Kohl Gallery “Radiant Material” Opening Reception
September 15th, 2022
David Gladden’s Cosmic Fruits.
Two of Packer’s installations.
Roxana Azar’s work, Suncatchers and Print hangs at the entrance to the Kohl Gallery.
Coverage by Amara Sorosiak ‘23
On September 15th, the Kohl Gallery unveiled its Fall 2022 exhibition, “Radiant Material.” This opening reception attracted WAC students and community members alike. The exhibition showcases the work of five regional contemporary artists—Roxana Azar, Tommy Bobo, Daniel Conrad, David Gladden, and Lindsay Packer, each of them utilizing light in their compositions and making it the primary focus. This gallery works in collaboration with the McLain Program for Environmental Studies and draws inspiration from the Radiant Echo installation in Toll Science Center, an ode to the college’s history as a pyrotechnic research center.
Though all work with colorful light, each artist approaches the medium differently. Roxana Azar created plexiglass sculptures, inspired by science fiction, which reflect vibrant, chromatic colors which are ever-changing with movement. Tommy Bobo aimed to “make light a tangible mass” at first, but in this installation, it “treat[s] light as a liquid.” Daniel Conrad, with a physics and fine arts background, created a series of “light paintings,” featuring color-changing LEDs that make for a different experience with each viewing. David Gladden’s Cosmic Fruits honor the light and all of its physical, and metaphysical, connotations, heavily inspired by nocturnal plants. Lindsay Packer’s work was composed on-site, utilizing materials found on campus such as sculpture stands, now making them the subject, and testing the many ways color, light, and form respond to their environment.
Lecturer in Studio Art and Director and Curator for Kohl Gallery Tara Gladden gives some remarks about the exhibit.
Light in the exhibit played with the walls in interesting ways which slowly shifted and changed throughout the day.