Courtesy of the artist and Tibor de Nagy Gallery, New York. Photo: John Carlano.
Sarah McEneaney, Home 2017
Sarah McEneaney, Home 2017
Art comes in all styles, shapes and concepts. Many artists ply their craft creating sometimes fantastical interpretations of the world around them, reinterpreting reality in ways that educate, entertain and enliven both themselves and viewers of their work. It’s the rare creator, however, who can find beauty in the ordinary and through minimal manipulation effectively share that beauty with others. An upcoming exhibit at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center will highlight the work of two such artists, proving the thesis that beauty does exist among the mundane, often under our very noses.
“The Extra Ordinary,” which opens Aug. 23 at the Sheboygan museum, features the work of painter Sarah McEneaney and sculptor Lydia Ricci, two Philadelphia artists who prior to this exhibition had never worked together nor even heard of each other. Yet both capture the beauty and inspiration of the domestic “scenery” within their own lives, according to exhibit curator Laura Bickford.
Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Lydia Ricci.
Lydia Ricci, It's Dangerous To Go To Bed With Wet Hair, 2018
Lydia Ricci, It's Dangerous To Go To Bed With Wet Hair, 2018
“The exhibit is part of JMKAC’s “Ways of Being”, a series of exhibitions, programs, and performances that explores artists as world-builders who can help us navigate the present, re-orient the past, and project viable futures,” says Bickford. “It raised the question, ‘What if we found beauty, creativity, potential and possibility in aspects of ordinary life?’”
McEneaney’s nine paintings of her home and studio surround an island of 80 of Ricci’s small sculptures created largely of hoarded paper and cardboard represent ordinary objects and motifs of the artist’s own life. The objects’ diminutive sizes allow for close observation and analysis from a safe distance of what sometimes represents emotionally charged situations.
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The conjoined exhibits represent an artistic conversation between the two artists using contrasting styles to create a single cohesive theme, Bickford says.
“I hope viewers of the exhibit find renewed joy and inspiration in the ordinary and set some new standards and conventions for the objects themselves,” Bickford adds. “The exhibit reminds us that we are in control of the way we live, and we can find beauty in our environment and possessions, as well as a renewed sense of curiosity and delight.”
“Sarah McEneaney and Lydia Ricci: The Extra Ordinary” runs Aug. 23, 2022, through Feb. 26, 2023, at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, 608 New York Ave., Sheboygan. For more information, visit jmkac.org.
