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Fantastical Imaginings

For more information contact:
Julie Ann Cavnor 410-962-8565 / jcavnor@mdartplace.org

February 19- March 28, 2009
Gallery Talk: Friday, Februry 27, 7 pm / Reception 8pm

February 10, 2009—Baltimore, MD, Maryland Art Place (MAP) is pleased to present Fantastical Imaginings, an exhibition presented in partnership with the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts (DCCA) and in conjunction with the Julio Fine Arts Gallery at Loyola College of Maryland.
Fantastical Imaginings features paintings, drawings, and sculptures by fourteen artists whose works are oriented toward creating imagined worlds full of intrigue, excitement, and discovery. Exhibition curator J. Susan Isaacs notes, “Imagination—the eye of the artist turned inward rather than outward—provides unending possibilities for artists to respond to the pressures of the outside world.”

Variably influenced by outsider art, Surrealism, graphic novels, cartoons, and animation, the artists in the exhibition work across styles and media. Contemporary artists and critics have eliminated, or certainly made porous, barriers between so-called “High” and “Low” art. For practicing artists there is nothing either in the history of art or in popular culture that cannot be mined to find new ways of addressing both personal and societal issues.

The artists in this exhibition all create narrative art around invented worlds. Some use the fantastical to make social commentary while others present a world completely disconnected from contemporary issues, often sublimating fears into dreamscapes. Artists explore their innermost vision either to exorcise fears or to explore dramatic and creative possibilities. The works in Fantastical Imaginings capture the whimsical, the uncanny, the theatrical, and the odd—each rendered in a distinct style.

Artists in Fantastical Imaginings include: Laylah Ali (Williamstown, MA), Roberley Bell (Batavia, NY), Paul Chidester (Bellefonte, PA), Amy Cutler (Brooklyn, NY), Marilyn Holsing (Merion Station, PA), Mark Hosford (Nashville, TN), John Karpinski (Philadelphia, PA), A.D. Loveday (Wilmington, DE), Claire Owen (Philadelphia, PA), Serena Perrone (Philadelphia, PA), Hiro Sakaguchi (Philadelphia, PA), John Shipman (Germantown, MD), Anne Siems (Seattle, WA), and Lee Wilkinson (Philadelphia, PA).

Please plan to join curator J. Susan Isaacs and participating artists for a Gallery Talk held at MAP on Friday, February 27 at 7pm followed by a Reception 8 pm.
Additional works by Marilyn Holsing, A.D. Loveday, Serena Perrone and Hiro Sakaguchi will be on view at the Julio Fine Art Gallery at Loyola College in Maryland through March 28, 2009. A Gallery Talk and Reception is scheduled for Friday, February 27 from 5-7 pm.  For more information, please visit: www.loyola.edu.

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Maryland Art Place (MAP) is a not-for-profit center for contemporary art established in 1981 to: develop and maintain a dynamic environment for regional artists to exhibit their work, nurture and promote new ideas and new forms, and facilitate rewarding exchanges between artists and the public through educational leadership.  Having served over 8,000 artists throughout its twenty-eight year history, MAP remains dedicated to promoting the talents of new and emerging artists and making contemporary art accessible and a means for regular enrichment. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11am to 5 pm. There is no admission charge to enter the gallery or to participate in any of MAP’s regularly scheduled programs and events. To learn more, visit: www.mdartplace.org