Rock Island, Illinois – Preservation of wildlife and respect for our river’s ecosystem will be on display at MidCoast Gallery West during January and February. The Art Collective, twelve artists from the Quad City region, will present a group show at the gallery located at 1629 2nd Avenue, Rock Island. “A River Runs Thru Us” debuts Friday, January 8, at an opening reception from 6-9 pm which is free to the public.
Dunking your art materials in the Mississippi River may be unorthodox, but fiber artist Lori Miller started there in developing her collages for this group show. “In exploring this theme for our group show, I was seeking inspiration. So I took a trip to LeClaire and brought some fabric along with me – and dunked all of it into the river, hoping for a creative spark,” she shared. “Looking around as the fabric floated, I felt a pang of sadness as I could see trash scattered on the shore and floating in the water.” Miller realized her pieces would incorporate not only the river-dunked fabric, but the trash she collected into fiber-based collages that express the need to continually make responsible choices to protect our waterways.
Another Collective artist historically has created art that supports continued environmental awareness. A member of the prestigious Society of Animal Artists, Brent Langley’s subjects feature the beauty of nature and wildlife. “The Mississippi River and its tributaries were once a lush, biologically diverse ecosystem,” he explains. “Then Europeans arrived and ‘civilized’ the region, using the river as a repository of untreated and under-treated manufacturing, community, and agricultural waste. Fortunately, our river system is recovering and we welcome the sight of large numbers of species enjoying their habitat.” Langley, whose work can be found in the collection of Rocky Mountain National Park, will be showing his paintings as part of the Collective show.
Showcasing the beauty of the river’s wildlife to influence and inspire is the goal of another Collective artist. Sheryl Lammers, an award-winning painter, brings her love of nature to her works. “My goal in my artwork is to interpret natural landscapes with the wildlife that depend on them,” she explains. “I hope viewers of my work better understand, appreciate and, hopefully, protect our natural world.” Lammers resides in Davenport and will be debuting her newest work featuring a bald eagle.
Birds also figure strongly into the work of Bill Wohlford for this Collective show. “For me, our river is about birds, from eagles to cormorants,” he shares. “Birds are a ballet of grace and perfection. They are a wonder in their simple display of color and their complexity of flight.” Wohlford uses wood to capture a moment of that continuous motion in his sculptures that will feature prominently in the show.
The Art Collective show will feature the work of 12 artists with media ranging from wood to calligraphy. In addition to Miller, Langley, Lammers and Wohlford, the Collective includes Naidine D’Angelo, Amy S. Nielsen, Rose Moore, Patricia Halverson, Jay Stratton, Andi Naab, Bonnie Grebner, and Judy O. Gray. For more information on the show and the gallery, contact Carolyn Krueger at carolynjkrueger@gmail.com. For more information on The Art Collective, visit our Facebook page at The-Art-Collective or contact Lori Miller at lmfiberart@gmail.com.
###
