Students, faculty from KSU unveil art show at TAG

Photo by: Geoffrey Hauschild

Photo

ELEMENTS: Janice Lessman-Moss, curator of the “Touch and Scale” art display, stands near her weaving combination of silk, nylon, paint and ink that she calls “Elements.” The piece is part of an exhibit of artwork from Kent State University students and faculty.

The Warren show continues through Nov. 14.

BY JORDAN COHEN

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

WARREN—A new exhibition of artwork displaying the creativity of the faculty and students of Kent State University runs the gamut of weaving, sculpture, painting and a video variation on the classic movie “Jaws.”

The display at the Trumbull Art Gallery on East Market Street is titled “Touch and Scale” and features the work of 25 artists, all affiliated with the university’s studio art department.

“I gave it that title because the (exhibit) presents media and scale in a unique way,” said Janice Lessman-Moss, the curator of the presentation and the head of the KSU textile department.

“People will be able to relate to the sense of labor that went into the work.”

Lessman-Moss has one of the eye-catching attractions—a large weaving combination of silk, nylon, paint and ink that measures more than 6 feet high and 3 feet wide. She calls it “Elements.”

“It usually takes several months to do these,” she said. “It’s very time consuming.”

That is also true for Jenniffer Omaitz, a Kent State graduate student who has exhibited in the United States and Paris. Her work “Inner-City” combines wood and spray-painted stencils depicting skylines of Portage County in the 1970s. She even worked to upgrade the wall that holds her exhibit because she considers it part of the artwork.

“I work in two and three dimensional references that include the shadows from the (display),” Omaitz said.

Another artwork bound to catch attention because of its familiarity is a rectangular box bordered in black and containing a video with clips from “Jaws.” The display, created by Don King, an assistant professor of sculpture, runs several scenes from the movie in a loop in which viewers can watch the infamous shark meet its explosive demise as actor Roy Scheider aims a rifle and shoots a gas canister in the shark’s mouth.

What is the point? King was not at the exhibit Sunday for an artist reception, but a typed statement posted next to “Jaws” explained that he likes to challenge viewer perspectives of well known scenes from television and films by “turning their familiarity with the object on its side.”

Lessman-Moss explained that although some of these explanations may seem rather deep to those unfamiliar with the art world, that’s not the intent of the exhibit.

“People should not be intimidated by art,” she said. “Here you can see it and relate to the beauty of it.”

The exhibition continues until November 14. The Trumbull Art Gallery is open from noon till 4 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays.