PULLMAN – The Museum of Art at WSU will present “Pause: Art + Architecture” from Jan. 14 through April 3. The display will explore the relationship between fine art and architecture through photography, digital prints, video and sculpture.
The museum will host an open public reception at 6 p.m., Feb. 3, followed by a presentation by the artist, Chris Larson, at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Auditorium. The museum will also host a reception and lecture for Seattle-based architect, Jim Olson, at 6 p.m. March 3, with a lecture to follow at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Auditorium.
As compared to an architect’s focus on form and function, visual artists tend to explore the dramatic – and often absurdist – opportunities of architectural spaces in terms of how they convey events, or the ambiguities of how we relate to the built environment. For example, featured most prominently is Larson’s large-scale sculpture, Pause, which portrays a room-sized fantasy made entirely in wood of the Duke’s of Hazzard’s 1969 Dodge Charger crashing through Ted Kaczynski’s (the “Unabomber”) Montana shack.
Larson will speak about the role of architectural space in the creation of his art. During his lecture Olson, who is the recipient of the 2009 AIA Architecture Firm Award, will speak about his firm’s experience in designing spaces for museums and private art collections, and the way fine art has impacted his firm’s thinking about architecture.
Works in the exhibition come from the collections of Western Bridge and Bill and Ruth True, the Washington Art Consortium, the Missoula Art Museum and the Museum of Art at WSU.
The Museum of Art is located on Wilson Road across from Martin Stadium in the Fine Arts Center on the WSU campus. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., open until 7 p.m. Thursday, closed Sunday.
Funding for this exhibition has been provided by the Museum of Art Director’s Fund for Excellence, the John Mathews Friel Lecture Fund and the Washington State Arts Commission. Special thanks to the Washington Art Consortium, Bill and Ruth True Collection from Western Bridge and Missoula Art Museum.
