Explore Nature at Finch Lane Gallery – New Exhibits Opening in June

The Salt Lake City Arts Council is pleased to present artists wren ross, Vanessa Romo and Virginia Catherall in exhibitions at the Finch Lane Gallery June 15 through August 3, 2018.

In her exhibition, The Summons Has Reached Us, wren ross creates drawings that are responses to bone oracles, sangoma, and other methods of divination that employ the collections and casting of small objects, which are practiced in many cultures across the world. “Traditionally, bone oracle casting utilizes sets of personal totems collected by the reader and strewn across a flat surface to be read and interpreted,” says ross. “Often these sets of objects had standard inclusions among readers – coins, animal bones, smooth stones, shells, seeds. But more often each set of objects was assembled by the reader according to the chance encounters by which they were introduced.” Presently, humanity is redefining its relationship with the environment, with the non-human world, and with technology. In this exhibition, ross presents a collection of visual totems to aid in this search.

Vanessa Romo takes personal inspiration for her exhibition, The Practice of Standing Still, from the butterfly, a creature in a constant state of transformation. The work is comprised of found/gathered objects, natural flora and fauna, and porcelain clay. The combination of these materials is meant to represent the fascinating phenomena that an object or creature can be simultaneously fragile and strong. “Through artistic process, ritual, and experimentation, I breathe new vigor into this transitional period of time in my life,” writes Romo. “As order and chaos participate in their irreverent waltz, the transitions we face become increasingly difficult to navigate. The constant clashing between sides of the Self and environmental issues influences disrupts, and derails one’s true journey.”

As a knitting and textile artist, Virginia Catherall’s work has a close affinity to the land. In 2016, she was selected as Artist-in-Residence for the Great Basin National Park and spent a month living there and gathering inspiration from the diverse landscape. She subsequently created knitted pieces which are featured in the exhibition Wearable Landscapes. “My finished pieces are not only artworks but are functional as wearable art,” states Catherall. “The act of creating something so entwined with the land itself sparks a stewardship and urge to conserve the land. I hope that others will be inspired to enjoy, conserve, and steward our unique landscape.” Catherall will also lead a free knitting workshop July 10 and August 7 to help knitters find inspiration in nature. Knitting skills and advanced registration are required. To register, please email kandace.steadman@slcgov.com.

Gallery talks and discussions with the artists will be held on Friday, June 15 at 5:30 p.m. with Vanessa Romo, 5:45 p.m. with Virginia Catherall, and 6:00 p.m. with wren ross.  The opening reception will be from 6:00-9:00 p.m. that evening in conjunction with Salt Lake Gallery Stroll. The exhibition will also be on view during the July 20 Salt Lake Gallery Stroll.

For more information, call the Salt Lake City Arts Council at 801.596.5000 or visit saltlakearts.org.  Finch Lane Gallery is located at 54 Finch Lane (1340 East 100 South) Salt Lake City, UT 84102