the untold want by life and land ne’er granted
Now, Voyager, sail thou forth to seek and find
– Walt Whitman. “leaves of grass”
1855
The self is an artist’s constant refuge and trove; it is the reckless and ever-tickling source of the untold want. Self, particularly for the now post, post-modern artist, is defined beyond the immediate; it encompasses our origins, pre-dispositions, politics, and environment. The works in this year’s show, without exception, represent a step beyond an answer to academic or foundational exercise. They are sometimes modest, sometimes wobbly, graceful, unforgiving, encumbered, precise, or spontaneous, but each one registers, even if just a glimpse, an awareness and deliberate telling of self.
Curator, A. Coffey
2016
