Abel Contemporary Gallery Exhibits Reception

media release: November 8 - December 29, 2024

Opening Reception Friday, November 8, 5 - 8pm (snow date Saturday, November 9, 5-8pm)

Emily Belknap Artist Talk – Saturday, December 7, 2PM

Shows Open Online Saturday, November 9 at 10 am CST.

Dennis Nechvatal: Presence: Dennis Nechvatal’s visual world is one of enigmatic beauty and natural wonder, inviting close investigation and layered interpretations. Though rendering a near overabundance of visual detail, Nechvatal collapses foreground and background into a single dense plane, reveling in the minutia of natural observation. His idiosyncratic visions focus on botanical imagery through still lifes and landscapes, often using abstracted figures or masks as stand-ins for the presence of humans in these phantasmagorical spaces. Nechvatal’s works are included in prestigious collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, Milwaukee Art Museum, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Chazen Museum of Art, Arkansas Art Center, among others.

Cup Show: Perhaps the simplest, most utilitarian vessel, the cup possesses an immense history and enormous formal variation. This year, we are excited to have ceramic artists Rachelle Miller and Ryan Myers, hosts of the "Altered Potters" podcast, join us as guest curators for this annual exhibition. This exhibit showcases cups in their many forms and we are pleased to include work by Chris Alveshere, Sarah Anderson, Jenni Brant, Karl Borgeson, Craig Clifford, Gabs Conway, Nick DeVries, Paul Donnelly, Wendy Eggerman, Delores Fortuna, Noelle Hoover, Maggie Jaszczak, Peter Jadoonath, Tom Jaszczak, Lydia Johnson, Jason Kaping, Brendan Kelley, Joanne Kirkland, Brian Kluge, Tim Kowalczyk, Debbie Kupinsky, Nancy Kubale, Dean Leeper, Glynnis Lessing, Harry Levenstein, Andrew Linderman, Becky Lloyd, Kate Marotz, Catie Miller, Rachelle Miller, Betsy Morningstar, Ryan Myers, Ted Neal, Lindsay Oesterritter, Charlie Olson, Lisa Orr, Jarred Pfeiffer, Reid Schoonover, Joe Singewald, Mark Skudlarek, Mitchell Spain, David Swenson, Samuel Thompson, Levi Yastrow.

In no. 5: : Land of Plenty; An Appeal to Heaven by Emily Belknap: For the Land of Plenty Belknap has created a series of hand-embroidered flags, displayed on six-foot poles and topped with carved wooden finials. Each flag is designed for a “natural remnant,” a landscape that has been diminished but still exists as an example of what was once vast. The subtitle of this series, An Appeal to Heaven refers to a continental army flag from 1775 depicting a pine tree. White pine was used for the masts of colonial warships. In this way, the first American flag exposed the nation’s founding motive: mass extraction of abundant resources. There is a paradox embedded in each flag, as they at once confront pride in scarcity while affirming actual abundance.