Gusher! Erupts at MSA

On Friday, June 10 the Marfa Studio of Arts will open an exhibition of eight artists from the Permian Basin (Midland and Odessa) area. This curated exhibition is supported by a grant awarded to the Studio by the Permian Basin Area Foundation and in part by support from the Texas Commission for the Arts. Titled Gusher! Art of the Permian Basin the show intends to give the audience a glimpse of the art and artists who work and live in this part of West Texas.

The Marfa Studio invited Elayne Karickhoff to select the artists who would be represented in this exhibition. "For us, the title of the show, Gusher!, was probably one the most challenging parts of putting the exhibition together" says Malinda Beeman, Director of the Marfa Studio of Arts. After looking at the curators selection, we needed a title to further define the commonality of the artists and their work. This was difficult, as the work was unique and personal. There wasn't one shared theme or inspiration. T he obvious thing that tied the artists work together was their proximity to each other, the towns of Midland and Odessa, as well as the shared highway, Interstate 20. Another obvious connection was the oil industry that surrounds the area with refineries. Ms Karickhoff informed us that indeed the Midland and Odessa area had moved on from being just another Texas oil town and the economy had become much more broad based. After "trying on" many titles for the exhibition, we came back to the image of the erupting oil well (gusher) as a metaphor for the surprising hidden cache of energy revealed when one takes the time to look for it. We also discovered that most of the artists had strong connections with the educational environment (UTPB, museums, public schools) in the area. This connection seems to be help encourage the sense of community that many artists need to feel supported in their work.

When examining the work, the viewer can actually find commonalities among the artists concerns. Cynthia Wood and Joyce Howell both utilize printmaking and are inspired by elements of nature. Ms. Howell abstracts her natural images, when Wood chooses a more lyrical and narrative presentation of plant imagery. Both Jill Bals and Dan Askew work are more sculptural and address themes of human/animal/mechanical hybrids. Ms. Bals creates sculptures that resemble ancient "tools" that are drawn or propelled by human appendages (hands, feet) mending the tool with the user. Dan Askew's work is derived from more contemporary technology, building art works that have robotic elements with kinetic movement. In a sense, both Becki Smith and David Krause explore "containers" in their work. The meticulous wooden boxes of Smith contain the contents of life with little objects that symbolize the important of meaning and spiritual content needed as human beings. The most recent work of David Krause present the exoskeletons of cicadas as metaphorical symbols to illustrate certain aspects of human change and transformation. Although an piece of earlier work the exhibition by Mr. Krause is less pensive and more overtly political. Two other artists, Pam Price and Jeff Wood delve into different aspects of personal representation. The abstract intaglio print images of Jeff Wood are powerful, yet allusive at the same time. The work seems to portray emotional content that is beautifully transcribed through the artists graphic language. Finally, underlining the artistseternal need to present the simple beauty of everyday life, Pam Price does simple, yet elegant line drawings of a dog (her dog?) "Isky".

The Studio invites the community to attend an artist's reception for the exhibition on that Saturday, June 10, from 5-7 p.m. The Marfa Studio of Arts is a non-profit community arts organization serving Marfa and the Big Bend Community.