Marshall University’s School of Art and Design has kicked off the Fall 2019 semester with two new art exhibits.
Marshall’s Birke Art Gallery opened “Material Differences,” a four-person art exhibition, Aug. 26 inside Smith Hall. The artists who contributed to the “Material Differences” exhibit have worked in traditional disciplines, but using materials that are not what they appear to be. The materials used are directly connected to the content of the work and expand one’s sense of the way creative decisions can augment the expression of an idea, said Jamie Platt, gallery director and facilities coordinator for the School of Art and Design.
Also on Aug. 26, “The Smell of Static,” an exhibition of sculpture by artist Mark Earnhart, opened in the Charles W. and Norma C. Carroll Gallery, located in Marshall University’s Visual Arts Center at 927 3rd Ave. in downtown Huntington. Earnhart has created this work specifically for the Carroll Gallery. He has explored themes related to in-between spaces and the multiplicity of associations one can make with the word static.
“Getting the work from Montana to West Virginia informed his thematic and practical choices,” Platt said, adding that even the crate for the work has been specially designed to be dissembled and put on display.
“Playfully irreverent and beautifully crafted, this exhibition promises the viewer a fun and thought-provoking experience,” Platt said.
“Material Differences” closes Friday, Sept. 20 and “The Smell of Static” closes Friday, Sept. 27. The hours for both galleries are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.