Landscapes, movement part of NWA art exhibits

Fayetteville
University of Arkansas Fine Arts Gallery
Tenses of Landscape
Oct. 1 to Nov. 4, 2012

The contemporary artist's world is a dense plurality of options, framed in a similarly wide variety of contexts for viewing and interpretation. The discipline of painting is certainly no exception to this, even when applied to a genre as commonly known and accepted as the landscape.

Some landscape painters convey reality in compellingly quotidian detail, reflecting or critiquing the complex relationship between humans and nature; others construct neo-byzantine visions of the future that may thrill or terrify; some work intuitively to give form to the ephemeral, conveying that which cannot be spoken; and many bend or break accepted rules of vision, reminding us that perception itself is both a privilege and a discipline.

Tenses of Landscape, an exhibition comprised of nineteen contemporary landscape painters, presents both broad and dynamic depictions of landscape revealed as motif. Moreover, each artist examines the terrain dictated by these approaches and in turn addresses the act of painting itself.

The artists in this exhibition work in a variety of media — acrylic on wood, oil on canvas, and encaustic and collage on wood. Many have been featured on the website MW Capacity, mwcapacity.com, co-edited by Christopher Lowrance and Sam King.

MW Capacity is known among painters and art enthusiasts as an online hub for exposure to and discussion about painting, particularly painting in the Midwest, although the artists selected for this exhibition reside in a wide variety of locations throughout the United States. Accompanying this exhibition, MW Capacity will feature an online publication in order to facilitate further thought and discussion among an extended audience.

Participating artist Emily Gherard will present a lecture on Thursday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. in Room 213 of the Fine Arts Center. A reception for the artist will take place Thursday, October 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Gallery.

Regular gallery hours Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Bentonville
ART Northwest
Kevin Arnold: Moving in, Moving out
Oct. 13 to Nov. 10

This solo exhibition of recent work by Kevin Arnold marks the grand opening of ARtNW, one of Bentonvilles premier contemporary gallery spaces. Located a short distance from the square in downtown Bentonville Dayton Castleman brings his years of experience working with various artist coalitions in Philadelphia and in Chicago to Northwest Arkansas.

He and his family have recently moved here to contribute to the expanding art landscape of this booming region by utilizing it as a platform for cutting edge exhibitions and artist projects. Situated moments away from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Downtown Bentonville, ARtNW seeks to support the work of Arkansas-rooted artists, as well as to present curatorial projects initiated both from throughout the United States and internationally.

ARtNW is a non-commercial, artist-run house gallery and project space that will feature exhibitions on a monthly basis. Opening receptions will be hosted free to the public followed by “appointment only” visitations.

This first grand opening exhibition will feature the work of NW Arkansas native Kevin Arnold. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design Arnolds work seeks to question our physical relationship to painting by using the mundane objects of everyday life as his subject matter. Combining installation with realism objects are painted at a 1:1 ratio from direct observation.

The use of trompe l’oeil and the 1:1 ratio is a means of playing with the familiarity of scale and perspective while creating an intimate, almost surreal encounter for the viewer. In other words, the painting begins to function visually in the same way it functions physically. It begins to act like the thing it is.

The opening reception will be Saturday, Oct. 13, 6 to 9 p.m.

ARtNW is located at 702 NW 8th St., Bentonville

For more information call (708) 837-4242 or visit the ARtNW Facebook page.

Springdale
Art Center of the Ozarks
10th Annual 5 by 5 Exhibition
Oct. 4 – Nov. 8, 2012

Local and regional artists are challenged to stretch their creative boundaries by confining their artistic expression to a 5×5 inch square canvas. Artists donate their tiny works for this one of a kind exhibit and fundraiser. Over 400 canvases are exhibited and auctioned. Link here for more info.

Ticketed Gala: Thursday, Nov. 8, 5:55 p.m. – 7:55 p.m.