Shift and Collide: Drawings from Near and Far presents drawings from Clemson alumni, John Allen, Bethany Flagg Pipkin and Jackson Zorn and their former professor, Heidi Jensen.
The Center for Visual Arts – Lee Gallery is pleased to announce currently on exhibit until September 5, Shift and Collide: Drawings from Near and Far. The exhibit showcases drawings inspired by the natural environment by alumni from the Department of Art and former drawing faculty, Heidi Jensen.
“We are pleased to have the work of these artists back to the area and to witness their growth as professionals in the field. The exhibition is also an opportunity for our alumni to inspire artists in our Bachelor of Fine Arts program about the possibilities a career in the arts can provide serious practitioners,” states Lee Gallery Director, Denise Woodward-Detrich.
The drawings in this exhibition demonstrate a deep awareness and relation to nature and a biological world. The works display drawing approaches that veer from highly sensitized systems of recording to open aggression. Transmitted are explorations of distance and proximity, the contemporary landscape, formation of matter, and systems of belief. All four artists employ drawing to investigate and recompose their subjects.
All alumni studied under Jensen and received Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Visual Art with concentrations in Drawing from Clemson University. Recently, each earned Master of Fine Arts degrees from programs located in Florida, North Carolina and Indiana. Their former professor, Jensen, now teaches at Ball State University in Indiana. Jensen was invited by Riverworks Gallery to put together an exhibition of work by her former students for Greenville Technical College’s Riverworks Gallery. Shift and Collide: Drawings from Near and Far draws together a group of artists who are now dispersed geographically as careers develop and expand.
“While each artist has pursued a singular direction of thought, and have not worked in close proximity to each other for many years, there are relationships to be found in this work,” states Jenson. Woodward-Detrich adds, “It is a pleasure to witness the creative and professional development these artists are bringing to their field and we are please to welcome the work of these artists back to the Lee Gallery.
The exhibit runs through September 5. Lee Gallery hours are Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
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About Clemson University Galleries and Exhibit
There are several galleries on and off campus maintained by the Center for Visual Arts through the Lee Gallery and Center for Visual Arts – Greenville. Exhibitions on and off campus provide the University and surrounding community with access to regional, national and international visual arts and artists. The Lee Gallery and CVA-Greenville also provides programmatic offerings such as artist presentations, guest speakers, walking tours, and special events designed to introduce audiences to creative research, influences and ideas being explored by artists showcased in the galleries.
At the end of each semester the Lee Gallery showcases artwork of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Department of Art academic program. Students are required to present a final thesis of their creative research in a professional exhibition format as part of their degree fulfillment. Artists included in exhibitions are asked to deliver a public presentation about the content, inspiration and historical context of their work to the general public. Artists’ presentations serve to provide the community with an access point for understanding artistic research practice and individual motivations for creating visual art.
Galleries, special exhibits, artwork and/or showcases can be found on the main Clemson campus in our flagship Lee Gallery located in Lee Hall I as well as the Acorn Gallery in Lee Hall II. Throughout campus visitors can also enjoy exhibits showcased at the College of Architecture Arts and Humanities Dean’s Gallery in Strode Tower, Sikes Hall Exhibit Showcase in Sikes, and the Brooks Center for Performing Arts. Gallery showcases off-campus can be found at the Center for Visual Arts – Greenville in the Village of West Greenville, the International Center for Automotive Research (ICAR) in Greenville, the Charles K. Cheezem OLLI Education Center in Patrick Square, and The Madren Center at the Conference Center and Inn both in Clemson.