Texture & Response prompts us to consider our fascination with visual texture in sculptural artwork. In this exhibition, New England artists Karen Cygnarowicz, Gracia Nash, and Ann Wessmann build bridges between contemporary fine art and traditional craft. Each of the three artists exercises creativity and resourcefulness in her material choices, in order to spark tactile curiosity in the viewer.

Karen Cygnarowicz examines the intersection between traditional craft and contemporary art through intricate woven patterns and thoughtful structures, drawing attention to the quality and character of her fiber materials.  Utilizing glass beads and flexible silicone, Gracia Nash pushes the boundaries of her materials and investigates how they affect perceptions of human vulnerability. Through the meditative, seasonal gathering of chestnut hulls and twigs, Ann Wessmann creates intimate constructions that evoke time, memory, and life’s fragility.

Texture & Response asserts that our visual perception of dimensional surface is just as compelling as the physical sensations of touch. Working in materials traditionally associated with craft, including glass, wood, and fiber, these artists are unified by a shared meditative practice, investigation of material process, and responsiveness to the allure of texture.

Ann Wessmann, Gathering # 8 (detail)

Gracia Nash, Lay Me Down To Rest

Karen Cygnarowicz, Loose Ends (detail)

Image

Hospitality sponsors, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Farrell Distributing, and William Hill Estate Winery. Burlington City Arts is supported in part by The Vermont Arts Council & the National Endowment for the Arts.