Pink Pair by Erin Furimsky

Torso with Tree by Matthew Zupnick

IWU News Advisory

Event: Artist Matthew Zupnick’s Exhibition: Directions (Recent Sculpture) in the Merwin Gallery and Erin Furimsky’s Exhibition: From Luxury to Necessity in the Wakeley Gallery

Date: Nov. 5-Dec. 6, 2002 (The galleries will be closed for Thanksgiving Break, Nov. 27-Dec. 1)

On Nov. 5 (Tuesday) from 4-5 p.m. there will be a gallery talk with Matthew Zupnick and from 5-6 p.m. there will be an opening reception for both exhibitions.

Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday: 12-4 p.m.
Tuesday evening: 7-9 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 1-4 p.m.

Location: Merwin & Wakeley Galleries, Ames School of Art, Illinois Wesleyan University, 6 Ames Plaza West, Bloomington

Admission: All events are free and open to the public.

Background: On display in the Merwin Gallery will be Directions (Recent Sculpture) by artist Matthew Zupnick, who is associate professor of art at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Mo. Zupnick teaches sculpture and three-dimensional design at the university.

Zupnick’s works are created primarily from traditional sculptural materials such as steel, bronze and wood. The artist said, "The images and symbols created have a literary sense to them. I deconstruct these influences then reconstruct them as my own folklore. These fables are then embedded into a created environment for my audience to visit." He uses the human figure, especially the face, as a dominant feature and combines it with structural and abstract forms.

Zupnick has exhibited throughout the United States for over ten years and has received numerous grants and awards for his work.

On display in the Wakeley Gallery will be From Luxury to Necessity by artist, Erin Furimsky, who is new to the Bloomington-Normal community.

Furimsky, who has just completed her Master of Fine Arts degree in ceramics at the Ohio State University, explores the relationship, evident throughout the history of ceramics, between ornamental wares for luxury use and objects whose design is determined solely by their function.

The artist’s works encourages viewers to consider how decorative aspects of functional objects reinforce a sense of comfort, purpose and beauty in our surroundings. She uses pieces that suggest familiar forms such as irons, telephones and vases combined with decorative surfaces that are reminiscent of floral wallpaper and fabrics.

Contact: For additional information, contact Director of the Merwin and Wakeley Galleries Jennifer Lapham at (309) 556-3391.