MACC exhibit shows multiple perspectives of nature
By Lorena Abreu
The art of many artists across the U.S. has been celebrated at the the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Schaefer International Gallery since Jan. 10.
Statements of Nature
Each piece of art found in the gallery has a statement, a statement from nature, and that’s what the exhibition is all about. It has the purpose of showing us multiple perspectives of nature, specifically things that are currently happening with our planet as we speak, but sometimes we forget about it.
As you walk through the gallery, you may observe that the artists had the same concept of creating an exhibition for the public to show the reality in nature, but yet, their ability and interpretation varies among themselves because we all have our own vision of the world we live in. “Statements on Nature invites us to explore multiple perspectives on the theme of natural spaces, filtered through ideas of nature, place, landscape environment, and human presence,” said artist Marcia Morse. She also added that this is to celebrate printmaking itself made up of woodcut and cooper cutting as well as digital printing.
Nicole Pietrantoni, an assistant professor of art at the University of California in Riverside, Calif., has created an 9-by-33-foot panorama image of the icebergs in Iceland called “Implication.”, this piece has an immense quantity of details and quality of work. In terms of nature, this piece is to remind us of global warming and Pietrantoni has created that effect on her viewers by showing her abilities of executing the job in a way of creating something well developed—you can see that as you approach the piece closely. Different writing on each strip of paper makes us wonder what each word meant to the artist as well as how she selected them.
In comparison to Pietrantoni’s piece of art, Jenny Schmid, an associate professor of painting at the University of Minnesota, has created a smaller piece called, “Social Media Siren.” With this piece, she chose to reflect human nature in social media, since since this topic has been making a big effect on today’s society. Schmid’s piece is so realistic, you may even laugh about it as you look at it because it is so accurate in regards to what the world has become. But as you continue to look at it, it creates a sense of sadness and depression to know that’s who we are and who we all have become.
Charles Cohan, a professor at the University of Hawaii in Manoa, also had the privilege to have his work at the Schaefer International Gallery, and unlike Schimid’s playful art work, Cohan made his piece a little bit more personal. He has created several prints of trees colored in black on a white canvas inspired by his childhood memory. Given the information that his piece was based on an event that happened during his childhood, it makes us feel different. When observing his artwork, you may somehow picture Cohan playing hide-and-go-seek in between trees that are no longer there.
You can see this exhibition until Saturday, March 13. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The exhibition is organized and presented by The Maui Arts & Cultural Center and partly sustained by Hawai’i Tourism Authority and the County of Maui Office of Economic Development.
For more information, call (808) 242-7469 or visit www.mauiarts.org.
