Release Date: September 25, 2009
Exhibition at Kennesaw State features unique perspective of urban environment
For media inquiries: Cheryl Anderson Brown, Director of Public Relations,
770-499-3417 or cbrown@kennesaw.edu
 |
Artwork by John Ferry |
KENNESAW, Ga.—The Kennesaw State University Department of Visual Arts presents “Selected Works by John Ferry” for its 2nd Biennial “Best of” exhibition on Oct. 8-Dec. 3 in the Fine Arts Gallery of the Joe Mack Wilson Building. The free exhibition will open with a reception with refreshments on Oct. 8 from 5-8 p.m. and will include an interactive dialogue with the artist at 6 p.m.
The Biennial “Best of” exhibitions focus on works from a particular artist or genre, and this exhibition highlights the works of renowned painter John Ferry. Curated by KSU Art Museum and Galleries Director Will Hipps, the exhibition features a collection of John Ferry’s best small-scale paintings that range from postcard size to 2’ x 3’. According to Hipps, “Ferry’s works reveal the aesthetic beauty of the overlooked and forgotten urban environment and brilliantly portrays the cycle of change in our cities.”
The selected paintings offer a visual adventure of aged and damaged cityscapes with a narrative quality. Light, color and harmony gradually change from one picture to the next to create a “moment by moment” chronological feel of a story. “By shifting his visual point of view of the same subject and using the changes in light, space, plane and color, Ferry creates the visual equivalent of movement through time,” says Hipps.
The paintings, although small in size, take on a grand composition and quality. Hipps highlights the unique nature of this exhibition by noting that most modern art is done on a large scale, and Ferry maintains an intimate and modest scale for his paintings. Through his focus on large-scale subjects with small paintings, Ferry effectively presents conceptually universal themes while “calling our attention to what we see everyday,” says Hipps.
The exhibition will also feature four of Ferry’s personal sketchbooks displayed on pedestals. The sketchbooks will offer a rare glimpse into the creation process of Ferry’s work and a journey of discovery on the richness of a single façade.
Ferry, a graduate of Kansas City Art Institute and the School of Visual Arts in New York City, has taught at Kansas City Art Institute and at Maryland Institute.
The Fine Arts Gallery hours in the Joe Mack Wilson Building are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. For more information, visit www.kennesaw.edu/arts.
# # #
A member of the 35-unit University System of Georgia, Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive, residential institution with a growing student population of more than 21,000 from 142 countries. The third-largest university in Georgia, Kennesaw State offers more than 65 graduate and undergraduate degrees, including new doctorates in education and business.
The KSU College of the Arts is one of only four Georgia institutions to have achieved full national accreditation for all of its arts programs.