Curatorial
February 21 - March 21, 2012
Curated by Cable Griffith
Cornish Main Gallery
Cornish College of the Arts
1000 Lenora Street
Seattle, WA
www.cornish.edu
Currents is a retrospective of work by the late Cornish Design Professor, Jon Gierlich. This exhibition is aimed at remembering him through his art, as a thoughtful artist, mentor, friend, and beloved member of the Cornish community for 22 years. This diverse collection of drawings, paintings, photos, and sculptures demonstrate Gierlich’s impressive range and daring spirit.
Over forty years of his work are represented, showing an inquisitive and deeply committed artist who was always pushing, always growing. Difficult to pin down, Gierlich was a master draftsman, eloquent poet, and public artist who never sought the limelight. Seeing much of his work together, we can sense the powerful current that ran through everything he touched. Moving past seemingly distant shores, the flow of his work is grounded by a deep connection to forms and phenomena from the natural world.
Always the observer, Gierlich developed a distinct visual language while amassing a fascinating collection of objects. Selected pieces have been presented in the gallery in an effort to shed light his sources and celebrate the blurry line between his artwork and his life. Like a river, Gierlich was always moving with a determined strength, both gentle and forceful, traveling long distances with surprising grace, and ultimately returning to the source.
Image: Jon Gierlich, Slipping From Grace, circa 1994, mixed media on paper.