Kirkland Arts Center is pleased to present Pattern, an exhibition that explores the scale and use of pattern through the eyes of four contemporary artists. Curated by Teresa Redden, Pattern features artwork by L. John Andrew ( Milwaukee, WI), Kristine Bolhuis ( Ferndale, MI), Julie Custer ( Seattle, WA) and Teresa Redden (Seattle, WA), each of whom uses pattern as a central element of motif in their art.
Natural patterns – honeycombs, nautilus shells, fish scales and more -- are a foundational element in decorative arts across the globe. The artists in pattern draw on these traditions as well as from recent movements such as surrealism and minimalism. Many works in the exhibit use repetitive patterns for their very structure. Others use subtle, monochromatic patterns to create calm, ordered environments.
Pattern explores the beauty and power of repetitive marks, and its profound ability to create a sense of stability, balance and organization in our often disordered world.
Pattern is funded in part with grants from the Artist Trust, 4Culture, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Premier Properties, Artsfund and individuals.
L. John Andrew is inspired by the overlooked. He finds beauty in the ordinary— the truss of a bridge, roofing shingles or the scales of a fish— and utilizes them as the building blocks for his large steel sculptures. Andrew received his MFA in 2003 from the Cranbrook Acadamy of Art. He is currently a faculty member of the sculpture department at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. He has exhibited his work at Hotcakes Gallery and the Brooks Stevens Gallery in Milwaukee, WI, and the Penland Gallery in Penland, NC.
Kristine Bolhuis uses tightly constructed mesh to create kinetic jewelry. Within the mechanical confines of the material, the elements create patters that shift in and out of order as they respond to the wearer’s movement and the effects of gravity. Bolhuis received her MFA in metalsmithing from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2003. Currently a metals insrtuctor at Eastern Michigan University, Bolhuis has exhibited at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts in Wilmington DE, Bannister Gallery in Providence, RI, and in SOFA New York.
Julie Custer ’s site-specific installations use patterns as a vehicle to explore memory, space and perception. White thread is stitched into walls, creating moments of discovery for viewers as they walk through the exhibition.. Custer received her MFA in fibers at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2003. She has exhibited her work at The Farm Contemporary Arts Center in Kansas City, MO, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygen, WI, and the Textile Arts Center in Chicago, IL.
Teresa Redden creates paper sculptures using techniques traditionally applied to metal. Her delicate objects reproduce natural and historic patterns in a scale that fits in the palm of your hand. Redden received her MFA in 2003 from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in metalsmithing. Redden has exhibited at Warren G. Magnuson Park and the Robbie Mildred Gallery in Seattle, The Edge Cooperative Gallery in Vancouver, B.C. and the Textile Arts Center in Chicago IL.
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