The snack foods that are a staple of many families’ pantries have come off the shelf and into the East Oregonian Gallery at the Pendleton Center for the Arts.
The exhibit, Off the Shelf, remains on view through Feb. 29.
Curated by Portland artist LeBrie Rich, Off the Shelf features her work along with that of Berkeley, Calif., Brittany Powell Parich of Portland, and Elizabeth Saloka of Brooklyn, N.Y. Each artist creates work that celebrates and critiques consumer culture. Using unconventional materials like concrete, cardboard, felt and batik, these artists incorporate iconic logos and colors that are instantly recognizable in contemporary America. While each artist has different reasons behind their work, they share a fascination with the ever-presence of these products in our day-to-day lives.
The mediums featured range from appliquéd fabric to paper sculpture to painted rocks to needle-felted wool. The brands referenced in Brittany Powell Parich’s textile pieces are reduced to basic shapes but still readily recognizable, speaking to the prevalence of consumer goods in our visual awareness.
Elizabeth Saloka works with rocks that speak to different consumer goods by virtue of their shape and size. Along with familiar packaging, the work also looks at prepared items like bagels and fried eggs.
Libby Black’s work blends a mix of realism with cartoon surrealism, elevating day to day objects in interesting compositions.
Rich’s needle-felted works range in scale, with the oversize pieces, like 20” x 20” saltine cracker, creating a surreal, playful presence and the items that are the exact size as familiar boxes and bags creating an interesting perceptive shift, as viewers suddenly realize they are not looking at the actual grocery store objects.
After viewing the exhibit, visitors inspired to try their hand at needle felting will have an opportunity to create a mini brunch set at a workshop offered by LeBrie Rich on Thursday, Feb. 29 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The class is free for teens 13-18 and $55 for adults. Registration is available at PendletonArts.org.
Off the Shelf is made possible through the generous support of Harriet Isom and admission to the galleries is always free.
