The Adams County Arts Council will celebrate the art exhibitions of Bonnie Kern, Barbara Stafford and Chris Lauer with a First Friday reception on Friday, November 6, 5:00-7; 30 p.m. at the Arts Education Center, located at 125 S. Washington Street, Gettysburg. The reception is free and open to the public.
Temperature check and mask wearing are required.
The shows will remain up through the end of November.
Bonnie Kern’s conceptual exhibition in the Gallery; “Dumpsters: The Imprint of What We Throw Away,” is about the imprint discarded items leave behind. “Dumpsters” is a collection of abstract photographs that captures the compositions of rusted scars that have been imprinted on the metal sides of dumpster walls. Within Kern’s series of work, there is an introspection into the contradiction of aesthetic imagery caused by discarded pieces from our lives. It reflects the deep impact of what we throw away leaves on our walls.
Kern is a contemporary photographer who specializes in pictures taken solely with the iPhone. This series of work transpired out of her thesis study while acquiring her MFA at Wilson College in Chambersburg, PA. Challenging the barriers of traditional photography methodologies, Kern explores imagery made with the camera in your pocket.
Barbara Stafford, a watercolor artist, will exhibit a collection of her watercolors in the Studio.
Barbara says, “Growing up as a Midwesterner, I was fascinated by the prairies, wetlands and oak forests, as well as the dynamic weather of summer storms and heavy winter snows. At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I studied photography but perhaps more important, was introduced by painter friends to the works of Turner, Whistler, Sergeant, and Innes.” She continues, “Now retired, I began painting in watercolor a few years ago taking classes mostly at the Adams County Art Council with Steve Bleinberger and Stanley Gilmore. In addition to their work, the paintings and instruction books of Lowery, Roland, Cronin, Dowden, and Dobie offer fresh inspiration.”
Chris Lauer, a lifelong dabbler in mediums, studied studio arts at the University of Minnesota and has pursued the arts casually and professionally as a muralist, portrait artist, sculptor, and printmaker. Lauer says, “As a compulsive ‘creator’ I am a collector of mediums. I love to learn different forms of craft as a means of play.” A Premature Retrospective will be up through the end of November.
For more information about Dumpsters, Barbara Stafford, A Premature Retrospective, as well as other upcoming Arts Council exhibitions, or art classes at the Arts Council’s Arts Education Center, visit www.adamsarts.org or call (717) 334-5006.
The Adams County Arts Council’s mission is to cultivate an arts-rich community.