That’s Love, Baby

Artspire

Backspace is proud to announce that we have been accepted for fiscal sponsorship by Artspire, a program of New York Foundation for the Arts!

VERSUS – BU Senior Photography Exhibition

A Bradley University senior photography exhibition exploring opposing themes at Backspace.

April 27 – May 4, 2012 @ Backspace
Reception: April 27, 6-9pm

http://art.bradley.edu/bug/?p=2001

www.facebook.com/bradleyseniorphotoshow

ANYBODY

Decoys – Soft paintings and sculpture by Nicholas Nyland

Decoys
Opening Reception: February 3, 2012, 6-9PM

Backspace welcomes painter and sculptor Nicholas Nyland, 2008 winner of Washington’s Artist Trust Fellowship.    Nicholas is represented by Pulliam Gallery in Portland, Oregon, and is a member of SOIL Artist Collective in Seattle.    Regarding his exhibition title, Decoys, Nicholas Nyland says, “I found an old duck decoy in a thrift shop that was made of canvas with an abstracted plumage design printed on it.    It got me thinking about the way paintings or sculpture often operate in a similar manner, an act of dissembling through a surface treatment that stands in for another.”

Nicholas has exhibited extensively on the west coast; most recently, he was invited to install a series of large-scale sculptures in Olympic Park in Seattle.    He studied at the Royal College of Art in London as part of an exchange with the University of Pennsylvania, and he participated in the University of Washington Studio Art Program in Rome, Italy. Residencies include the Kamiyama Artist-in-Residence Program in Japan, and Peoria’s own Prairie Center of the Arts.    His time in Peoria resulted in the large- scale From the Inside Out exhibition at Heuser Art Center Gallery.

Silicalicious

Silicalicious

Reception:
Friday – January 27th, 2012
6:00-9:00pm

A group of ceramic sculptors investigate the endless possibilities of clay.  With a wide range of construction and surface techniques, this group illustrates the vastness of clay’s possibilities while incorporating mixed media. This diverse group of four met while in graduate school at the University of Iowa. With topics ranging from storytelling to physical forces each artist approaches ceramics and object making differently.

Heidi Casto’s work brings out humor and encourages discussion on topics related to motherhood. She challenges the pressure of responsibility that mothers hold in raising their young. For more read her Reflection on Motherhood at http://heidicasto.com/

Angela Dieffenbach was the fall sabbatical replacement for the head the Ceramics program at Bradley University, and is also an undergrad alumnus of Bradley.  She teaches Methods of Art Education and Sculpture at Augustana College. Her work challenges the viewer to examine the private and often alien aspects of being human while calling attention to the fragility of existence, as well as the role industry plays in the maintenance of our bodies. http://www.angeladieffenbach.com/

Matthew Dercole is currently the Artist in Residence in Ceramics at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago, IL where he teaches and has a studio. Matthew approaches his work from the point of view of a story and is interested in the exploration of the self & the understanding of others. http://matthewdercole.com/

Andrew Casto is the 2011/2012 MJD Fellow at The Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Art in Helena, MT and the recipient of the 2010 FuLe Prize by the International Ceramic Magazine Editors Association in Fuping, China. His sculptural objects create metaphorical links between personal narratives and physical forces of erosion and entropy. http://andrewcasto.com/