With its sophisticated image occupying nearly an entire block of Madison's most beloved avenue, the Overture Center for the Arts is impossible to miss on any jaunt down State Street. The Overture's canvas-white walls and two stories of gleaming windows are a work of art in their own right.
Once you step off the familiar street and into the building, though, you are transported into a world of music and art. The Center offers the opportunity for art enthusiasts and music buffs, experts and novices alike, to indulge their intellectual appetites in the sights and sounds of its many exhibits and concerts. Fortunately for visual-arts fans, this Sunday marks the beginning of the Overture Galleries' Fall Cycle of Exhibits. One exhibit offers pieces on the transition between childhood and adulthood, while in another we take a glimpse into the world of starfish and dinosaurs, with an appearance from our very own Capitol.
Opening at the Overture Center Sunday is Filter Translation Device from Emerging Painters, a group of five female artists united by their passion for art, distinctive aesthetics and an advanced painting workshop. This group, whose exhibit is located in Galleries II and III, combines the artists' unique talents to create 10 collaborative pieces that draw on the themes of the development of family, culture and identity.
The artists' goal in this showing was to communicate their themes through visual art, a role group member Sarah Leadley explains as "crucial" in our society. Leadley emphasizes that "visual art possesses the potential to communicate more than what can be conveyed verbally." For this specific exhibit, the group worked to explore and communicate the emotional, biological and social transition from girl to woman, which can be an awkward time for any female.
The artistic works of "Filter Translation Device" also provide insight into topics our progressive society normally avoids. One piece, for example, depicts enlarged cells infected by the human papillomavirus (HPV), an STD that 5.5 million men and women contract each year. This artist chose to present these cells not only for their artistic merit, but to encourage discussion about this increasingly common disease, as well as to fuse art and biology. Beginning Nov. 12, appreciative viewers will also find the mega-installation "Day of the Fantastic Day" from the Dane County artist group Pickle Bear Art Club in Gallery I. Formed in November 2004, PBAC received a jumpstart with a SPARKS grant from the Wisconsin Council on Developmental Disabilities, igniting a creative fire and, subsequently, their first group-show at Café Zoma. For the last year, however, Pickle Bear Art Club has focused solely on the work to appear in the Overture showing.
"Day of the Fantastic Day," PBAC's first showing at the Overture, follows the journey of the playful starfish Winchester, a name group member Alexis London deems "appropriate for a starfish," in a search for his missing friends. The PBAC exhibit distinguishes itself by incorporating wood, glitter, buttons and numerous other forms of media. This unique flair, along with the enjoyable storyline, transports Madisonians to a land of artistic fantasy.
Despite its whimsical premise, "Day of the Fantastic Day" doesn't aim only to entertain children with its large-scale installments and stunning color schemes; adult art fanatics will also appreciate the unusual storyline and characters. One piece, titled "Drunkasaurus," depicts a button-covered dinosaur, sure to dazzle children with its vibrancy of color. This dinosaur, though, is far from Barney: Rather than sing songs or play make-believe, the Drunkasaurus launches an all-out attack on Madison's Capitol building, perhaps in response to recent Halloween ticket prices. Through this combination of color and wit, PBAC specifically created an exhibit, London says, "to make all audiences, all ages, happy."
If you're looking for an escape from the academic grind, take a chance and step into a world of fantasy with Pickle Bear Art Club's "Day of the Fantastic Day" and experience the transitions and issues of femininity with Emerging Painters' "Filter Translation Device." Both exhibits — covering art's ability to inform, entertain and communicate — will be available for public viewing until Jan. 3, 2007. Have no fear if you're short on cash — the Overture Galleries are absolutely free and open to the public. After all, a little culture never hurt anyone.
