March 26 - May 16, 1997
Remember the power of imagination and its ability to transform the mundane into the fantastic? Dolls, blocks, games, books, beads, buttons became catalysts for the creation of ever-changing imaginary worlds of dizzying complexity and/or simplicity. Children construct toys from odds and ends, they dress up or disguise themselves, they invent games and playmates, they construct narratives and build entire imaginary worlds.
Artists (like children) transform their environment through the power of imagination. Only Child explores the intersection of the imagery and imaginative zeal of childhood with adult themes and concerns. The artists included in the exhibition share a common vocabulary derived from childhood toys and play from which they create artworks that explore cultural identity, beauty myths, and questions of gender.
The world of the artist alone in her/his studio is, in many ways, an adult version of that precious alone time of childhood. Bringing the work out of the studio and into a public setting, renders it no longer a solitary endeavor. In the gallery, the viewer is invited to enter and thrill to the fantastic worlds created by these artists. Featured artists in the exhibition are: Meredith Allen, Caroline Cox, Cezar del Valle, John Eicher, David Krepfle, Laura Larson, Nina Levy, Felicia D. Megginson, Nurit Newman, Mark Dean Veca, Karen Yama, and Pablo Ellicot Yglesias.
Only Child... was curated by Meredith McNeal and Robert Caldwell. Meridith McNeal is assistant director of the Rotunda Gallery. Artist Robert Caldwell makes his curatorial debut with Only Child. His own work, which includes sculpture, installation and photography explores issues of simulation and artificiality.