A new month has welcomed new excitement to Vincennes University with the opening of a new art exhibition.
On Oct. 30 at 8:30 a.m. the Shircliff Gallery of Art opened its doors with a fresh look into the mind of local artist Sarah Wolfe and her show entitled: Opusilva: Woodland Work.
The opening night of this new exhibit was held on Nov. 7 where students, faculty and locals joined together to hear Wolfe’s creative process and what
inspired this latest collection.
“A large part of my motivation when I make work is that it costs me as little money as possible and as few errands as possible, so I like the idea of growing my material,” Wolfe said.
“I really enjoy working within beeswax because it reminds me of melting crayons on lightbulbs as a kid. And it smells good,” she said with a laugh.
Wolfe’s art is made up of natural materials, things like found wood, eggshells, beeswax, okra, and even denim. When necessary, she uses paper mâché to hold everything together.
She incorporates magnifying glass into some of her work, even dead bees, too. And while some of it has a very woodland, nest-like feel, other pieces create more sea- or shell-like impressions using rope and even metallics like gold and pearl.
Wolfe, who spent the last year as the eclipse director for the City of Vincennes, noticed how disconnected people have been from the outside world, including herself, and decided that through her art, she could become more linked.
“As a kid I was always picking up sticks and bug shells, and I’m just always trying to connect with that kid inside me who just did those things without thinking about anything else.
“It’s really rare that we get to just disappear in those moments anymore,” she said.
Wolfe’s hope is that students who see her work are able to think about “going outside a little bit more and how they interact with the outside world.”
From that experience, Wolfe encouraged art students to create what their hearts desire.
“Art is for everybody,” she said.
However, she adds, “don’t make it for your audience, because when you start doing it for other people.”
“It’s just not as real,” she said.
The Shircliff Gallery of Art has a committee that chooses its artists through proposal submissions and “this artist was not unfamiliar to us, but we just though the work was really great,” said Director of the Shircliff Gallery of Art, Christopher Schneberger.
“It is an assemblage of natural materials that brings us back to our childhood and we embrace that experience of nature again through her artwork,” said Schneberger.
The Shircliff Gallery of Art is open 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m Monday through Friday and is located at the intersection of First and Harrison streets.
Opusilva: Woodland Work will be on display until Dec. 6.
