Who's the Artist, What's the Art?

Have you stopped by to see our current Green Gallery exhibit yet? Please don't miss this one. "Who's the Artist, What's the Art" is a series of sculptures by artist Julia Gartrell that explores topics such as the autonomy of the artist and the over consumption of our society. I was amazed when I first walked into the room and saw her installation for the first time. Julia's work challenged me immediately to think about how the materials and discards of modern life can overwhelm and weigh us down, trapping us or drowning us in a tangled mess of stuff. Stuff in our homes. Stuff in our landfills. Stuff in our waters. Too much stuff. But she also finds a haunting beauty in the discards of life. Her quilt panels sewn together from thrown-away plastic shopping bags are translucent and evoke an ethereal quality as she uses lighting to shine through them, reminding me at first glance of stained glass in a cathedral.

What will your reaction be to her work? How will she make you view the stuff of our lives as you walk through the gallery and then back out into the community. Who's the artist, and what's the art?

This exhibit will run through June 13. The Green Gallery at The Scrap Exchange is open daily during regular store hours and free to the public.