Gallery Crawl explores local art scene

The Gallery Crawl welcomed public to art venues on campus.

By Rachel Krause

Published Sept. 18, 2009

Art-hungry visitors infused life into the MU gallery scene Thursday evening as part of the fifth annual Museum and Gallery Crawl.

Participating locations included the George Caleb Bingham Gallery, Museum of Art and Archaeology, Museum of Anthropology, State Historical Society of Missouri and Craft Studio. "Crawlers" could get postcards stamped at each of the five locations in order to become eligible for a wide range of prizes.

"This year we decided to play off the Twitter theme 'in following the birdie' throughout the night," Craft Studio coordinator Kelsey Hammond said. "We're trying to make it more fun this time around and to encourage people to check out the awesome culture that there is on campus."

George Caleb Bingham Gallery

The first stop on the map was the George Caleb Bingham Gallery, home of the traveling exhibition: "Absence of Body." The exhibit includes glass works by internationally acclaimed artist and Columbia resident, Susan Taylor Glasgow. The 10-foot-wide centerpiece of the exhibit, "The Communal Nest," is made of willow tree branches and approximately 500 handmade glass twigs. A unique aspect of the display is the community involvement in the work.

"When I was creating the twigs, I made 300," Glasgow said. "An additional 200 have been added by other artists and members of communities around the world."

The materials seen in the nest fascinated MU art professor Adrienne W. Hoard, who brought her basic design class to the gallery.

"I think that the contrast of those two — between the matte and the very crystal looking ones — is very lovely," Hoard said. "It's representational and abstract at the same time, and I like that."

Museum of Art and Archaeology and Museum of Anthropology

After a quick walk across Lowry Mall, the crawl brought visitors to Pickard Hall, home of the Museum of Art and Archaeology. "The Sacred Feminine," which runs until Dec. 24, highlights the diverse roles women have played in religion throughout history.

Arthur Mehrhoff, academic coordinator at the Museum of Art and Archaeology, said he wanted to introduce the galleries on campus to new students.

"The general reaction to the exhibition by the media and general public has been overwhelmingly positive," Mehrhoff said. "Comments in the exhibition book have ranged from 'excellent' to 'life-changing.' "

At the Museum of Anthropology, crawlers got to examine Missouri artifacts as a part of the "Show Me the Best: Notable Finds in Missouri Archaeology" exhibit, which includes items such as prehistoric shoes, spear points and pottery.

Ryan Morman, a recent MU graduate, came across the gallery crawl accidentally.

"I've actually never been in the anthropology building before, so it's one reason I came in," Morman said. "It's very interesting; it kind of gives you a sense of all the hard work — all of the stuff they accomplished with just their hands."

State Historical Society of Missouri

Art curator Joan Stack welcomed visitors to the galleries of the State Historical Society.

The museum gave the public a chance to see more than 40 depression-era editorial cartoons from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which Stack said is one of the best collections in the country. It was also opening night for the new portrait exhibit, which includes famous Missourians, such as Mark Twain and Harry S. Truman, as well as everyday Missourians.

Stack hoped visitors left the gallery with a broader understanding of portraiture.

"I hope they think about Missourians and the variety of different types of people represented in the show," Stack said.

Craft Studio

With pounds of free food in their stomachs, gallery crawlers reached their final destination point at the Craft Studio, where the works of Missouri State University art professor, Elizabeth Snipes, grace the walls. Snipes' most recent works, known as the "Motherland Series," were painted in Estonia, where Snipes traveled with her mother for three weeks during the summer.

Snipes said the paintings from Estonia are more simplistic and focused than her previous works.

"I think these painting are more about the people instead of the extra stuff in the background," Snipes said. "That was one of the major purposes of going to Estonia: to get away from it all."

Snipes said she was excited to give people a chance to see her work.

"Having a gallery showing of one's work completes the artistic process," Snipes said. "Art doesn't have a voice until you put it up on the wall and let it interact with people."