This week, the Walton Arts Center will host a new visual arts exhibition titled “Structuring Nature” to kick off Artosphere 2012. The exhibit will feature works of art from five unique and talented artists: Orit Hofshi, Andrew Moore, Serena Perrone, Ben Peterson and Randall Exon. An opening reception will be held from 4:30 to 7 p.m. today.

It will be followed by “A Conversation with Michael Pollan” at 7:30 p.m. Guest curator Andrea Packard will be giving remarks on the artwork as well as gallery tours to guests. “Structuring Nature” is free and will be on display in the Joy Pratt Markham Gallery from May 3 to June 23.

Andrew Moore is an American photographer from Connecticut whose photographs center around the coming together of manmade buildings and nature, frequently using buildings that have been abandoned for long periods of time and are truly merging with nature.

While in college at Princeton University, he had the opportunity to study with photographer Emmet Gowin. In addition to photography, Moore has crossed over into cinematography and has even worked on a documentary that was featured at the Sundance Film Festival.

Serena Perrone is a St. Louis, Mo., native whose artwork revolves around the longing to have a balance between culture and nature. While in college, Perrone briefly studied in Italy before graduating from Rhode Island School of Design in 2006 with a master of fine arts in printmaking.
She uses an array of mixed medias in her art and has been known to leave some works with an intentionally incomplete feeling, which parallels the unfinished appearance of many natural settings.

 

Ben Peterson is an artist whose drawings focus on buildings with structures that are not physically sound. He attended California College of the Arts where he graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in painting in 2004.

He uses his artwork as a symbol to represent humanity’s strained relationship with nature. He has become well-known for his uniquely quirky drawings, which tend to focus on consumerism.

Randall Exon is an artist who has spent the last 35 years as a professor of art at Swarthmore College. Exon’s works tend to depict manmade structures and nature in nearly perfect harmony. He tends to leave human elements out of his art and only feature nature and structures. Throughout the United States and United Kingdom, he has been featured in many exhibitions throughout the years, including the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the National Academy of Design in New York.

Orit Hofshi is known for her woodcut artwork that puts a modern spin on geographical and political issues. Hofshi was born in Israel and went on to study in the United States and the United Kingdom, where she eventually received a master’s degree from the University of Leeds. Her artwork has won her many awards and has been featured in galleries and private collections throughout the world, including the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the List Gallery at Swarthmore College.

 

 

Artosphere Events in May

May 3 | 4:30 to 7 p.m. | Featuring live music from April Verch and 3 Penny Acre, the opening of a new exhibition and a special Farmer’s Market inspired by Michael Pollan.

A Conversation with Michael Pollan

May 3 |  7:30 p.m. | The Author of “Food Rules” and “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” will sit down with KUAF News Director Kyle Kellams. A Q&A and book signing will follow.

Structuring Nature in the Joy Pratt Markham Gallery

May 3-June 23 | Curated by Andrea Packard, this exhibition features five outstanding contemporary artists who portray architectural structures that embody our independent and changing relationship to nature.

First Friday in Bentonville

May 4 | 5 p.m. | Bentonville will host an evening of arts and nature fun for the whole family. Artosphere artists April Verch and Dailey & Vincent will join the lineup of artists on the Walton Arts Center Music stage.

Trail Mix Concert Tour: Bentonville

May 5 | 1-3:30 p.m. | Enjoy six bands, from international to local, on pedal and solar powered stages while biking or strolling along the Crystal Bridges Trails.

Trail Mix Concert Tour: Fayetteville

May 6 | 1-3:30 p.m. | Walk or bike along the popular Lake Fayetteville Trail and enjoy six bands performing on pedal or solar powered stages. A free concert at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks will follow.

Free Family Concert at Botanical Garden of the Ozarks

May 6 | 4:30 p.m. | In the beautiful setting of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, all are welcome to enjoy the sounds and style of Milkshake, a band on a mission to create great rock music for kids.

Massey Burke Residency & Karst Installation

May 7 -22 | Using native clay soil and stones, straw, sand and other natural materials, Ms. Burke, an Artosphere Partner Grant recipient, will create a new artwork, titled Karst, outside the Nadine Baum Studios in Fayetteville.

“Stickwork Residency” with Patrick Dougherty

May 10 – 28 | Walton Arts Center and Artosphere are honored to welcome renowned “stickwork” artist Patrick Dougherty for a three-week residency in Northwest Arkansas. Volunteers are needed for this project.

Diavolo Dance Theater

May 11 & 12 | Diavolo performances use everyday items such as doors, chairs and stairways to provide the backdrop for dramatic movement that challenge ideas of daily life and human interaction.

Alley 38: A theatrical walking expedition through uncharted places

May 21-27 | Artist’s Laboratory Theater invites you to explore the Nature of Place with a performance throughout the landscapes of backstreets, lots and structures of downtown Fayetteville.

Polyglot Theatre: We Built This City

May 19 | A giant public construction site, We Built This City uses thousands and thousands of cardboard boxes and the energy and ingenuity of kids and families to build a magnificent imagined city in one day.

Looking at Nature: As Art, as Object, as Community

May 19 | Part of the Great Hall Lecture Series at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, artists Patrick Dougherty and Robert Tannen will discuss recently created outdoor artworks.