May 22 – August 23, 2013
Dickson Window Art Project Space
Patterns in Futility by Rebecca Hamlin Green, 2012, Fired and unfired porcelain, found object
Rebecca Hamlin Green's Project Statement:
Using traditional sculptural elements and unexpected materials, my work examines elements of social and personal identity through a lens of domestic associations in order to address what I call the domestic identity- how we define ourselves through how we live, where we come from, and the structures we erect and exist within to maintain a sense of place. “Structure” includes actual spaces such as buildings and homes, but also includes relationships, routines, goals, and traditions.
Introspection into my own compulsory habits has inspired me to investigate larger notions surrounding our historical role in controlling our immediate environment. What do we make of disruption within our own routines, expectations and traditions? How adhered are we to the notion of tradition and what do we make of a situation in which the tides are turned and the outcomes are not expected? How do we react personally or as a society to challenges to established structures, such as new and innovative ideas, progress, abnormalities and evolution?
I use a combination of materials and objects to express the dualities I want to convey when approaching any idea- the old and the new, comfort and anxiety, benefit and detriment, fantasy and reality. Thus, any object or material becomes helpful in setting up the arena of juxtaposition and when used metaphorically, helps to further emphasize my observations to the viewer. My use of the forms of domesticated animals, i.e. dogs, bees, sheep, as well as domestic objects and environments, calls into question the notions surrounding how/why we act to control our lives through this domestic identity. In this framework I address psychological issues within our interactions with our surroundings and how the potential for the resulting inner narrative can either help us to reconcile the familiar with the uncanny or upset the natural order altogether.
Bio:
Rebecca Hamlin Green earned an MFA from the University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) and a BA from Bradley University (Peoria, IL). Green’s work formally uses the animals, objects, and/or environments to call into question how and/or why we try to control our lives through the domesticated. What psychological issues are illuminated when we take a minute to analyze our interactions with our surroundings? The way we answer these questions can help us to reconcile the familiar with the uncanny or upset the natural order altogether.
Solo exhibitions of Green’s work have been presented at Harold Washington Public Library (Chicago, IL ), the University of Arizona Art Museum, the Lionel Rombach Gallery and the Graduate and Alumni Gallery at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Green’s work has also been featured in Tuscon, AZ at Flow159 Gallery, Conrad Wilde Gallery, Stone Dragon Gallery, and the Old Market Galleries. Green’s work has been featured in Chicago at Reversible Eye Gallery, Womanmade Gallery, and the Little Black Pearl Art Center. Additionally her work has been shown with the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (Santa Fe, NM), the University of Wisconsin (OshKosh, WI), Northern Arizona University Art Museum (Flagstaff, AZ), Foundry Art Centre Gallery, (Saint Charles, MO), and the Prairie Center of the Arts (Peoria, IL).
For more information about the art exhibitions at Waubonsee Community College, contact Cecilia Vargas, Art Coordinator, at (630) 466-2964.
CONTACT
Art Department:
WCCArtDepartment@waubonsee.edu
Art Coordinator:
Cecilia Vargas, Von Ohlen Hall, Room 209
(630) 466-2964
cvargas@waubonsee.edu
Art Lab Assistant:
Esther Espino, Von Ohlen Hall, Room 240
(630) 466-5742
eespino@waubonsee.edu
