January 20 - March 11, 2000
One of the most familiar qualities of living in the snowbelt is the mix-emotions that accompany the sudden climatic changes. The thrill of missing a day of work or school is often accompanied by a sense of aloneness both peaceful and haunting. The sky has darkened to a somber grey, and you begin to measure time by the amount of snow that has fallen. Trapped in your home, watching inch upon inch, foot upon foot of snow blanket the earth, you are content to hibernate. When you turn on the radio during a winter storm warning, you are confronted with a precise vocabulary you have not heard since last year: squall, lake-effect, white-out, zero-visibility. This is not only a vocabulary, but a visual and physical state. The term "white-out" is exactly as it sounds; the thick soft whiteness of snow pelting your face and falling so quickly and densely that you are unable to see your hand stretched out in front of you. The drama begins when the climate changes from a singular flake falling from the sky to an agitated flurry of snow. In addition to the sublime qualities of a white-out and the contemplative states of winter landscapes, Flurry also examines the types of natural formations you encounter in winter landscapes; something as simple as the two-dimensional snowflake, a hexagon with infinite variations, or the way dripping water forms icicle stalactites. Flurry is about the physical and psychological sensations one encounters in winter landscapes -- snow crunching underneath your boots, children tunneling forts out of drifts of snow, driving cautiously down slippery streets, and sharing stories of where you were stranded. Guest curator David Burke holds a particular interest in flurries, as a native of Buffalo, New York. His studies include art history in Germany, Makonde wood carving in Tanzania, and an MFA in sculpture from Ohio University.
Exhibiting artists include: Michael Bramwell, Marietta Hoferer, Robert Kalka, Sun K. Kwak, Lori Nix, Mari Oshima Meagan, Shein Greg Stone, Frank Webster, David Wickland, and Elizabeth Zawada.