Tri-County Arts Council Exhibit
Tri-County Arts Council Exhibit
Southern Tier Biennial Best in Show Winner Carla Stetson to exhibit work at Tri-County Arts Council
OLEAN - Crocodiles sprawled on braided rugs; woodpeckers perched on a rocking chair - these disparate images may seem like surprising pairings. However, to visual artist Carla Stetson, they represent an integral relationship: the interface of nature and the human realm. This theme can be seen in her piece, “Mesmerized,” which received “Best in Show” - the top honor at the 2021 Southern Tier Biennial. As part of this honor, Stetson will have her own solo show in the Peg Bothner Gallery at the Tri-County Arts Council. Her show, “Knots, Webs, and Entanglements” will feature approximately 15 original works that she created over the past two years. An opening reception and meet-and-greet with Stetson was held on Saturday, October 1.
The Southern Tier Biennial is held every other year and includes visual artists ages 18 and older from the nine counties of the Southern Tier: Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Steuben, Schuyler, Tioga, and Tompkins. Founded in 2005 to make a measurable and positive difference for rural artists, the Southern Tier Biennial affords artists an opportunity to take part in the process of a professional art competition and be rewarded for those efforts. This project is produced by the Tri-County Arts Council, the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation, and made possible by an endowment from the estate of F. Donald Kenney. To learn more, visit www.southerntierbiennial.com.
Each biennial is juried by new jurors and, therefore, the shows they create are different in tone and scope, yet equally true to the definition of "a regional survey of visual art.” The 2021 jurors were Mizin Shin, a visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Art & Art History at the University of Rochester, and Brian Lee Whisenhunt, executive director of Corning’s Rockwell Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate.
Of the 400 entries in the 2021 biennial, only 35 pieces were selected. Stetson’s piece, “Mesmerized” features crocodiles on three braided rugs that seem separate but are woven together. “As I was working on that,” said Stetson, “I was thinking about the pandemic and the political situation, which were both rather dire.”
The braided rug motif gave rise to four more pieces that will be in the show. “A couple of pieces are drawings of bees,” said Stetson, whose residence in Ithaca, New York is also home to Sky Barn Apiaries. “In order to be successful at keeping bees, you have to modify your behavior to what these social insects want, which makes you more and more connected with nature. Moving to Ithaca and living in the country has made me more attuned to life’s processes going on around me.”
Stetson, whose home and studio are in a refurbished barn built in 1840, has been working full time in her studio since she retired last year from her position as Associate Professor of Art at Ithaca College. Stetson received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from the Kansas City Art Institute and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Vermont College. Previously, she lived in Duluth, Minnesota, where she is best known for public sculpture, especially the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial, the first large scale memorial to victims of a lynching in the United States. Stetson’s residency awards include Draw International in France; McColl Center for the Arts in Charlotte, North Carolina; Saltonstall Foundation in New York; and the Jentel Foundation in Wyoming. Her work is included in several collections, including the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, the Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth, Minnesota, the City of Duluth, and Carolinas Health Care in Charlotte, North Carolina, the University of Minnesota and the St. Louis County Historical Association. To learn more about Stetson and view her work, visit www.carlastetson.com.
“Knots, Webs and Entanglements” will run through Saturday, October 29. Nearly every piece in this show will be available to purchase. To learn more about the TCAC, visit www.tricountyartscouncil.org or call 716-372-7455. TCAC is open to the public Tuesday through Friday noon-6:00pm and Saturday noon-5:00pm at 110 West State St in Olean, NY.