The Ortlip Gallery at the Center For the Arts will feature a new installation by art professors Ryann Cooley and Alicia Taylor-Austin. An opening reception will be held for the installation at the gallery tonight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Both Cooley and Taylor-Austin said they sought to create art that is engaging. Cooley said he thinks of people who will see the art in this exhibition as “participants” rather than “viewers.” He said, “I’d like people to think about their relationship to the art as their relationship to the world.” To create a heightened sense of awareness and engagement, Cooley said there will be multiple elements of this exhibition to make it immersive, such as donning cleanroom suits before entering.
Cooley, associate professor in digital media and photography, is an award-winning artist. His work has been exhibited internationally, as well as published widely, according to the college’s website. He works in the media of photography, video, sculpture and installation. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Brook Institute of Photography and a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts.
Cooley’s work for the xhibition is photography exploring the effects of light, particularly the lack of light. He said his intention was to create art that could not be viewed online, but required personal connection. “There is value in being able to share art online, and photography is 2-dimensional and works well for this,” he said. However, according to Cooley, the purpose of his art is distinctly tied to the physical exhibition and the experience of participants’ reactions to the art.
Taylor-Austin, assistant professor of art in print media is, according to the college website, “a visual artist whose studio practice engages material as metaphor, transforming materials by hand through processes in print media, book arts, painting, drawing and sculpture.” She holds a Bachelor of Science in studio art from Roberts Wesleyan College and a Master of Fine Arts in visual studies from Visual Studies Workshop, in association with State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport, according to the college’s website.
Taylor-Austin’s work “features sculpture composed of fiber and hand printed textiles,” according to Houghton’s website. According to Taylor-Austin, her focus is on building an ecologically responsible practice, using natural and renewable materials in all of her fiber based work. “I gather ideas and material from the natural world and its diverse spectrum of pigments, using color extracted from leaves, insects, trees and seeds,” she said. Cooley said that while he and Taylor-Austin initially saw their installations as quite different works of art, once they began setting up the exhibition they realized that their works are “two sides of the same conversation.” Taylor-Austin also said her goal in every exhibition design is to “create a space that invites conversation and contemplation.”
The showing is free and all are welcome to attend. Refreshments will be provided.