OJAC exhibits to open Feb. 22
By Melinda L. Lucas
Three new exhibitions, including one that cele-brates the Old Jail Art Center’s 40 years of collecting, will be open to the public starting next Tuesday, Feb. 25.
OJAC members can attend a preview reception this Saturday, Feb. 22 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
The three collections will be featured at the Old Jail’s 40th anniversary gala next month on March 28.
Permanent Collection
Entitled “The Ruby Portfolio” because rubies are the symbol of a 40th anniversary, a selection of about100 of the OJAC’s 2,400 works of art will be highlighted for this weekend’s opening and remain on display throughout the spring.
Old Jail executive director Pat Kelly curated the exhibit, which he says is “thematically arranged to convey the diversity, depth, atnd quality of the museum’s holdings.”
Ranging from pieces by well-known American and European artists to those by emerging artists, the collection also includes ancient Chinese tomb figures and Pre-Columbian objects.
Special Project
Using debris believed to be from the 2011 earthquake in Japan, Deborah Butterfield created “Three Sorrows,” a large piece in the OJAC’s Project Room.
The quake triggered a devastating tsunami that in turn led to a nuclear meltdown at Fukushima.
The artist worked with a group known as the Gulf of Alaska Keepers to collect the marine debris from remote islands in Alaska.
“The emotionally, spiritually, and tragically-infused materials take on a new existence as one of the artist’s iconic life-size horses,” said Kelly.
Cell Series
In the second floor galleries of the original jail building, Jo Ann Fleischhauer has installed “Disquieted Beauty,” new work that combines fabricated objects with scents, investigating the neotropical orchid bee’s ability to make complex perfumes for mating and communication.
“Jo Ann Fleischhauer presents new work that creatively explores the definition and possibilities of language and communication,” said Kelly.
The three exhibitions will be displayed through May 23.
