Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.
-John 14:27

Our fast-paced cultural moment seems to demand our immediate response to each and every situation. The pressures of modern life can fill us with anxiety: social change, political tensions, the pervasive noise of technology and social media, and the rise of a dopamine-addicted culture of distraction. In this juried group exhibit, artists prompt viewers to consider what it means to have a non-anxious, Spirit-filled presence in an increasingly anxious and distracted world.

Our August First Friday reception will also feature a Q&A with several of the visual artists featured in the show, beginning at 6:30pm in the gallery.

The Belger Glass Annex is hosting its very first Masterclass in June, 2024. Currently the class is SOLD OUT.

Led by artist Minhi England, from Netflix’s hit series, “Blown Away,” this class will focus on the glass sculpting techniques Minhi uses in her own artwork. Throughout this immersive 5‑day program, participants will delve into advanced hot sculpting techniques, including the integration of blown and solid elements to create sculptural forms.

During her visit, Minhi will also be giving a free artist talk on Wednesday, June 5 at 6pm, and leading a glassblowing demonstration on First Friday, June 7 at 6pm.

“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.

FEATURED ARTISTS

Kiki Serna

Marylu E. Herrera

Carlos Salazar Lermont

Sumire Skye Taniai

Alej Martinez

Samantha Haan

P.S. is an exhibition that explores the potential of text-image with artists from the region. The artists are working across an expanded field including, photography, video, sculpture, painting and poetry. 

Text and Image are used together in an increasingly flexible fashion and many disciplines and areas of study are now attempting to understand how these combinations work. This exhibition explores and analyzes the various approaches to multimodality and offers a broad, interdisciplinary survey of the text-image relation. This visual communication leads viewers into looking at the number of approaches that are used. It also brings out the strengths and weaknesses of the text-image showcased by artists. 

Visual communications include advertisement language by Skye, plain text use by Alej, ornamentation of the body with photographs by Carlos, statistics and data by Yashira Davalos, language theory by Samantha and language objects by Marylu. 

One of the underlying premises in assembling the Belger Collection is the importance of collecting multiple works over time by the same artist. Collecting in depth provides a glimpse through the artwork into how the artist approaches life, love, loss, and the other inevitable changes over the course of time. The viewer brings a perspective through unique memories and personal experiences that leave a mark and inform identity.

The artists in Whispers and Screams explore their memories and perceptions of people, places, and moments in time. Some of those memories are loud and jarring. Others are more reflective and have softened with the passage of time. There are examples of stereotypes, idealized love, lust, romance, excitement, loss, and regret. There are glimpses into the complexity of communities at all levels, the commonalities, and the differences.

The works selected for this exhibition focus on people, histories, and relationships. Human beings are pack animals. People look for their communities and how to understand their place in them. In the course of that exploration, an understanding develops of the past, present, and future.

Artists included in the exhibition: Terry Allen, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Nick Bubash, Clayton Bailey, William Christenberry, Robert Cottingham, John De Andrea, Viola Frey, Michael Hannon, Jasper Johns, Guy Johnson, Kate Kretz, Wes Lyle, Ed Massey, Jack Mendenhall, Jerry Ott, Joey Quiñones, Mel Ramos, Robert Rauschenberg, Don Reitz, Larry Rivers, Alex Siburney, Herb Snitzer, Robert Stackhouse, Renée Stout, Akio Takamori, William T. Wiley, and Winter & Williams.