GARFO ART CENTER:

November 13th, 2010 - January 7th, 2011

THE HIDEOUT

Opening Reception:
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13th  6-10pm

This is our most comprehensive project to date. In addition to the multi-faceted exhibition described below, GARFO will host the directors of Oh Nancy as artists-in-residence for two weeks while they complete installation, provide public lectures and VAI student workshops, and collaborate with Salt Lake artists.

Oh Nancy is an national art collective based out of Boston that provides a vehicle for artists--presenting them with a narrative structure that facilitates collaboration and multiple-authorship. Using contradiction, symbolism, and coincidence histories are created and layered—anchored in this narrative blueprint. The story is a mythical and satirical portrait of Americana that examines fanaticism and the complexities of the American hero. Artists respond to different facets of the story, organically building it along the way, resulting in exhibitions that read much like a multi-media graphic novel.

A brief synopsis of the story: Nancy is a young girl lost and bound between two worlds. Her mother, the Great Crow, died bringing her into this life and the King of Sea, her father, hunts her hoping to eliminate the threat to his crown. She was raised by seals, nursed on their milk and taught in their ways. This blonde heroine is Nancy and, though she doesn’t yet realize it, she has power rivaling a god. A man called the Preacher foresaw this and now seeks Nancy’s power for his own. The star quarterback of the Corn Team, Bill Oolie, was sent to recover Nancy but when he found her he saw an innocent young girl about to become another casualty to the Preacher’s devious machinations. Bill took Nancy from her home, and with his teammates, decided they would flee the Corn Alliance and the Preacher.

The most recent addition to the narrative is the football team, known as the Corn Team, that functions as the mascot of the religious extremist group the Corn Alliance. Athletics, being such a major part of American and world culture, provide a reassuringly familiar foothold, while simultaneously in this context commenting on fanaticism in American culture, for people who might not necessarily engage otherwise with contemporary art.

The Hideout focuses on the domestic environment in this narrative of heroism and sacrifice. The exhibition at GARFO focuses on a specific moment in the story: the Corn Team has just rescued Nancy and retreated to their clubhouse to gather their thoughts. This clubhouse—run down, adorned with all the keepsakes, amenities, and objects specific to the team and young Nancy—will be reconstructed in the gallery.

Sponsored by:

           

Jim Williams, the Despain family, Lynn & Ruth Morgan, and Birch Creek Ranch


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Admission is FREE and open to the public
Location: Visual Art Institute, 1838 S. 1500 E. SLC, UT 84105

For further information, e-mail:   staffbox.vai@gmail.com

Calendar has other current or upcoming events.

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