Columbia College’s Goodall Gallery presents Critical Materiality featuring works by three S.C. women artists: Mary Carlisle, Glenda Guion and Ashley Welsh, August 22 – October 16, 2016
August 17, 2016
The Goodall Gallery at Columbia College is pleased to kick off its 2016-17 season with “Critical Materiality” featuring clay works by three S.C. women artists: Mary Carlisle, Glenda Guion and Ashley Welsh. The exhibit opens Monday, August 22 and runs through Sunday, October 16, 2016. An artists’ gallery talk and reception will be held on Thursday, September 8 at 12:45 pm in the Goodall Gallery of the Spears Center for the Arts. The exhibition, gallery talk and reception are free and open to the public.
Spanning three generations, the material of clay connects the work of all three artists.
Through materials, ideas and surfaces, each artist examines ancient cultures, abandoned objects and storytelling – elements of the past that ground and connect them to the contemporary world.
“In reflecting upon the work featured in this exhibition, our shared material (clay) is most apparent,” says Mary Carlisle, whose work explores the relationship between a former age of industrialization in contrast to today’s global manufacturing culture. “Our artistic practices, too, share commonalities,” she says. “Some of the clay objects are literal elements of a bygone era. Others are figments of my own imagination.”
Glenda Guion draws upon ancient ideas and cultures to create clay figures which reflect organic shapes and symbols to express Carl Jung’s notion of “Shadows as the place between the conscience and subconscious, the place between good and evil.”
Constructing an environment that shapes a familiar conversation is a central theme in the creations of Ashley (Puckett) Welsh, whose current work explores her relationship with her grandfather and the lake where he fished for 40 years. The story of place becomes a spiritual metaphor where, says Welsh, “worries are lost and time stands still.”
About The Goodall Gallery
The Columbia College Goodall Gallery is located inside the Spears Center for the Arts at 1301 Columbia College Drive in downtown Columbia off North Main Street. Gallery hours are from 10 am – 6 pm Monday – Friday and 1 pm – 5 pm Saturday and Sunday. For more information concerning exhibits please contact Jackie Adams, Gallery Coordinator, at (803) 786-3899 or visit the Gallery at columbiasc.edu/goodallgallery.
About Columbia College
Recognized by U.S. News and World Report as a best value institution and ranked among the best regional universities in the South, Columbia College is a dynamic learning and living community known for its emphasis on leadership development and service. Founded 162 years ago by the United Methodist Church as a women’s liberal arts college, Columbia College also offers evening, graduate and online programs serving both women and men. The College is home to the McNair Center for Entrepreneurism, and a nationally renowned honors program led by the 2010-2011 United States Professor of the Year. Learn more at columbiasc.edu or connect with @columbiakoala.
