Memorial Union is the place to be on campus. Yet, while students left the Hoofers resale toting ski poles and snowboards and Der Rathskeller with full bellies last weekend, there is another kind of satisfaction to be had from this historic building. It is a visual satisfaction, an appreciation that only comes with experiencing great works of art.
The Wisconsin Union Galleries Early Winter Exhibition is made up of four congruous exhibits: “Monona Ice” in the Theater Gallery, a student curated show “The Art of Transformation” in the Lakefront on Langdon Gallery, “Flux” in the Porter Butts Gallery and “The Illuminati” in the Class of 1925 Gallery. This isn’t some middle school art show, though, with enormous globs of Blu-Tack miserably holding up ill-constructed collages. New generations of students of the Wisconsin Union Directorate Art Committee have been independently selecting, organizing and curating art within the Union Galleries since 1928, and this year’s cycle have outdone themselves.
“The Art of Transformation” is the first subject the eye hits when walking through the foyer of Lakefront on Langdon. Put together by students Becky Benshoof and Miriam Clayton, it holds an ongoing theme of metamorphosis realized in many different ways within the pieces. Occupying the opposite wall of the Mendota Grill, “The Art of Transformation” includes hand-selected artwork by UW undergrads.
One favorite is sure to be “Vibrating Curves,” created by Alyssa George with unique watercolor pencils, ink and marker. The ink in this piece was done by painting with water initially, then dropping ink into the painted curves of water to create images mysterious even to the artist. Another is “Polly,” a haunting creation of ink on paper by Emily Albun that illustrates the rarely witnessed solemn moments of a child. All works are sure to impress and foretell professional successes for each talented undergrad.
The black and white images by Thomas Ferrella in “Monona Ice” are still-life depictions of a season and a way of life. Although this gallery — in the first floor Theater Wing of the Union — is mere meters away from Lake Mendota, viewers will feel themselves transposed to the icy surfaces of neighboring Monona. The photographs are a reminder of increasingly frigid temperatures to come in the next few months, yet, each individual work is a beautiful success in capturing the spirit of winter.
As “Monona Ice” is tied to our home, “The Illuminati” calls to our age. This collection by artist Evan Baden is made up purely of a series of photographs in chromogenic print mounted to Plexiglas. Viewers are likely to brush past the skill it must have taken Baden to forge such clear pictures of contrasted darkness and electric light, so focused will they be on the generational commentary which his photographs provoke. As in “Alicia with iPhone,” all works seem to be candid shots of youth, their faces eerily illuminated by the constant soft glow of today’s digital companions. The artist’s description hanging in the gallery offers that having such an unending, mystical connection to the outside world “is as if we carry divinity in our pockets and purses.”
Neighbor to Baden’s work is that of Lisa Koch in “Flux.” Koch’s pieces make up the only 3D exhibit in the Early Winter Galleries, and they surely would stand out regardless. Her sculpture work has a mind of its own, aligning order with chaos in every piece. While using blown glass, steel, wood and photographs, it can be said that her most powerful medium is empty space, which characterizes many of the 3D works. Koch’s tactic of combining neat lines with the abstract glass globules and her selective coloration creates a deep uniformity throughout the exhibit. It is also primarily what makes Koch’s exhibit so eye-catching, taking hold of the viewer’s mind and not letting go.
So, whether buying tickets for a show at the Union box office or taking a Lakefront burrito break, be sure to do the eyes and mind the favor by giving these truly masterful artworks a good look.
The Wisconsin Union Galleries Early Winter Exhibition runs through Jan. 19. Visit www.union.wisc.edu/art for more information.