The Center for the Arts invites the public to it gallery for a showing of Haute Metal from January 7th through February 2nd. There is no admission and the gallery is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 9:00 to 5:00 and Saturdays from 10:00 to 5:00. The local arts center is at 110 West College Street in uptown Murfreesboro.
The show combines and contrasts a series of masculine, oftentimes weathered assemblage and sculpture made from rusted, aged and discarded materials with an array of glitzy, over-the-top mixed media collage based on the perceptions and ideologies of human beauty. The show is comprised of the recent works of two artists, Whitney Keels and Gerry McMahon.
Keels and McMahon are both native to the middle Tennessee area, born in Mt. Juliet and Nashville respectively. Both artists are also graduating seniors at Middle Tennessee State University, Keels receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and McMahon in Sculpture. Keel’s work included in the show is predominately mixed media and collage.
The pieces focus on the lengths people go to gain acceptance from other individuals in the strife for physical perfection. Keel says “We are constantly inundated with magazines, television shows, and other media that glorify these ideals of perfection.” Combining mixed media and collage in her work reflects the complexity of low self-esteem and self-deprecating behaviors. McMahon’s work, conversely, employs discarded, sometimes rotting wood and parts of old machines. He says “a length of rope, some links of a rusty chain, and random old nuts and bolts provide me with not only the materials I need to work, but also the reason for my work.” These small objects and parts are metaphors for parts of the individual self that are sometimes kept deep inside. “We all tend to hide our broken pieces so that we can blend into the preconceived perfections of our society.”
An opening reception will be held for the artists on Saturday January 7th from 5 to 7 p.m.
