Center for the Arts winter exhibitions to feature Virginia artists Paul Ryan and Charlie Brouwer
A painting exhibition by Paul Ryan and a sculptural installation by Charlie Brouwer will be featured in the winter exhibitions presented by the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech.
The two exhibitions will open with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 3 in the Moss Arts Center Grand Lobby, 190 Alumni Mall. The event is free and open to the public.
The featured exhibitions are the following:
Paul Ryan, “the sun that never sets,” an exhibition of new paintings
- Miles C. Horton Jr. Gallery
- This series of new oil and acrylic paintings on canvas showcases Ryan’s singular style, incorporating shapes and forms derived from commercial packaging — the unfolded cardboard cartons and containers that clutter people’s daily lives. The paintings, rendered with a palate of solid oranges, yellows, greens, and blues, are refreshing, even playful, but resonate with conceptual implications. In creating associations of discarded cardboard cartons with consumption, desire, accumulation, and mindless waste, the artist makes a statement in these works about reckless materialism.
- Based in Staunton, Ryan is an art critic and professor at Mary Baldwin College. His work has been exhibited throughout the East Coast and is in numerous public and private collections.
- The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the Center for the Arts and three Virginia institutions: Mary Baldwin College in Staunton; Washington and Lee University’s Stanair Gallery in Lexington; and Reynolds Gallery in Richmond.
- Ryan will present an artist talk at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3 in the Miles C. Horton Jr. Gallery.
Charlie Brouwer, “Known/Unknown”
- Ruth C. Horton Gallery
- Known for his sculpture, community projects, and ladder installations, Brouwer explores themes of ascension and transcendence in an installation featuring orchard ladders, video, sound, and text inspired by “The Cloud of Unknowing,” an anonymous work of Christian mysticism from the late 14th century, as well as the work of artist Andy Warhol.
- Brouwer, of Floyd, Virginia, is an established artist and retired Radford University professor who has created outdoor and public sculptures that incorporate ideas of unity, perseverance, and reflection. He has exhibited in Australia, Hungary, and Poland, and his exhibition record includes 41 solo exhibitions or installations throughout the U.S.
- Brouwer will present an artist talk at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in the Ruth C. Horton Gallery.
Ryan’s exhibition is curated by Margo Ann Crutchfield, curator at large for the Center for the Arts. The coordinating curator for Brouwer’s exhibition is Meggin Hicklin, the center’s exhibition program manager. Both exhibitions run through Feb. 7.
Also on view is “22 Steps,” an ongoing installation that showcases the power of the written word on the Grand Lobby's stairs. This installation of work by local writers and Virginia Tech faculty and students features a new poem each season. The current poem, “Fall Rising,” is by local writer Lisa Ress.
“22 Steps” is a collaboration between Hicklin and Mathew Vollmer, assistant professor of English and director of creative writing at Virginia Tech. The project is inspired by the summer 2015 poetry exhibition “Unleashed,” which featured visual interpretations throughout the center of 12 poems penned by area writers and students and faculty.
The center’s galleries’ regular hours 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The galleries and all related events are free and open to the public. Group tours of the exhibitions can be requested by email.
Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Kacy McAllister at 540-231-5300 or email kmcallis@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to an event.
The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech presents renowned artists from around the globe and from close to home, with a special focus on experiences that expand cultural awareness and deepen understanding. The Center for the Arts and the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, with which the Center for the Arts is uniquely partnered, are housed in the Moss Arts Center. The Moss Arts Center is a 147,000-square-foot facility that includes the Street and Davis Performance Hall and its 1,274-seat Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre; visual art galleries; the four-story, experimental venue the Cube; and research studios.
