The goal of any exhibit of contemporary art is to show a version of where we are right now, says Biennial Juror Laura Burkhalter, who described the overall theme as “inventions in a time of strife.” To organize this year’s exhibition, she chose 55 works by 27 artists from over 600 submissions. The work creates a specific and provocative snapshot of their search for meaning and understanding during this historic moment.
Burkhalter saw art examining vulnerability, mortality, and anxiety, and artists seeking comfort in nature, gardens, and pets. There was a focus on the domestic space and the use of recycled or re-purposed materials used in innovative or unexpected ways. Preparations for the Biennial began last December (2020), when the call for entries opened to emerging and established artists living within a 200-mile radius of Dubuque.
Burkhalter appreciated how artists viewed their own situation and society at large, and how they process the world around us.
“One of the joys of contemporary art for me is, it's a snapshot of sort of where humanity is in at any given place and time. So I really love seeing the different ways that people either, you know, use materials in their home or thought about being cooped up or thought about loss and mourning and anxiety. I think that's one of the great things as art, that can help us process those things, too.”
Burkhalter joined the Des Moines Art Center as Curatorial Assistant in 1999 and became Curatorial Manager in 2020. She’s organized several large group exhibits of international contemporary art. In the Dubuque exhibit, there are many textile works, such as yarn and embroidery.
“The association I think people have with fabric is, maybe their grandmother or mother made a craft. So I think most people have never touched a sculpture or an oil painting, but they probably have touched a crochet blanket or pieces of fabric. So when artists use that type of material, it often has a sense of familiarity and comfort, which I, I find really appealing, especially I think in times of stress.”
Burkhalter says some artists found comfort in outdoor and nature scenes, as many people sought stress relief during COVID.
“My job is a curator is to pull those ideas together and make, maybe I'm seeing those things because I'm having my own experience. I'm human too and the curatorial process is kind of a creative one. So I think it's probably a combination of both artists focusing more, but also me as a curator and probably audiences noticing those things more, because it's something that they have in their mind.”
Burkhalter was very impressed by seeing the new exhibit in person, after missing out on art openings for well over a year.
“It was so amazing. I mean it it's hard to curate a show when you can't see the physical works because many artworks photograph differently than the way they actually look and sometimes things are lost. So I'm trusting that my instincts and experience but I'm also, you don't know exactly how it's going to look and because I wasn't able to be on site to hang the show, I had to work with the curators there -- kind of using maps and photographs. So when I walked in, I was so happy. It looked so beautiful and the works really, it made a good show. The works were good neighbors to one another.”
Her job was also to ensure that the artworks complemented each other and did work well together.
“I want there to be connections, then when a person walks in, they see something. And then that makes them notice something and maybe it's a color, maybe it's a texture, maybe it's a type of imagery. But that's really my job as a curator, to create that overall experience and to make the work look as good as it could possibly look. A big part of that is making sure those connections and interrelationships between the artworks exist.”
The Biennial opened June 26 in the Falb Family Gallery, and is on display through October 31. Founded in 2003, the Biennial is a competitive, juried exhibition intended to recognize and honor the artistic talent that exists throughout our region. Two additional exhibits also opened in tandem with the Biennial: "Emotionscapes," paintings by Joyce Polance; and "The Day the Big Bad Wolf Got His Comeuppance," a new children's book and original etchings by Arthur Geisert.
For more information, visit dbqart.orgor call 563-557-1851.
