The ”In Conversation” series returns today with the topic “Women in Creative Industries” at 6:30 p.m. and will be in conjunction with the “Mirror, Mirror” exhibit. The event is free and open to the public.
“Debris” is an unusual work at SMOA with its large diameter and middle pathway for visitors to walk amongst, the first of its type SMOA has hosted in several years according to Elizabeth Wetterstroem, collections and exhibitions manager.
Eng and Wetterstroem worked on the exhibition right on the SMOA grounds using 700 pounds of dry clay to shape it. It will resemble fossils, things found on a beach and items that could be classified as debris, with a projected image and ambient sound complementing the piece.
Eng, who is from Carlisle, Pa., was inspired to create it by a novel that made her think like a geologist.
“It speaks to the vast amount of years (Earth) has taken shape and the decisions we’ve made with it,” she said.
Eng said unfired clay can be recycled and that makes it global in a sense. By setting up a piece on-site, she can refine it various ways, so if you saw it before or after its appearance here, it won’t be necessarily the same.
Another inspiration is her husband introducing Eng to the Jersey Shore, where she saw things found on the beach that ranged from asphalt to fragments of shells, which can seen in the final piece. She’d built up the parts of it over the past months.
“They’re things we’d classify as debris,” she said.
“Debris” will be on display at the SMOA through Nov. 12.
The “Women in Creative Industries” event will be moderated by guest curator Christine Fowler Shearer with three panelists. It will explore ideas of empowering women as leaders, in how they identify or may not be tied to their careers and how they live and work in creative fields.
“This is for the community to learn something new through abstract ideas in a tangible, meaningful way,” said Wetterstroem. “The museum is always interested in sharing with people using our artwork as a way to inspire conversations.”
For more information on the exhibition, In Conversation event or anything else connected to the SMOA, go to its website at www.springfieldart.net/.
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