2 art alumni to have collaborative exhibit at Project Project
calendar icon01 Dec 2022
Lincoln, Neb.--Two School of Art, Art History & Design alumni will present “Just because you carry it well, doesn’t mean it isn’t heavy,” at Project Project in Omaha from Dec. 9, 2022, to Jan. 6, 2023.
The exhibit is a collaboration between Patricia Davis (M.F.A. 2016) and Amanda Durig (M.F.A. 2020).
An opening reception will be held on Friday, Dec. 9 from 6-10 p.m., featuring food and drink, as well as works for sale.
In their collaborative statement, they write, “When you meet someone, feel an instant connection and become fast friends, it’s like you suddenly found the other half of your broken seashell on the beach. That's what happened. We suddenly knew we were on the same wavelength as people and artists. We learned that we love paper, painting, and the best tool/toy boxes of the artworld— drawing and printmaking. As a collaborative duo, we enable each other’s exploration of weird color combinations and obsessive desire to try new materials—always searching for something sparkly or that reticulates. Fascinated with dancing shadows and the ways plants enrich our lives, we bonded over mental health struggles and art geekery. But one of us is more comfortable with words and thankfully, the other is a master of meticulous studio record keeping—always knowing what was mixed together.”
In this body of work, they explore a “canopy of weirdness.”
“What results are complex mixed-media works on paper that pull you in, twirl you around and spit you out upside down, leaving you to wonder, ‘How the heck did they do that?’ Welcome to Dysfunction Junction,” they said in their collaborative statement.
Davis is a visual artist, curator and educator based in Lincoln. She has exhibited work nationally and internationally and was an artist-in-residence at Cedar Point Biological Station in Ogallala, Nebraska. She earned a B.F.A. in printmaking and sculpture from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa before earning an M.F.A. at Nebraska. After graduating, she continued to teach and became the Eisentrager-Howard Gallery Director and a faculty advisor to the MEDICI Student Gallery in the School of Art, Art History & Design. She is now curator and manager of UNO Art Gallery and Collections at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Durig is a visual artist and educator based in Lincoln. She has exhibited work nationally and internationally and is a recipient of the Coleman Printmaking Award. She received a B.F.A. in graphic design and printmaking from Youngstown State University in Ohio, before earning her M.F.A. at Nebraska. After graduating, Durig completed a two-year residency at LUX Center for the Arts in Lincoln and now works there as an education assistant. She also teaches foundations and printmaking courses at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Project Project is an independent, do-it-yourself, contemporary arts space located at 1818 Vinton St. in Omaha.