“Residence Time” is now on display through Sept. 5 at the Charles W. & Norma C. Carroll Gallery, located in the Visual Arts Center at 927 3rd Ave., Huntington, and “Possession is Not Distinguished” will be on view from Aug. 12 through Sept. 19 in the Birke Art Gallery, also located in the Visual Arts Center.
Residence Time is a mixed media installation that addresses the issue of industrial pollution in Greensboro, North Carolina. Focusing on contamination of the Cape Fear River Basin, the exhibition utilizes scent, sound, and kinetic sculptures to create an immersive experience and invites viewers to consider the broader impacts of local actions on human health and the environment.
“O’Brien’s work is both accessible and intellectually challenging,” said Courtney Chapman, gallery director at Marshall’s School of Art & Design. “Residence Time features distinct, immersive components such as a subtle perfume to mimic the sickly-sweet scent of the 1,4-Dioxane and a soundscape ominously reverberating through the space, layered with familiar aspects of water and reflection.”
In conjunction with the exhibition, O’Brien will deliver an artist talk from 5 to 6 p.m. on Sept. 5 in Room 209 of the Visual Arts Center. A closing reception will follow from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Carroll Gallery, offering attendees the opportunity to engage with the artist and explore the installation further.
Through the second exhibition, “Possession is Not Distinguished: By Purchase or By Gift,” the Cincinnati, Ohio-based artists Burke and Gorgen explore the use of excess materials drawn from their daily lives, artistic practices, and surrounding natural and built environments.
Their work focuses on materials that appear malleable – those that slump, stretch, flow, drip, and squish – and blurring the boundaries between waste and art. The exhibition will feature a range of works that incorporate objects collected from family life, such as
unused children’s items and leftover components from home improvement projects. These discarded materials are transformed into artworks that evoke domestic objects, while challenging a material’s purpose, quality, and value.
“Burke and Gorgen’s works will resonate deeply with many visiting the exhibition,” Chapman said. “Their ability to create beautiful objects from everyday materials that many can identify and connect with will inspire viewers to reconsider their own consumption and the potential of what we often discard.”
In addition to the exhibition, Burke and Gorgen have been selected for the Joan C. Edwards Distinguished Professors in the Arts Endowment. They will conduct class visits and workshops with School of Art & Design students from Sept. 18 – 20.
The artists will also present an artist talk from 1 to 2 p.m. Sept. 18 in Room 209 of the Visual Arts Center, where they will discuss their creative process and the themes that drive their work. The event will culminate with a closing reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19 in the Birke Art Gallery. Both the artist talk and closing reception are free and open to the public.
The Visual Arts Center galleries are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Admission to the galleries and all associated events is free and open to the public.
For more information or media inquiries, contact Courtney Chapman at galleries@marshall.edu. To learn more about Marshall’s School of Art & Design, visit www.marshall.edu/art