Two houses shimmer in their frames, garbed in Christmas lights and aluminum siding. They seem nostalgically familiar, as if you have seen them on a suburban street or rural road.
Both are the subjects of “Aster Drive” and “Atom Road,” two oil paintings on display in the 62nd Mid-States Art Exhibition through March 23 at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science. Created by artist and Missouri State University Professor Sarah Williams, the paintings’ uneasy Midwest vibe feels closer to David Lynch than Architectural Digest.
“My pride and passion for the rural Midwest … comes through in my paintings like a witness’ perspective,” Williams says.
Cheyenne E. Miller, the museum’s Virginia G. Schroeder Curator of Art, was excited the museum acquired “Aster Drive” for its permanent collection. “I appreciate its subtlety and all the detail in the shadows,” she says. “It’s a beautiful painting.”
The museum also purchased “In Hindsight, He Never Had a Chance,” a striking charcoal work from the exhibition by Paducah, Kentucky, artist Randy Simmons.
The exhibition had its start in 1948 as the Tri-State Art Exhibition, Miller says, with 72 entries from artists within a 50-mile radius of Evansville. It later expanded to include artists from Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee. Acquisitions from the show have added 332 pieces to the museum’s permanent collection.
“As an institution, it’s important we share what contemporary artists are up to in different cities, different states,” Miller says. “It’s art history in motion.”
Beyond their Mid-America ethos, this year’s 44 paintings, sculptures, collage, and drawings challenge the viewer, representing the state of contemporary art.
Significant to the Tri-State, one in five works is by a local art educator or student — “a sure sign that our art community is alive and well,” Miller says.
She and juror Lauren R. O’Connell, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Arizona, worked closely on selecting works for the exhibition.
“I chose works that had something personal to say,” O’Connell says. “Some started with a colloquial Midwest viewpoint, but then played with it. Instead of showing you beauty, they flipped the perspective and spoke to a contemporary moment.”
