Vessels as Metaphor Opening

Curators Geoffrey Koetsch with his sculpture right behind and Ellen Schön with her ceramic sculpture in the background

I attended the opening for Vessels as Metaphor on Friday night. I arrived early enough to have a chance to see most of the work without the crowds and it is a eclectic selection of work that meshes together well. Artists are working in a variety of media, latex, resin, clay, metal and wood as well as performance, video, and kinetic sound sculpture.

I used to find openings such a chore. Or I should say if I was among friends, they were fun but if I knew few if any people, I was shy and awkward talking about my work. Now I really enjoy openings. I like talking about my work and am always interested in hearing what others see in the work, which is often very different from what I intended. And that is as it should be. The work goes on to live its own life. The biggest reason for my new found pleasure in openings is that I am more confident in myself and my work (my years of teaching bookmaking in schools in front of large groups of teachers and kids has certainly helped) but I also think that spending so many solitary hours in the studio makes the contact with people a treat.

I will be gallery sitting on Sunday, February 25 from 1-5.
Geoff and Ellen will be giving a Curator's talk on Sunday, March 1 at 1 pm.

The Nave Gallery Site

More work by the some of the exhibiting artists
Doreen Connors
Phyllis Ewen
Geoffrey Koetsch
Roy Pardi
Rebecca Parker
Ellen Schön