This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
The eagerly awaited solo exhibition from Louisville artist Terry Maker opened with a reception at the Longmont Museum on Friday evening, and continues through May 17th, 2020.
Because the World is Round focuses on circles, a theme that has long and intense meaning for Maker. This started in early childhood when she discovered that a pencil could poke circles in things and make a satisfying sound as well as a perfectly round shape. She always needs to get inside everything, even being impatient with conversational “chit chat” rather than getting to know what’s underneath that person. She has even discovered that slicing up a large Jawbreaker candy generates a fascinating circle of colorful concentric circles, a feature she uses in many of her works.
Maker told the Museum members that she and her husband, Chris, wake up each day with ideas and questions about creative projects they are either working on or just thinking might be worth pursuing. This constant passion for innovation and risk-taking in the cyclical, universal and even sacred realms close to Maker’s heart, has led to an even more diverse and intense use of materials. She uses and reuses often commonplace materials, combining the technical and spiritual. One of her many processes is taking shredded papers from various sources that are meaningful to her, pressing them into blocks that are eventually cut into slices and then reprocessed into wall reliefs or other pieces.
Maker worked with Jared Thompson, the Museum’s Curator of Exhibitions, for a year to create the exhibit in order to not only display examples of Maker’s techniques, but also to uncover the underlying themes of her work, exploring outer space, symbolism, spirituality, and the environment. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of her oeuvre is the tough tools and materials that she uses – from band saws to table saws, resins to electric drills. A video in the exhibit shows a muscular Maker at work, outfitted in paint-splattered work boots, jeans and goggles, guiding a chainsaw through a dense block - very difficult to associate the artist at work with the petite woman in cocktail dress and cowboy boots describing her art at the Museum.
Perhaps the most iconic piece in the exhibit is the Cowgirl Hat Ball, a 10 feet sphere of women’s straw cowboy hats. The 500 hats symbolize the role that women played in the opening up of the West. Could it have been done without the mostly mundane tasks performed by the wagon train women who cooked, washed, nurtured and supported those men who led the way? And Maker’s humourous side is shown in Self Portrait in a Tootsie Roll Pop which has her likeness in a red sphere on a stake. Her two takes on Thirst – Light and Dark, are created from drinking straws with colored resins, in groups of blue, yellow and black, in pearl and matte finishes. A lighthearted but important social commentary.
Maker’s work for Because the World is Round was created to fill and fit into the Museum’s gallery space, and the varied shapes, colors, and textures make for a stunning and visually exciting experience. Maker and Museum Director, Kim Manajek, have worked on an important catalog of the exhibit which will be available in mid-March. The Museum is taking pre-orders now.
As with their other major exhibits, the museum is tying their Thursday Nights happenings to Because the World is Round. Films include 2001: A Space Odyssey and Avatar, while talks offer conversations with Terry Maker and NCAR scientists on the subject of science, art and faith. And the ever-popular Art & Sip sessions include Abstract Circle Painting and the symbolism of Poppy Painting.
The Longmont Museum is at 400 Quail Road, and more information about this exhibition or other Museum activities can be found at www.longmontmuseum.org or by calling 303.651.8374.
