The word ‘discourse’ is defined by Meriam Webster as the “formal and orderly and usually extended expression of thought on a subject.” At Riverviews Artspace, we have seen an uptick in contemporary artists extensively expressing their thoughts and reactions through political artwork.
With a predominant link to America’s current social and economic landscape, Riverviews has invited artists, George Lorio, Howard Skrill, and Jenny Wu for the upcoming exhibition, Political Discourse. Each artist uses their differing media to impart their personal views, while using these works to create awareness and promote conversation. Riverviews Artspace is a nonpartisan organization with a mission in presenting contemporary art exhibitions, focusing on contemporary trends, as diverse as our community.
The opening reception for Political Discourse will begin at 5:30p.m. on March 1st as part of First Friday. All three artists have been invited to the reception and should give a brief talk about their work at 6:30p.m. that night. Politcial Discourse will be on view March 1st through April 18th. The Craddock-Terry Gallery is free and open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from 12p.m. to 5p.m.
About the Artists: George Lorio has an extensive background in exhibiting work around the country, since earning a Master of Fine Arts in 1976 from University of South Florida. He creates 2D and 3D artworks that alternate between being minimalist and intricate, often including everyday objects, such as toy cars, chess pieces and children’s blocks. The basis for his recent work issues related to class, immigration, gun control, and ecology. Lorio states that “having lived on the border with Mexico for ten years changed my view of contemporary culture and our collective social responsibility.”
Howard Skrill is a New York artist whose art has been seen around New York City and the Boston area for over 10 years, since getting his MFA in Studio Art from Queen’s College in 2001. Skrill’s pieces included in Political Disourse are plein air drawings of public statues in and around New York, which are collectively known as The Anna Pierrepont Series, and the recent removal of certain public figures in various cities across the country. The purpose of his work, especially his Anna Pierrepont Series, is “to interrogate how groups come to ‘speak through the city’ by additions of artworks to public places and how the capacity to speak through the city can shift between groups thus marooning the objects that speak for the past in the present with often unhappy consequences.”
Jenny Wu was born in Nanjing, China. She holds a B.A. from William Smith College in Studio Art as well as in Architectural Studies, and an M.F.A. in Studio Art from American University. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums including Denise Bibro Fine Art, Katzen Museum, and Huntington Museum of Art. Wu has participated in numerous Artist-In-Residence programs across the country and has been awarded fellowships from Vermont Studio Center and the Pollock Krasner Foundation. Her work is motivated by the 2016 presidential election and current political climate in the United States of America.
About Riverviews Artspace: Located Downtown Lynchburg, VA. Riverviews Artspace has converted an old manufacturing building into an innovative collaborative of art, entrepreneurial and living spaces. Riverviews is a non-profit organization dedicated to fuel creativity, ignite minds and provides inspiration. Our commitment is to ensure exciting, thought-provoking exhibitions and programs of unparalleled significance and to sustain an engaged community and creative laboratory that encourages an ever-deeper understanding and enjoyment of contemporary art and culture. For more information visit www.riverviews.net
