between today?s pop-culture appropriation of Native American culture and experience of modern day Native Americas and their history. This transition is represented in sculptural works made of non-representational materials, creating meaning through the lens in which she interprets the world around her. Website: http://someonenative.weebly.com. In her work, Jenny Kim, from South Korea, adopts the form of still life photography to create meaning by elevating the ordinary into extraordinary. She creates untraditional compositions and pairings from mostly mundane objects, from paper napkins to loaves of bread. Website: cargocollective.com/jenny_kim. Philip Knox, from Champaign, Ill., creates paintings and drawings that grapple with themes of identity and living with a disability. Philip is a hard of hearing individual that has grown up in the mainstream, neither truly deaf nor hearing, and much of his work is informed by this juxtaposition. www.PhilipKnoxFine Art.com Through form and color, Nancy Martinez, from Chicago, explores the materiality of wax and rubber. She pushes the material to extremes to test their fragility. Website: nanmardel.wix.com/nanmardel. Rebecca Nisenbaum, from Carmel, Ind., creates with acrylic paintings that are a reflective and personal response to the emotions that permeate her daily thoughts and process Through the practice of layering and taking away medium she uncovers her own definitions of loss and death. She creates emotional landscapes through color and composition and uses mark-making to develop emotional vocabularies. Website: rebeccanisenbaum.weebly.com. Anna Rumbough is a studio art and communication double major from Cornwall, Vt. Her work focuses on conceptual introspective observations regarding perception, temporality, and identity through multimedia and traditional visual mediums. rumbougha.wix.com/work. Rachel Silva, from Lorain, Ohio, creates pottery and ceramic sculptures. Through her work she explores form and function with the ultimate goal of creating relationships between people through her vessels. Website: rachelalicia.weebly.com. Jiaqi Ryan Song, from Chengdu, China, has always believed that art is everywhere in our daily lives and could be used to tell our unique stories. Therefore, as an artist, Ryan often combines his inspirations into graphic design works, consisting of branding or visual identity projects, and conceptual works driven by ideas from his daily detailed moments and his personal stories, in medias like videos, projections, or installations. Website: songryan.com Evan Stoler is a studio art and biology double major from Omaha, Ne. With his art, he wants to challenge the viewer to question the organic and bodily entities placed before them as he strips supplies of their commonplace function. Website: evanstoler.com.