Written by Jordan Hanson
The new exhibitions presented by artists Leigh Ann Beavers and Sam Van Aken will be opening Friday, Oct. 26 in the Olin and Smoyer galleries. Both exhibitions are botanical, utilizing trees and plants as subjects.
Beavers’ display in the Olin gallery, titled “Inattention Correction (Whitethorn)” is a mixed-media project centered around the whitethorn tree. As the title suggests, the artist encourages viewers to correct their inattention and notice what is there. Beavers currently teaches at Washington and Lee University, and will be holding an artist lecture in the Olin gallery at 6:30 p.m. during the opening reception from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 27.
New York based artist Sam Van Aken’s display “Open Orchard” will be held in the Smoyer gallery, where it elaborates on “The Tree of Forty Fruits” project that currently exists in the Olin courtyard. The tree, singularly grafted with the ability to grow and produce over 40 varieties of stone fruit, will be represented in the new exhibition through botanical drawings and prints of Aken’s “Seed Packet Grafts” collages.
The exhibitions will be on display until Dec. 2. during normal Olin gallery hours (1-4 p.m.).
