Tag Archives: exhibition

This Friday in Des Moines – Public Art Reception for Prairie: Traces

Prairie: Traces by Amy Uthus Porcelain, steel, sunlight, time. 7' x 7' x 24".

Prairie: Traces
by Amy Uthus
Porcelain, steel, sunlight, time.
7′ x 7′ x 24″

You’re Invited!

Please join me this Friday, from 6-7:30PM, at the Wesley House – Drake University, for the unveiling of Prairie: Traces, my latest artwork. Standing seven feet high and nearly seven feet wide, the piece contrasts unyielding steel and fragile porcelain while harnessing and focusing the natural elements of light and time. A twist on the ancient sundial, I’m really excited about how it works and am thrilled to be able to share it with the Des Moines community.

The fragility of porcelain and the unforgiving hardness of steel remind us of life on the prairie: a delicate, subtle beauty belying incredible natural dangers. Distilling light and time into a single entity, we are unconsciously reminded of the roles each play in life on the Plains. Traces’ connection to the land is familiar to Iowans, who live surrounded by growth and sky.

You and your friends are invited to experience Prairie: Traces in person. Here are the details…
Wesley House Gallery
2718 University Ave.,
Des Moines, IA 50311
October 9-November 5
Opening reception: Friday, Oct. 9 from 6-7:30pm,
Artist talk: Thursday, Oct. 22 at 8:30pm.
All events are free and open to the public.

This project is funded in part by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

To see a video of Prairie: Traces in action, please visit this link to vimeo.

Recap of Glass.Fiber.Stone

Glass.Fiber.Stone wrapped up yesterday afternoon.  It was a great experience, and I’m very grateful to have been invited to take part in it!  As a recent graduate of an MFA program, I was a little nervous about how this first professional experience would go.  However, it turned out there was nothing to be afraid of.  Everyone associated with the show was so helpful, kind, and genuine that it made the entire experience pretty wonderful!

I’d like to thank Megan, Carrie, Abbie and Aaron, and everyone else who worked hard to make the show possible.  You guys are truly amazing.  Thank you also to the following people for donating $50 or more to my Kickstarter page, helping bring my work and me to the Feed and Grain (in no particular order) :

Deb and Kim Kaul, Eric and Jackie Uthus, John Liffrig, Anonymous, Eve Bingham, Sheila and Annie, Matt Kaul, and Studio Bluebird.

Travel to this show was also supported by the University of Masschusetts Dartmouth’s Graduate Studies Office and College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Thank you all for your help!

Here are some more images from the weekend (Kate, I need a picture of your piece to include here!):

Lauren’s website: http://www.laurendeserreskelischek.blogspot.com/

Lauren’s blog: http://laurenldeserres.com/home.html

Abbie’s website: http://abbierpowers.wix.com/artist

Abbie’s blog: http://camelhairandhoney.wordpress.com/

Kate’s website: http://katefrazerrego.wix.com/artist

Backers, if you’d like to vote for your favorite image (to go on the magnets), please email your vote to me at ice_cream50(at)hotmail(dot)com.  Here are the three to choose from…

Choice 1

Choice 2

Choice 3

1500 – Day 2

It was a toasty 104 degrees or somewhere thereabouts here in Loveland today.  Despite the heat, we had a good turnout for the second day of Glass.Fiber.Stone.  The hardy folks who have been braving the intense weather to come to the show are great to talk with and seem genuinely interested in all the work and artists.  It’s very refreshing and encouraging – a great first post-graduate experience!

Today I decided to try encouraging people to “root around” or “dig” for the perfect heartstone in an attempt to get them more involved in changing the piece’s shape and size.  With no further ado, here are today’s pictures:

Check back tomorrow (or I guess later today!) to see how it finishes. 🙂