Always Fresh. Narsiso Martinez, artist. Photo by Michael Underwood
By Hannah Van Vlack
The Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University’s (WCU)’s Bardo Arts Center is featuring a new exhibition, At The Table, which brings together contemporary works from numerous nationally recognized artists that explore the idea of a “table.” From literal depictions of physical tables to concept works on “a seat at the table,” this collection allows viewers to contemplate the community, power and representation that the theme can hold.
Many of the works in At The Table are loans from museums and galleries across the country by artists including Narsiso Martinez, Elizabeth Murray, Sandy Skoglund and Beth Lipman. Others are privately owned or belong to the Fine Art Museum’s own permanent collection, including works by Roger Shimomura, Hollis Sigler, Bob Trotman and Heather Mae Erickson. “My work and research in the past has been tied closely to personal narratives about rituals, domesticity, time, place and fabrication processes,” says Erickson. “I am interested in getting to know the people and the land.”
Miles’ Law. Beth Lipman, artist. Photo by Rich Maciejewski
As a Studio Arts professor in WCU’s School of Art and Design, Erickson has learned more about this region from students and peers. “I wish for my piece to speak about our patriotism, the current state of American values, traditions and what it means to come together as a group or family to enjoy freedoms and luxuries that we are or might be afforded by living in this great nation.”
At The Table also features poetic verse by poet laureate Joy Harjo and a project celebrating Black history by Danielle Daniels and Amanda Ballard. A wide range of topics are explored through a table, including the disenfranchisement of agricultural workers, the necessity of amplifying underrepresented voices in history, the unjust relocation of a peoples, the struggle for power over one’s own body and the threat of nuclear holocaust.
At The Table will run until Friday, December 6. The opening reception takes place Thursday, October 3, from 5–7 p.m., complete with complimentary hors d’oeuvres, beverages and parking. The Fine Art Museum invites all community members to explore the ideas a table can evoke alongside these renowned artists.
The WCU Fine Arts Museum is located inside the Bardo Arts Center at 199 Centennial Drive, Cullowhee. For more information, visit arts.wcu.edu/table or call 828.227.ARTS. Hannah Van Vlack is a senior at WCU studying Writing and Editing in Professional Environments and Music.
