Nathan Pietrykowski + Amanda Crary

media release: Fall Exhibitions in the Playhouse Gallery and Rotunda Gallery run Tuesday, Sep. 1 through Sunday, Nov. 15, and exhibitions in Galleries I, II and III run Tuesday, Sep. 8 through Sunday, Nov. 29.

This fall, five exhibitions examine what it means to encounter the everyday. Artists transform found objects and discarded materials into works that explore sustainability, domesticity and overlooked places. Rooted in curiosity and openness to possibility, these practices locate profound meaning in the ordinary. Together, they demonstrate how careful attention to the mundane can reshape our understanding of ourselves, one another and our interactions with the world around us. 

Gallery I: The Great Stuff Continuum by Pat Kroth and Hilary Christensen

Gathering like magpies, Kroth and Christensen playfully create with collections of the everyday “stuff of life,” inviting the viewer to uncover hidden treasures and re-examine forgotten, discarded objects. Wander amongst skillful abstractions of the natural world and beyond. 

Gallery II: In the Margins by Nathan Pietrykowski and Amanda Crary

Crary and Pietrykowski explore the chaos and order of everyday life. Crary’s paintings translate lived rhythms of mothering in an unsteady world into layered compositions embodying safety and expansion, while Pietrykowski’s prints examine how chance and routine shape communities. 

Gallery III: Everyday Discoveries by David O. Williams and Tori Tasch

Stories unfold when the hidden details of an environment are revealed. Deeper appreciation and understanding emerge, including the beauty in its oddities, whether in Tasch’s shadowy evocations of Victorian children’s tales or in Williams’ glimpses down alleyways. 

Playhouse Gallery: Nothing New from Textile Arts Center of Madison

Discarded clothing, surplus textiles and found materials are transformed into compelling contemporary artworks that reimagine waste through the lens of sustainability, resourcefulness and care for the environment. 

Rotunda Gallery: In Between Days by Jenever Graham

Connecting her love of color, folklore and nature, Graham creates expressive abstract paintings layered with patterns and symbols through repeated mark-making. Painting intuitively, she constructs ethereal and lavish interpretations of experience promoting collective understanding, being and healing.