WHAT: ARTINA 2016: Art in Nature, is a juried exhibition and sculpture park showcasing site-specific and time-based outdoor sculptures by eleven (11) artists of the Washington Sculptors Group. Set on the rustic landscape of Sandy Spring Museum, the exhibition invites visitors to enter into the adventure of a direct encounter with art and nature and its rural, historically-grown landscape.
ARTINA 2016 EXHIBITION DATES:
June 30-Sept. 30, 2016
Opening Reception: Thurs., June 30, 6:30-9 pm
Create a River of Sticks: June 11, 12-4 pm
Create Hanging Woven Structures: June 25, 12-4 pm
(All programs take place at Sandy Spring Museum)
ARTINA 2016: Art in Nature marks the first collaboration between Sandy Spring Museum and the Washington Sculptors Group. The Museum is a special place, tucked away from the bustle of the nearby city, where people gather to make connections through the arts. ARTINA enables visitors to reconnect with nature and understand, appreciate and value natural systems and cycles while finding beauty in material, form and living systems.
Set on the 7 acres of picturesque landscape and forest of Sandy Spring Museum, ARTINA 2016 visitors will encounter art and nature like no other experience and are invited to make their own discoveries, awaken their senses and explore as they wind their way around the Museum, its buildings and its rustically landscaped grounds.
Renowned art historian Martine Van Kampen of the Netherlands served as juror for ARTINA 2016. She is Curator of the Land Art Live, a series of programs and performances taking place at the six major Land Art works in the province of Flevoland. Van Kampen also serves as a curator for TAAK, a cooperative of cultural workers who create projects, art and educational programs related to public, social and environmental issues. In 2015, she attended the International Visitors Program, “Research Trip: Dialogue between Art and Nature – Methods and Strategies of Curating Art in Public Space,” invited by International Cultural Relations of NRW KULTURsekretariat,Germany creating a bridge between the continents and exchange contemporary perspectives on art in nature in the network between Washington Sculptors Group and Sandy Spring Museum.
According to Van Kampen, “art is about making things; nature is about things growing. It is what separates us from animals. We think, we write, we create and we experience beauty. But as soon as you start elaborating on the differences…the matter becomes elusive.” An important guideline in her selection of the artwork was balance as a whole. Noting that if she were to have selected works solely referencing nature by way of their natural materials, the exhibition would have fallen flat. Instead, Van Kampen included works that “have as much to do with nature as with things artificial,” to offer contrast and create tension for viewers to consider.
Following a rigorous call for entries, Van Kampen selected 11 artists to showcase site-specific and time-based ephemeral work that will invite visitors to engage or create experiences with nature. Artists: Allan Arp, c.l. bigelow, Jeff Chyatte, Eve Hennessa, Jin Lee, Darcy Meeker, Vanessa Niederstrasser, Salvatore Pirrone, Mike Shaffer, Diane Szczepaniak and Fabiola Alvarez Yurcisin.
Cornerstone to ARTINA is the concept of participation and collaboration to enhance communities’ social engagement with nature. As a result, exhibiting artists Diane Szczepaniak and Fabiola Alvarez Yurcisin invite the public to assist in creating their on-site installations, A River of Sticks on June 11 (12-4 pm) and Hanging Woven Structures on June 25 (12-4 pm), respectively.
The opening reception for ARTINA 2016 will take place on Thursday, June 30 from 6:30 to 9 pm, with special opening ceremony performed by exhibiting artist Eve Hennessa at 6:30 pm.
For more details on the exhibition, its events and the artists, visit ARTINA 2016 online.
About Sandy Spring Museum
Sandy Spring Museum is located at 17901 Bentley Road, Sandy Spring, MD 20860. Sandy Spring Museum is a gathering place where people can develop meaningful connections by exploring community history through the visual, literary, and performing arts. The museum is open to the public Wednesdays-Saturdays from 10 am-5 pm. For more information, call (301) 774-0022 or visit www.sandyspringmuseum.org.
About Washington Sculptors Group
Washington Sculptors Group promotes awareness and understanding of sculpture and fosters the exchange of ideas among sculptors, collectors and the general public by organizing events, including artists’ panels, presentations, workshops and social gatherings. Washington Sculptors Group singly and in cooperation with other organizations, plans, manages and promotes important curated exhibitions in galleries, museums and alternative spaces in the Washington area and beyond. http://www.washingtonsculptors.org/