Adult Metalsmithing Workshop North Dakota Museum of Art October 27
08 Nov UND's Donovan Widmer opens art exhibit at North Dakota Museum of Art
Posted at 18:57h in Campus Happenings
Donovan Widmer, chair of UND's Section of Art & Design, explores the Western ideals of beauty in his new exhibit at the N Dakota Museum of Fine art. Photo by Patrick C. Miller/UND Today.
From a altitude, the pinkish enameled brooches in Donovan Widmer's art exhibit at the North Dakota Museum of Art resemble the Victorian Era cameos on which they're patterned.
The exhibition, Ornamental Abjects, opened October. 27 at the museum on UND's campus and runs through Dec. xv. It displays contemporary interpretations of 34 cameos made from glassy enamels combined with sterling silver made elements and various precious gemstones. Widmer, who came to UND 15 years ago to teach metalsmithing, chairs the University's Department of Art & Design.
The cherry crushed velvet background used in antique medical displays and the specimen tag on each framed piece provide clues that the artist might exist interested in something other than recreating once-fashionable jewelry. A closer expect reveals that individual brooches realistically portray a pare condition, such as a contusion, acne, band worm or a fungal infection.
"If you lot remember of the social role of jewelry, information technology'south personal enhancement to brand yourself look more attractive," Widmer explained. "What does it mean when, in this context, you're wearing something that's ugly? I certainly hope people walk away reflecting on their own notions of what is beautiful and how they make up one's mind it. How did you arrive at your conclusion?"
Widmer'southward artwork resembles cameo jewelry from the 1920s, but each slice features a realistic representation of a skin condition rather than the more typical epitome of a person. The brooches are displayed on scarlet velvet with a specimen tag, duplicating antique medical displays constitute in museums. Photo by Patrick C. Miller/UND Today.
Social stigmas
The skin conditions, according to Widmer, "are common maladies that bear upon a large portion of the population. In most cases these conditions are non contagious. However, the conditions frequently carry social stigmas."
Donovan Widmer's first artwork related to his latest exhibition, Ornamental Abjects, dealt with his experience with thyroid cancer in 1999. Photo by Patrick C. Miller/UND Today.
Every pare-colored oval is surrounded an intricate silver frame representing a tool, fungus, surgical instrument or other item associated with the medical condition. Each brooch required up to 150 hours of careful crafting by Widmer, an achieved metalsmith and jeweler. He completed the pieces while on developmental exit in a garage at his home in East Grand Forks that serves as his studio.
Widmer has an reply for those who wonder why he would turn a symbol of wealth and beauty into something that might make some cringe.
"I similar the idea of examining Western ideals of beauty, but information technology'south likewise well-nigh identity and shame," Widmer noted. "Almost all of these skin conditions are non-contagious, but when nosotros run into somebody with one, nosotros have this visceral, negative reaction – a bit of repulsion. Why do we run into this as ugly?"
Although nobody can catch acne, psoriasis or eczema, Widmer said television commercials for products to treat these conditions ofttimes send the message that people who have them can't lead normal lives and must hide the trouble.
"There's no reason to," Widmer said. "Psoriasis isn't contagious. You lot're not going to grab it. So why exercise nosotros run across this as ugly? Why do we hide it? Why are there and so many idiot box commercials that basically publicly shame you lot if you lot accept psoriasis or eczema? We all had acne. It's zilch new, only there's all this makeup and these different industries to fix it."
Origins of the exhibit
There are other reasons Widmer has called to apply his artistic talents to blend what some might consider an uncomfortable field of study into an art museum exhibition. In the entryway to the 2nd floor of the museum hangs one of his pieces that resembles, but is quite different from, the brooches. It's titled "Papillary thyroid cancer" and dates back to 2008.
"In 1999, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer," Widmer noted. "It is the 1 and only piece I've e'er done about that. I have ever worried that if I brand work about my experience with cancer, people do non see the artwork; they only see the creative person and the cancer."
He as well cited the Mütter Museum of The Higher of Physicians in Philadelphia for influencing his involvement in how medical oddities are displayed.
"It's a fascinating museum and they take all these antique displays," Widmer explained. "In that location'due south an entire wall of wax faces with dissimilar skin weather condition. That was a major inspiration."
In improver, his wife bought him a book showing 1908 lithographs of skin conditions.
"That'south what gave me the idea to remake these things," Widmer said. "I also wanted to go on that medical display strategy with the velvet groundwork, the sometime 19thursday century tool kits and specimen tag descriptions."
Widmer's exhibition, Ornamental Abjects, opened on Oct. 27 at the Northward Dakota Museum of Art on the UND campus and runs through Dec. 15. Photo by Patrick C. Miller/UND Today.
Art as enquiry
Widmer doesn't see his showroom as strictly artwork, but also as research.
"Information technology simply happens that this is my stop production," he said. "I outset with an thought and I start with a thesis, similar any other paper. My thesis is beauty through the lens of what is ugly – identity, shame. Information technology's how I'g presenting it for you to remember virtually it and examine it."
Widmer received his Available of Fine Arts degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and his Master of Fine Arts degree from the School of Fine art at Illinois State University. His work has been exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally in academy, college and commercial galleries in New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Oregon and California. His works have also been shown in London, Spain and Norway.
Source: https://ndus.edu/2019/11/08/unds-donovan-widmer-opens-art-exhibit-at-north-dakota-museum-of-art/
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