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MCA 1977-2015 alumni conjure eclectic display
In 2014, Memphis College of Art’s Biennial Alumni Exhibition included work by 38 artists whose graduation years ranged from 1969 to 2013. This year, the focus is a bit more narrow. Juror Mark Scala, chief curator at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, selected pieces by 28 former students and alumni, choosing from more than 130 that were submitted. And while the emphasis in the 2014 edition was on painting — and some very good painting, indeed — this year features a more eclectic blend of painting, works on paper, photography and three-dimensional art. The exhibition, displayed at MCA’S Hyde Gallery in the Nesin Graduate Center on South Main, will run through Aug. 6.
Sensibly arranged with plenty of space for each piece to occupy and resonate, the exhibition includes work from graduates ranging from 1977 to 2015, though most cluster after the recent turn of the century. At least two artists return from the last show, Jed Jackson and Jan Hankins. The exhibition as a whole is enjoyable, serving as a snapshot of what MCA graduates are accomplishing now, but since the show isn’t thematic, the works have to be evaluated on their own. (When I attended, one piece, an untitled photograph by Ohm Phanphiraj, had been removed for repairs.)
I was attracted particularly to three abstract works: Shatara Ferguson’s “Untitled, Blue, Yellow, Gray, and Orange,” assembled from scraps of a used palette, fabric remnant and other collage elements that reminded me of 1920s Russian Constructivism (BFA, ’09); Elizabeth Ashley FoxJenson’s little paintings, “Gold Dots” and “Black Dots,” with amazing texture and variation of tone (BFA, ’97); and Amy Hutcheson’s mixed media on paper, “Threading a Peripatetic Needle,” suffering from a portentous, over-determined title but very appealing in its energy and skein-like structural freedom (BFA, ’04).
I also liked two archival pigment prints by Katie Benjamin Steed (BFA, ’09), “Examination in Pink: Case Study 1 and 2,” in which she reduces a hand grenade and the presidential seal to what look like pink candy wafers, presented against a black-and-white background, an idea that’s clever and witty simultaneously.
While there is, then, much that is intriguing Gallery Ten Ninety One, 7151 Cherry Farms Road (WKNO Digital Media Center), Cordova: Don Meyers: “For Art’s Sake!” through June 28. Reception 2-4 p.m. Sunday. Work by painter, photographer, actor and filmmaker Meyers. 901-458-2521. Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Road (Audubon Park): Amy and Hartelust, Chloe Yorl: “Deconstruct/ Reconstruct,” Saturday through June 30 in the Visitors Gallery. Opening reception 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday. Also, R.P. Funderburk and Liz Bass: “Birdhouses and Elves,” Friday through June 29 in Fratelli’s Cafe Gallery. Handcrafted birdhouses and gardenthemed ceramics. 901-636-4100. Playhouse on the Square (Cafe Lobby), 66 S. Cooper: Jane Croy: “Do-overs,” Wednesday through July 24. Renewed thrift store art. Jmcroy. com 4 p.m. Saturday. 901-767-3800. davidluskgallery.com Memphis College of Art’s Nesin Graduate School, 477 S. Main St.: “2016 Biennial Alumni Exhibition,” through Aug. 6 in Hyde Gallery. Reception 6-9 p.m. July 29. Work from 28 alumni and former students in media ranging from sculpture and abstract paintings to installations and video projections. Hours: Noon-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon-7 p.m. Saturday and on Trolley Nights. 901272-5100. Memphis College of Art, 1930 Poplar (Overton Park): “Sankofa: An Ancestral Journey,” through July 30 in Rust Hall Alumni Gallery. A collection of sculpture incorporating found objects, installations and excerpts of creative writing. Also, “Best in Class 2015/2016,” through July 8 in Rust Hall Main Gallery. Most creative undergraduate artwork (from 45 artists) from the academic year. Open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Sunday. mca.edu MCA Gallery in Playhouse on the Square, 66 S. Cooper: “Côte d’azur, France,” ends Sunday. Work from students and faculty who traveled to France’s Mediterranean coast. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Playhouse on the Square, 66 S. Cooper. mca.edu National Ornamental Metal Museum, 374 Metal Museum Drive: Stephen Yusko: “Tributaries,” through Aug. 7. Also, “Inches from the Earth,” through July 10. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday; closed Mondays. 901-774-6380. metalmuseum.org Southside Gallery, 150 Courthouse Square, Oxford, Miss.: Susan Klein: “Over a Surface and Vanishing.” Also, Younok Jung: “Mixed Media Works.” Both end Saturday. Solo exhibition. 662-234-9090. southsideartgallery.com Tops Gallery, 400 N. Front: “Island States,” through June 11. Freestanding sculpture curated by Corinne Jones. Artists: Jim Buchman, Lakela Brown, Josef Bull, Renee Delosh, Anne Eastman, Derek Fordjour, Corinne Jones, Brad Kahlhamer, Seth Kelly, Robbie Mcdonald, Terri Phillips and Mariah Robertson. 901-340-0134. topsgallery.com