Weber State University Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities Presents: Confetti & Distress / Honey & Suspicion, A Solo Exhibition By World-Renowned Artist Elisabeth Higgins O'Connor

OGDEN, Utah, Sept. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery at Weber State University (www.weber.edu/shawgallery) presents Confetti & Distress / Honey & Suspicion, a solo exhibition by Elisabeth Higgins O'Connor. The exhibition will be available to the public from September 11 to November 21, 2015. An opening night reception with the artist will take place on Friday, September 11 at 7 p.m. The Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery is Northern Utah's premier venue for contemporary art exhibitions and educational programs that provide visitors access to the art of our times. A live camera of the installation can be viewed online at [https://video.nest.com/embedded/live/WSUShawGallery]

"I want the struggle to stand upright to be easily perceived, I want the fatigue, vulnerability and weakness to be present, but also a certain resourcefulness" said Sacramento artist Elisabeth Higgins O'Connor. "All the realities of our lives — war, political and economic headlines, the struggles that happen out on the streets… all these topics mash up with my interest in posture, gesture, and the rendering of expressions."

Combining both the comfortable and uncomfortable, Confetti & Distress / Honey & Suspicion repurposes discarded and found items to create breathtaking anthropomorphic sculptures. O'Connor utilized items purchased at yard sales and thrift shops such as blankets and cushions alongside discarded ropes and cloth to create her sculptures. Visitors will see conflict and struggle come together to form an overwhelming cohesiveness: a conflict that reflects the realities of life. O'Connor aims to entice and repulse the viewer with her sculptures while closing the gap between tenderness and the grotesque.

"O'Connor re-contextualizes familiar materials in unexpected ways, giving new life to the discarded and outcast materials of daily routine," said Lydia Gravis director of the Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery. "Visitors will encounter a wondrous tribe of towering anthropomorphic creatures that will simultaneously entice and repulse, but undoubtedly resonate with all ages. In addition, she will also use materials salvaged from the greater Ogden community."  

The exhibition will be available to the public September 11-November 21, 2015 during regular business hours. This exhibition is made possible through generous support from Stephanie Harpst, Dr. Jack D. & Bonnie R. Wahlen, Lawrence T. Dee & Janet T. Dee Foundation, Mark E. & Lola G. Austad Endowment for Visual Arts, The Kimball Family, Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities and the Weber County RAMP tax initiative.

For a full calendar of current and upcoming events at the Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery please visit (www.weber.edu/shawgallery). Gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The gallery is closed on Sunday.

About the Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery
The Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw gallery aspires to engage a diverse audience, create a sense of community, provide insight into the creative process, and challenge visitors to contemplate, discuss and understand the historical, social, and cultural context of contemporary art. It serves the Department of Visual Art & Design, Weber State University and the community of Northern Utah by presenting the work of local, regional, and nationally recognized artists, including new work, emerging media and original scholarship.

About the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities
The Weber State University Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities teaches students to excel as they seek, understand, question and express complexities critical to the experience of being human. The Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities offers undergraduate degree programs in the following five areas: Communication, English, Foreign Language, Performing Arts and Visual Art & Design. Master's degrees also are offered in Communication and English. The college serves more than 2,000 undergraduate majors and 250 graduate students. The Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities is the Western region's foremost institution for student- centered teaching and research that investigates the human experience and aims to educate global citizens who are responsible, creative and critical artists, performers and communicators. For more information please visit, (www.weber.edu/cah).

Contact: 
Christie Denniston, APR
Director of Marketing and PR
Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities Weber State University
Phone: 801-626-6431
Cell: 303-827-5164
Email: [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150902/263213

SOURCE Weber State University, Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities

Related Links

http://www.weber.edu/cah