“My fine art practice is informed by a concern for the environment, displacement, exile and the return home. I seek the unbroken relationship between modern culture and ancient lands where tradition and story are used to find meaning from dislocation and separation. I work with vulnerable landscapes and waterways which support birds, plants and animals. The migratory bird imagery in this series of artworks is drawn from zoological specimens including the Anhinga, Barred Owl and Trumpeter Swan which are accompanied by various botanical specimens, moths and snakes.” — Emily Arthur

In addition to creating a glass installation reflective of the mission and vision of the Museum, another critical goal of this project is to assemble a diverse group of glass artists, providing them with a creative, educational environment, in which they will learn, thrive, and build upon existing skills.

From May 3 through May 9, the following nine artists from across the country will come together at the Belger Glass Annex to create the chandelier: Gaffers Tess Healy, Jacqueline Polofka, and Hoseok Youn; Assistants Yana Artemov, Michael Carson, Claire Coffee, Olivia Dobkin, Jessalyn Mailoa, and Kiani Simms.

First Friday glassblowing demonstration featuring the project team.

Part of Me is centered around a discovery of self and an exploration of internal struggles. All too often I find it hard to articulate my true feelings when dealing with intense emotions and experiences, so for this exhibition I decided to address this issue. I chose to use watercolor and charcoal as the mediums to best represent the complexity of this subject matter. The fluidity of watercolor juxtaposed by the rough texture of charcoal is used to draw a parallel to the contrasting thoughts and feelings I experience in an almost cyclical nature. I also chose to experiment with fibers to convey a more tactile investigation of my inner discord. This collection of artwork was created to not only explore and communicate my struggles, but to confront them. I hope that this exhibition inspires others to do the same.

Joseph Sciacca is an artist living and working in Chicago, IL. He enjoys working with a variety of mediums, but his current focuses are watercolor, charcoal, and experimenting with fibers. Joseph is a passionate creative that enjoys exploring the world, and his interaction with it, through artistic means. Although Joseph has been involved in the arts since a young child, his creativity flourished when attending the University of Kansas in 2015 and then graduating in 2019 with BFA in Visual Arts. Since graduating he has displayed his work in numerous galleries across the Midwest, namely Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. Joseph’s work is ever evolving as his art is a constant reflection of his struggles, triumphs, and everything in-between.

“In loving memory: Edward James Brannon III (1960 – 2023), James Shepherd (1943 – 2019), Phyllis Shepherd (1943 – 2024)

I can’t tell you how I knew — but I did know that I had crossed the border. Everything I loved was lost / But no aorta could report regret…And blood-black nothingness began to spin / a system of cells interlinked within / Cells interlinked within cells interlinked / Within one stem. / And dreadfully distinct / Against the dark, a tall white fountain played. / I realized, of course, that it was made / Not of our atoms; that the sense behind / The scene was not our sense. –Vladimir Nabokov, Pale Fire 

Cells Interlinked is a story of grief, both personal and collective. Inspired by science and post-apocalyptic fiction, including Nabokov’s Pale Fire and the Blade Runner films, mutated soft forms and strange quilted landscapes visually express grief for the world we once knew becoming unrecognizable. 

In this work, Laura Brannon explores how tactile, slow making creates space to process both personal loss – of their father and three grandparents – and collective loss – of the natural environment. The climate’s devastation is contributed to and mirrored by the destructive forces of our political landscape. What happened to the imagined “American Dream” for all, and where does it leave future generations? 

In order to work through these overlapping griefs, Brannon uses soft sculpture and quilting to imagine possible futures that parallel their own experiences. Cells Interlinked follows the story of Sybil: a young adult living in the year 2,135 during the post-apocalypse. Quilted landscapes and fragments of writing record Sybil’s journey through their newly scarred world. Despite the fear and strangeness of the world they find themselves in, Brannon uses the softness and familiarity of textiles to imply the hope of safe haven in their hostile environment. 

“The subtle thread that binds us is also a literal thread — fiber binds us.”

We are three friends with a shared history in the fiber arts. Our collective work is best defined as mixed media and includes printmaking, encaustic, collage, and sculpture, among the fiber processes. There is a subtle common thread connecting us and our work, with a devotion to sensitive explorations and careful execution. A shared aesthetic draws us to one another.

We have had an interest and involvement with planning experiences for the fiber community, online and in-person, such as course studies, curating and organizing exhibits, and fiber-related events through Missouri Fiber Artists, Surface Design Association, and other organizations. We are educators, sharing knowledge of art and fiber techniques with the aim of building support for fiber artists.

Our goal is to create a thought-provoking and diverse exhibition, “Common Ground,” which centers around the concept of layered imagery. Layered work shows the history of the making. Past and present may be seen in the same view. What is below the surface is the foundation that the rest is built upon; nothing is left behind. Like a metaphor for our lives, we build upon the layers and produce our creative vision.

The imagery was produced by utilizing layering processes. Techniques used include stitching, painting, encaustic, surface design, sculpting, mark making, printmaking, and collage. We work in 2D and 3D. Each of us will approach and depict the concepts of layering individually, according to our own sensibilities. One layer informs the next. Our work reflects a reference to the layered aspects of our lives.