For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Matthew Bizoe
Marketing & Events Manager
269.983.0271
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NEW ART EXHIBITION INSPIRED BY OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NATURAL WORLD TO OPEN AT KRASL ART CENTER
In the gallery and on their grounds: KAC features artists exploring life cycles and the interactions humans have with nature.
In the gallery: Jon Hook & Andrea Peterson

JULY 26, 2019, ST. JOSEPH, MICH. - Krasl Art Center (KAC) is thrilled to welcome LaPorte, IN artists Jon Hook and Andrea Peterson to the galleries for their immersive installation: Inhaling the Universe . On view August 9 - September 29, this exhibition marks an experimental new adventure by the artists and nature alike, played out in KAC’s galleries. The artists have created specific pieces for the exhibit, including sculpture, cyanotype, and custom prints in a awe-inspiring installation that is stimulated by and made in collaboration with nature. Their work reflects on the passage of time and lifecycles; it leads viewers on a thoughtful and conscientious walk through a wonder-filled landscape. 

Hook and Peterson have been living in northwest Indiana since 1997. In both work and study, they attempt to live harmoniously with the surrounding environment. They apply regenerative and sustainable methods on their small farm that entwines their work and life. Hook Pottery Paper consists of a clay studio; a combined book, paper, and print studio; and a gallery shop.

Hook’s wood-fired ceramics use an intense and industrious process that emphasizes the use of local materials for firing as well as glaze making. He reduces local plants such as hay, cattails, and thistle, as well as clay to their molecular essence, which is then used to create unique glazes. He is a forerunner and expert in his field, specifically concerning sustainable and regenerative firing and ceramic studio processes. Hook has received two consecutive Indiana State grants that aided his research of an oil drip burner system to assist the wood-fired kiln on their farm. Hook’s dedication to mutualism in the environment has evolved to center on regional identity.

Peterson’s work explores all types of paper fibers and processes including paper works, prints, artist books, and environmental installation pieces. She combines paper arts, printmaking and book arts to make works that address the human relationship to the environment. Peterson received her BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her MFA in printmaking from University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. She has lectured and taught extensively, including at Ox-Bow; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Sciola de Graphica, Venice, Italy; Paper Museum Steyermeuhl, Austria; Syracuse University and Indiana University. She currently teaches in the Fiber and Material Studies Department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Krasl Art Center invites the community to welcome the artists and this impressive undertaking on Friday, August 9, from 6 - 8 PM with a cash bar, live music, and small bites provided by Bistro on the Boulevard. Guests will meet not only Hook and Peterson but also art lab artist Casey Roberts and sculptor Peter Krsko, who created the wooden interactive sculpture Ground Wave in KAC’s East Garden. 

Hook and Peterson will give a presentation about their farm and regenerative practices before the opening party at 5:30 PM.
“I invite the place that I live to encompass me, wholeheartedly. It is a workplace for my development as an artist and critical thinker of the world we live in, especially the place we all call home. The environment and its workings are ever-present in my work. I look at the world around me symbolically and present it as such in the work that I create. I observe connections between the plant, animal and human world that present concerns, desires and realities for many of us to consider or experience.” Andrea Peterson.
Hook and Peterson create work using materials grown on their studio property or collected through a personal network of local farms.
In the art lab: Casey Roberts

Themes surrounding nature will also be found in KAC’s art lab gallery from August 9 - September 29 . Indianapolis-based artist Casey Roberts uses a photographic process called cyanotype to create ethereal images of wildlife and landscapes. This civil war-era process renderes a vibrant blue image when developed in sunlight. Roberts' work represents nature’s subtle way of dealing with human interactions. He paints with this light-sensitive medium directly on paper or canvas. With everyday items such as baking soda, bleach, and peroxide, Roberts achieves a range of colors and textures through controlled chemical reactions. This process is repeated, adding many layers until the image is fully realized, often finishing with watercolor painting or collage. 
"My work is synonymous with a fairytale; the paintings are dark, yet humorous. Animals play a leading role and the work blends together to form a narrative. There’s a moral of the story, one that hints at humans’ relationship with nature with a knowing wink. There is an intuitive wisdom in nature." - Casey Roberts
On the grounds: Peter Krsko, Dora Natella, Chris Knight, and Sam Albaugh

KAC welcomed five new and temporary places sculptures to the grounds this summer. Explore Gound Wav e by Peter Krsko through September; Overseer by Dora Natella; The Floral Dozen, This Die is Twenty, and In Spired by Chris Knight; and Wind Powered Machine Self Preservation by Sam Albaugh.

Peter Krsko's Ground Wave  is a site-specific installation in KAC's East Garden, dedicated to Maria G. "Lupe" Hopp and underwritten by Horizion Bank. Krsko worked daily for a week to construct the frames and add the layers of lath that create this tri-part sculpture. He salvages unwanted lumber to use for these projects he calls "Arboria." By shaping the lath around the frames, he returns the prefabricated material to the organic, tree-like forms from which they were originally milled. 

Dora Natella's Overseer  towers 13 feet above the ground. Although the figure standing atop the tree trunk might appear to be sculpted from stone or clay, it is actually cast bronze! Below, pieces of aluminum cast from a real tree trunk were welded together to create the column on which the figure stands. Natella currently serves on the faculty at the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts, Indiana University, South Bend.

Chris Knight's series of three geometric sculptures are solar powered. At night, the sculptures illuminate, casting patterns of light across their surroundings. Knight carves the intricate designs with an electric saw out of the same light but durable material that is used for commercial signs. Knight is a Chicago-based artist who makes three-dimensional sculptures and signs, often out of reclaimed wood.

When Sam Albaugh's wind-powered sculpture is pulled along in the wagon (which the artist often does in his own neighborhood), it actually generates electricity, but where does the electricity go? The energy that the turbine creates is wired back into the supporting steel frame, which sustains the electrical current so that no energy is lost from the sculpture. The relationship between the turbine and its supporting structure – including the whimsical Radio Flyer wagon – is both practical and metaphorical. 

The installations by Natella, Knight and Albaugh are underwritten by The John DeVries Insurance Agency and will be on view through Spring of 2020. Learn more about the works at https://krasl.org/art/sculpture-map/
Ground Wav e by Peter Krsko (top); Overseer by Dora Natella (second row, left); The Floral Dozen, This Die is Twenty, and In Spired by Chris Knight (second row, center) ; and Wind Powered Machine Self Preservation by Sam Albaugh (second row, right) .
Mark your calendars!
All events are FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
unless otherwise noted

FRIDAY, AUGUST 9
5:30 PM
 
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9
6 - 8 PM
Meet artists Jon Hook, Andrea Peterson, Casey Roberts and Peter Krsko
 
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14
12 PM
Featuring KAC exclusive coffee provider, Forte Coffee.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3,1 - 3 PM EST (12 - 2 PM CST)
LOCATION: Hook Pottery Paper, 756 W 900 N, La Porte, IN
FREE - REGISTRATION REQUIRED , SPACE LIMITED.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 10
10 AM - 3 PM (PACK YOUR LUNCH)
AGES 13+
About the Krasl Art Center:
Krasl Art Center is a nonprofit art museum and learning center that enriches the lives of people living in or visiting Southwest Michigan by delivering enlightening art experiences through diverse education opportunities, meaningful events, and high quality exhibits and collections. KAC’s mission is to inspire meaningful change and strengthen community through the visual arts. To learn more, visit krasl.org.
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