Nightingale showcases work of California, Arizona artists

Opening reception set for Friday, Jan. 11 from 6-8 p.m.

Cory Peeke | Director, Nightingale Gallery | (541) 962-3548 | cpeeke@eou.edu

7 January 2008

LA GRANDE, Ore. (EOU) - Eastern Oregon University's Nightingale Gallery will present an exhibition featuring the works of nationally recognized artists Michael McConnell and Shawn Skabelund.

The exhibition opens Jan. 11 and runs through Feb. 1. There will be an opening reception honoring the artists Friday, Jan. 11 from 6-8 p.m. in Nightingale Gallery.

Additionally, Skabelund will present a slide lecture on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. in Huber Auditorium in Badgley Hall. McConnell will present a visiting artist talk on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 6 p.m. in Huber. Both presentations are free and open to the public.

McConnell's work is inspired by stories that examine loneliness, responsibility and choice. Through his pieces he explores the tension between youth and maturity. He takes the stories he knows - stories we may also know - and records them differently.

At first glance, the San Francisco artist's works read like fairytales, the playful images of children and animals drawing the viewer to the work. However, upon closer observation the innocent appearance is stripped away and the viewer is confronted with darker stories of skepticism and failure.

The combination of these peculiar, specific images creates works that are layered with narrative possibility. These delicately drawn, colorful works are at once seemingly lighthearted and fun, yet simultaneously ask us to examine the loss of our own childhood. A large body of McConnell's work in drawing, painting and sculpture will be on display in the main gallery.

McConnell received his bachelor of fine arts degree from Columbus College of Art and Design in 1999. He has exhibited his work nationally and given presentations at Columbus State University in Georgia and the University of California, Berkely. McConnell is represented by TAG Gallery in Nashville and the prestigious Braunstein/Quay Gallery of San Francisco.

The front room of Nightingale Gallery will feature one of Skabelund's sophisticated and engaging site-specific works. For each piece, Skabelund researches the history of the place in order to learn how the interaction between the wild and human determine the direction and cultural makeup of the local community, something he calls "collaborating with a place."

"My work demonstrates my desire to create art that gives viewers time and space to think about the local communities, economies and ecosystems they inhabit," Skabelund said.

Skabelund is an award-winning artist who has exhibited over 40 of his site-specific works throughout the United Sates. He received his bachelor of fine arts degree from Utah State University in 1987 and a master of arts and a master of fine arts degree from the University of Iowa. He currently teaches figure drawing and installation art at the School of Art at Northern Arizona University.

Nightingale Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For further information about the exhibition call (541) 962-3667 or visit http://www.eou.edu/art/nightingale/exhibitions0708/GallerySchedule2007-08.html.

To request images of artwork for publication or to schedule an interview with the artists please contact Gallery Director Cory Peeke at cpeeke@eou.edu.

Please note that opening receptions for exhibitions now take place on Fridays from 6-8 p.m. Openings will no longer be held on Saturdays.

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