August 14 – September 19, 2009
Closing Reception Friday, September 18, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Featuring a performance by The Scavenger Trio
Materials Swap and Found Object Workshop
Saturday, September 19, 12:00 pm
Paint Creek Center for the Arts is proud to present
Cycles and Seasons
a solo show of works by Valerie Mann.
A resident of Saline, Michigan , Mann has exhibited her work all over the United States and in Canada . She earned her Masters of Fine Arts at Michigan State University . Mann is an adjunct instructor in the Sculpture Department at Adrian College in Adrian , Michigan . Her work is in numerous public and private collections, including the South Bend Regional Museum of Art and Purdue University .
In talking about herself and her work, the artist says, “Many areas of my life influence my work. I was adopted as an infant and raised in a family of six on a grain farm in Indiana . My work deals with agrarian land, growth cycles, personal relationships and my surroundings... I am particularly interested in life cycles, growing seasons and rites of passage throughout the course of time.”
In this show we will present selections from two bodies of work. Regarding Alphabet, the artist says, “I started interpreting the alphabet in sculptural work, initially, because my son was learning his letters. I was thinking about how we learn letters, language and reading skills. I couldn’t remember how it came about for me, but I was watching my son struggle. The alphabet, as a group of 26 single elements, gives me the opportunity to use many different materials, typefaces and problem-solving skills. I play with positive and negative spaces and refined and crude interpretations of the letters. The letters become a shape to be enjoyed – a part of a visual language - and build upon their original function as a part of the verbal language.”
Another body of work is part of an installation called Fortunes. This work consists of a group of vintage children’s garments, embroidered with fortunes; brief statements directed to the imaginary wearers of the garments. Valerie says, “... I am interested in how people transcend and transform their specific situations. All of us are born into situations that are out of our control for a certain period of time – our fortunes... Every one of these fortunes is about someone I know - or myself. Many times, several of the fortunes apply to one person. How is it that someone can be “orphaned at a young age”, “cherished by many people” and “always share {their} wisdom at the right time”?
PCCA exhibitions are supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.
