Artists Laura Bigger & Evan Reed Exhibition

April 11th – 26th, 2019, duPont Gallery

Opening Reception & Artists’ Talk April 11th, 5-6pm

Laura Bigger

Laura Bigger is an artist primarily focused on printmaking and drawing. Her work focuses a lot on environmental issues and the ecological relationships between humans, animals, and ecosystems. She received her BA in Hispanic Studies and Studio Art in 2008 at Colorado College and her MFA with an emphasis in printmaking in 2013 at the University of Minnesota. She is currently a professor and head of the printmaking department at Truman State University.

Artist Statement: “My work explores the relationships that exist among humans, animals, and ecosystems, particularly in terms of the food chain, raw materials, and the human tendency to exert control over natural systems. A lifelong environmental concern and empathic attitude toward other living things motivate my investigation of the following existential quandaries: what does it mean to be a human today, how can we live in the world responsibly, and what is our obligation to do so. These questions lead to an adjacent interest in the basics of survival as they have evolved in our contemporary experience in regard to food and shelter. We have transitioned from hunting and gathering to buying a Styrofoam, plastic-wrapped hunk of meat at the deli, from using fire for heat to more abstract means such as coal or natural gas. And what of our relationship to animals – not only as food, but as companions, predators, environmental symbols? Among other goals, my work seeks to shrink the gap between our conception of humans and non-human animals. I question anthropocentric viewpoints and interpret the man-made environment primarily through print, drawing, and installation.”

Evan Reed

Bio: Evan Reed is a sculpture based artist. He transforms found materials and crafts elaborate sculptures that are contemplative, mysterious, and playful. He stands out amongst other sculptors, as he gathers his materials from the curbside rather than purchasing them from craft stores, and then ages the materials in his own yard. He received his BFA from Corcoran School of Art and his MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is currently a professor of art at Georgetown University and maintains his own studio in Falls Church, VA.

Artist Statement: Reed crafts sculptures that look to create meaning through materials and forms. These contribute to the expressive quality and are the voice of the artwork, the clues to getting it.