News Archives

2014 ‘Corrugated Worlds: The Work of James Grashow’

WCSU Visual and Performing Arts Center to host inaugural exhibition,  ‘Corrugated Worlds: The Work of James Grashow’

Image of James Grashow's artworkDANBURY, CONN. — The Western Connecticut State University Department of Art will present “Corrugated Worlds: The Work of James Grashow” as the inaugural exhibition in the Visual and Performing Arts Center (VPAC) on the university’s Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. An Exhibition Opening and Gallery Gala Reception will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, noon to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. Grashow’s work will be on display through Sunday, Dec. 7. Please note that the gallery will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday from Wednesday, Nov. 26, through Sunday, Nov. 30.

The exhibition will include a unique arrangement of cardboard flowers, animals and people in the VPAC Art Gallery. Dancing couples tower alongside cascading walls of monkeys, while graceful birds are perched in bouquets of precisely detailed constructed flowers at arms’ length. An oversized vase will be displayed in the building’s atrium, which will contain the flowers constructed by Grashow and Community Workshop participants. This piece will continue to change and grow throughout the exhibition.

The Community Workshop will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. The workshop, in VPAC Room 248, will offer the opportunity to work with the artist in the construction of cardboard flowers to be included in the exhibition. Pre-registration is required at (203) 837-8403 or robeaul@wcsu.edu.

Grashow also will talk about his life and work in an artist lecture from 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014, in VPAC Room 108. The events are free and open to the public.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Grashow received his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts from the Pratt Institute. After obtaining his B.F.A., Grashow was awarded a Fulbright Travel Grant to Florence, Italy, for painting and graphics. Creating works that address themes of man, nature and mortality, he has been represented by the Allan Stone Gallery since 1966.

Grashow is a sculptor and woodcut artist known for his large-scale installations and delicate menageries constructed out of cardboard. His powerful woodcuts have appeared regularly in The New York Times and other major periodicals across the country. He has created iconic album covers for bands such as Jethro Tull, the Yardbirds and Deep Purple.

The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield recently showcased Grashow’s large installation, “Corrugated Fountain.” Inspired by the Trevi Fountain in Rome, it traveled to multiple locations before being presented at the Aldrich, where it was placed outdoors to deteriorate by nature’s design. Documentarian Olympia Stone captured this process in the film “The Cardboard Bernini.”

“Making a fountain out of cardboard is absurd, an oxymoron,” Grashow said. “It is a perfect poetic message. All things have a lifetime.”

For more information, call (203) 837-8403 or visit www.wcsu.edu/art/gallery.html,
www.jamesgrashow.com or http://thecardboardbernini.com.

 

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics
of New England’s best small private universities.