Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: Jesse DeFlorio/Greyhound The theme of the exhibition focuses on the fragility of earth, which mirrors the media used.

Earth: In It, On It, Of It, the current exhibit in the Julio Fine Arts Gallery, features the art of several ceramic artists. The overall theme present in the show is Earth's transience and fragility, which is paralleled in the common medium used for each work: ceramic. The delicate nature of the porcelain and clay pottery used to create the works on display, reflects the delicate nature of the environment. The ceramic artists featured in the show are environmentally conscious, more so than other artists, due to the fact that the materials necessary for their creative expression actually come from the Earth. By alerting viewers to the changing natural atmosphere, this show promotes the increasingly attractive green movements, and gains popularity for their natural art forms.

When you first enter the exhibit, on the right, displayed on pedestals are the works of Myung Rye Kim. Her four sculptures each represent flowers. Thus, not only is the medium out of which she works coming from the earth, but the objects she depicts are as well. While certain flowers are shown in bloom, the first in the series, The Journey of Magnolia I, is sculpted in dark brown clay and placed lifelessly on the surface of the pedestal. This dark, limp flower, that appears to have had the life sucked out of it, represents the inevitable demise of the earth. It seems that Kim attempts to allude to the unstable environment by placing this dark flower amidst brighter, lively works.

Another work in the show that continues to uphold the main concept is John Williams' Contour Globe. The works of Williams, unique to the show with their combination of steel and porcelain, allude to the changing world. By incorporating steel into his works, he utilizes modern techniques that are in part responsible for the Earth's destruction. In addition, Contour Globe represents the Earth's deterioration since the "globe" is presented as a cylinder rather than a sphere. The perception of the globe is warped; it no longer represents water and landmasses, but instead it depicts simplified topographical lines, as though the richness of the Earth is disappearing.

To the left of Contour Globe, the works of Ann Hazels can be found. Her two contributions to the show, Winter Series, freeze, and California Series, elements, can be interpreted in a number of ways. Being placed together, one possible interpretation is the threat of global warming. Moving through the exhibit naturally, following the numbered order of the works, viewers come across Winter Series, freeze first, which resembles snow capped mountains. But then, continuing on, viewers reach California Series, elements, which is arranged in the same manner, except the ceramic pieces are no longer painted white. The similar structure of both these works implies a connection between the two, suggesting that the snow capped mountains will melt and leave behind bland mountain peaks.

Overall, the works in the show, created from and representing the Earth, work together to promote environmentally friendly practices and the ceramic art of the contributing artists. Earth: In It, On It, Of It will be on display in the Julio Fine Arts Gallery until April 11, 2008. Anyone interested in the artistic representation of Earth's transience will find the show compelling, as each individual work deals with the changing environment in a unique way.

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