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Internationally renowned artist Catherine Lee’s Alphabet Series and selected other work by Lee will open the gallery season at Lafayette College’s Williams Center for the Arts in an exhibition running September 1 through October 17.
Lee will give a noon Brown Bag lecture in Williams Center room 108 on September 15. The slide lecture will address issues involving all of the arts, including questions “about the process and art as a life choice,” says Lee. The talk is free and open to the public. Lunch may be purchased for $3. The talk will be followed by a “meet the artist” session in the gallery.
Created between 1991 and 1995, each of the 26 small, wall-mounted, abstract sculptures in the Alphabet Series is named in alphabetical order to represent a geographical place, starting with “Aleutian Islands” and ending with “Zion Canyon.” Made of bronze, each piece is comprised of two to five asymmetrical pieces that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. “The junctures suggest intersections in nature, such as a river and its banks, the sea and a beach, a grassy meadow and a wall,” notes one critic. “Such connections are enhanced by many of the rich, tantalizing colors that Lee uses” Each piece is uniquely patinated, resulting in distinctive, yet related works. The patinas are beautiful, rich colors. The works become touchstones for personal recollection and contemplation.
Also included in the exhibition are two additional works. At Odds, 1992, is comprised of 13 cast iron and nine cast bronze repeating forms hanging in two rows. Little Wishes, 1995, includes 18 small, handmade, glazed ceramic repeated units displayed in a single row.
Born in Texas in 1950, Lee first exhibited in New York at P.S.1 in 1980. Since then, her works have been displayed in solo exhibitions around the world, including ones in France, Denmark, Japan and Germany. Her work is included in the collections of such museums as the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Cleveland Museum of Art, Tate Gallery in London and Museum for Modern Art in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The works are loaned courtesy of the artist. The Alphabet Series exhibition was organized by Pamela Auchincloss Arts Management.
The exhibition series is presented under provisions of the Detwiller Endowment, and is funded in part through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency supported by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Art Gallery hours are noon-5 p.m. Monday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday; 2-5 p.m. Sunday; a half-hour before Williams Center performances; and by appointment. For information on exhibits, call 610-330-5361.