The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Art Gallery is proud to present Containers by Hyrum Benson, from Monday, July 25 through Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016. The public is invited to view the exhibition throughout the show’s run and attend the Gallery Reception on Friday, Sept. 2 from 5-7 p.m., which is being held in conjunction with the First Friday Art Walk. The event will include a Gallery Talk with the artist at 5:30 p.m.
Containers features new work by Benson, a UMPI faculty member and the new Director of the Reed Art Gallery. The show focuses on ceramic vessels with many concentrating on the idea of storage and preservation. Many of the objects reference simpler times, a slower life style with an idea of conservation. This show features mostly utilitarian pots that reference historical ideology while confronting the idea of over-consumption and waste.
“I am excited about this new body of work,” Benson said. “The style is something that I have always enjoyed doing; this idea of interacting with my work is important to why I do what I do. In this show I have several large vessels that I am excited about. It has been some time since I have made larger work.”
Benson is a ceramics artist originally from Idaho, who joined the UMPI faculty after teaching at the University of North Texas, where he also served as an Assistant Administrator in the College of Visual Arts and Design. Benson is an accomplished artist with several years of successful exhibits and shows. He has presented exhibitions in galleries from Texas and Georgia to Kansas and Idaho, and has art work in the permanent collection at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. Benson said his current ceramic work focuses on the formal elements of design, but that he is also interested in, and with, the industrial.
Benson is a graduate of the University of North Texas with his MFA in Ceramics, and Brigham Young University-Idaho with a BFA in 3D Studies, Ceramics emphasis.
“I am excited and a bit overwhelmed to be the new Reed Gallery Director,” Benson said. “I have large shoes to fill, but am really looking forward to the upcoming shows this year. We will be featuring a wide spectrum of art and I think everyone will find something that they enjoy.”
All are invited to view the show starting July 25 and to come out to First Friday Art Walk on Sept. 4 and take part in the free reception. Light refreshments will be served. Please follow gallery happenings on the Reed Gallery Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ReedArtGallery.
The Reed Art Gallery is located in the Center for Innovative Learning. Please note the gallery’s summer hours: from July 25 to Aug. 26, the gallery is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Regular hours begin on Aug. 29: the gallery will be open Monday through Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The gallery is closed during University holidays. For more information about this event, please contact Benson at hyrum.benson@maine.edu.
