Abel Contemporary Gallery Exhibits

media release: November 11 - December 31, 2022, we present Karl Borgeson and Mary Hood: New Work, Cup Show: Group Show, In no. 5: Keeping Time: by Kelly Connole and Danny Saathoff. Opening Reception Friday, November 11, 5pm-8pm open to the public (snow date: Saturday, November 12, 5pm-8pm ). Shows open online Saturday, November 12 at 10 AM CST.

In-Person Artist Talk: Mary Hood- Saturday, November 12, 2pm

Virtual Artist Talk: Kelly Connole and Danny Saathoff – Thursday December 8, 5pm: This online event will include: a video walk-through of the exhibition installed in the gallery, conversation with the artists about their work, and Q&A with the audience. Broadcast through Facebook live and available on our website, the recorded video will also be available to view after the event has ended.

Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Years Day, and open 10-2 on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.

Karl Borgeson and Mary Hood : New Work 

Karl Borgeson creates sculptural utilitarian ceramics rooted in a minimalist pallet. Using 

two slips, four glazes, and two clay bodies, stoneware, and porcelain, Borgeson develops subtle variations of color and texture. Particularly intrigued by the every-day objects and vernacular architecture he observed while traveling in West Africa and Indonesia, Borgeson incorporates these influences in the surface decoration of his work as exemplified by the use of line to references a variety of basket weaving imagery.  

Mary Hood’s most recent body of work employs large format etching techniques to reflect on pandemic realities through the lens of what we can learn from trees. Using trees metaphorically Hood explores the realities of isolation, interdependence, rebirth, communities, and strength. Always interested in the wide range of techniques printmaking encompasses, for this project, Hood researched laser engraving combining it with traditional intaglio techniques.

Cup Show: Group Show

Perhaps the simplest, most utilitarian vessel, the cup possesses an immense history and enormous formal variation. This exhibit showcases cups in their many forms by Chris 

Alveshere, Tom Bartel, Jamie Bates Slone, Aaron Becker, Karl Borgeson, Winthrop Byers, Jeff Campana, Rob Cartelli, Craig Clifford, Sunshine Cobb, Nick DeVries, Paul Donnelly, Ben Eberle, Delores Fortuna, Daniel Garver, Chris Gustin, Steven Hill, Rick Hintze, Paul Ide, Maggie Jaszczak, Tom Jaszczak, Kyle Johns, Bruce Johnson, Stacey Johnson Hardy, Ani Kasten, Joanne Kirkland, Tim Kowalczyk, Debbie Kupinsky, Lynda Ladwig, Glynnis Lessing, George Lowe, Ernest Miller, Rachelle Miller, Alex Mandli, Ryan Myers, Ted Neal, Charlie Olson, Wendy Olson, Matt Repsher, Reid Schoonover, Juliane Shibata, Mark Skudlarek, Amy Smith, Chad Steve, and  Shumpei Yamaki.

In no. 5: Keeping Time: Kelly Connole and Danny Saathoff

Comprised of both collaborative and individual pieces by Kelly Connole and Danny Saathoff, Keeping Time explores the synergies between their complimentary aesthetics and conceptual ideas.  Time, on a geologic and human scale, reverberates through the work as the artists reflect on climate change and familial relationships.  The work emulates the fragility and vulnerability of our planet, and ourselves, through rhythmic sounds, visual repetition, and the use of recognizable imagery of birds and boats, maps and butterflies, partnered with ice, earth, and machines.