Pre-fab(ulous) Environments, 2013
The 7 Borders
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, Kentucky
June 29 - September 1, 2013
MEMBER PREVIEW – FRIDAY, JUNE 28TH 6 – 8PM
PUBLIC OPENING – SATURDAY, JUNE 29
Curated by Joey Yates
Pre-fab(ulous) Environments, 2013
Insulation Styrofoam panels, Styrofoam peanuts, die-cut paper, printed vinyl, dvd player, looped video, light, blue duct tape, tables and chairs
The 2013, installation of Pre-fab(ulous) Environments a group exhibition titled The 7 Borders at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft which featured a variety of artworks inspired by and about living in the midwest.
“KMAC presents The 7 Borders, an exhibition exploring artistic connections to the Commonwealth of Kentucky and its seven border states – Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. With the unique distinction of being the only state in the nation with seven borders, Kentucky is positioned as a center for artists who have woven the narratives of this region into their work, examining shared histories and common threads. Taking a cue from 20th century regionalist painters like Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton, the artists in The 7 Borders investigate the concerns of a new regionalism and what it means to critically engage in a cultural, social, and political way with the surrounding landscape. Each of the artists represented is witness to varying views of the region focusing both on personal history and collective experience.”
An article about the show: Elizabeth Kramer, "KMAC's new Exhibit takes a regional approach to art," Louisville Courier Journal, June 30, 2013
Review of the show: Chelsea Gifford, "The 7 Borders exhibition at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft," ÆQAI, August 2, 2013
Erin Keane, Arts and Humanities reporter for Louisville NPR station WFPL, wrote about Pre-fab(ulous) Environments and included highlights from the interview on WFPL. Erin Keane reports on the issues, trends, people and events that impact Louisville's arts landscape. 'Happiness, at a Cost': Art in the Fly-Over States at KMAC's 'The 7 Borders' Exhibit, ARTCRAFT, August 28, 2013
The little houses in Pre-fab(ulous) Environments were inspired by descriptions of the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. The citizens of these communities lived with a volcano six miles away and thus the shape of volcano was a part of the landscape. Forces of nature such as volcanoes are awe-inspiring and frightening.
Similarly, I find forces that are human-made such as mountainous landfills just outside of cities to be also be awe-inspiring and frightening. Although an eruption of Mt. Landfill is not eminent, but as it grows with the by-products of capitalistic conspicuous consumption, the threat of being buried in Styrofoam and Happy Meals grows too.