The old adage, “Those who can’t do, teach,” is total bunk. The “2014 Faculty Exhibition” on view at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design showcases a varied, interesting array of work by many artists whose careers overlap with their roles as teachers, passing on their practical knowledge in the classroom as studio.
Full disclosure: MIAD is one of the places where I teach art history. But my work is observational, seeing what artists have been up to past and present. This show is like a view from the trenches, an indication of the diverse styles and media pursued within this institution.
Some of the strongest installations demonstrate wonderful complexities in the use of material. Rina Yoon stands out for her combinations of woven textures and elegant printed forms. Her pieces combine calligraphic elements in the flowing qualities of contour lines, with textile elements inserted like very shallow reliefs. Jan Feldhausen elevates the possibilities of Sharpie markers to an exceptional form of craft with masks, densely decorated with minute lines and patterns. From a distance they appear like woven surfaces, but only up close is the mark-making process apparent.
As this is a group show, there is not a single unifying theme, but some artists hint at disaster in a playful manner like Melissa Wagner-Lawler’s expandable letterpress print, “In the event of moon disaster” or Colin Matthes’ clever, flood-resistant paintings mounted on swimming noodles. Others combine media as in Paul Mitchell’s exquisite pieces, melding photography and printing processes in an evocation of both street photography and desolate, modern but distant drawings. The art of drawing takes on possibilities offered by modern technology as seen in Chris Beetow’s fantastic series made with Adobe Illustrator software. Cartoonish animals clown around, like a drooling dog rocking out on electric guitar or a decadent pair of cats with a cocktail and cigarette. They are adorable and subversive rascals.
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Teaching art is not easy, but this exhibition reveals how artists explore varied approaches in their personal creative lives, and provide a model of how professional and academic worlds can richly combine.
“2014 MIAD Faculty Exhibition” continues through Oct. 4 in the Frederick Layton Gallery at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, 273 E. Erie St.
