the cow show at black box
30 Detroit artists were asked to submit an image of a cow. The resulting work was entirely open to interpretation and presented in a variety of styles and mediums.
The ideal bucolic setting is rudely disrupted by an aging billboard interloper in order to provide an explanation for the airborne cow’s gravitational escape. Clinton Snider narrates his cow-jumped-over-the-cow-holy-cow rhyme in a serene palette with only a touch of his usual melancholy pink and turquoise embellishments.
Holly Branstner presents a calm but eerie image of a cow grazing at night with its ghostly companion floating at the top of the picture. Drips of paint add dimension and expression to this minimal yet provocative composition.
Dan Rosbury’s expertly executed graphical presentation includes topography maps of Pacific Northwest National Forests embedded under iterations of cattle perhaps indicating the impact grazing cows have on the environment.
Gary Eleinko is the only artist not using an actual cow to meet the show’s requirements. He humorously refers to MOO as a mantra, reversing the traditional OM. He continues his clever employment of text by attending to W and M visually connecting the two renderings.
There isn’t much explanation or any kind of academic, overly processed statement accompanying this exhibition. It merely offers the endemic barnyard cow present on any American farm or ranch. A couple of my cousins own farms in mid-Michigan. Cows are surprisingly curious, closely watching as I stroll through their stables. Passing the calves’ pens, I noticed their incredibly luxurious eyelashes. One calf explored the sleeve of my hoodie with a long, curled tongue. Cows provide meat and dairy products to American kitchen tables, but they’re so much more than that. I hope several get a taste of rapture before landing on a plate or in a glass. It’s the tiniest compensation for an animal that gives humans everything it has.
Participating artists: Ann Hegarty, Carlo Vitale, Christine Hughes, Clinton Snider, Cynthia Helvey, Dan Rosbury, Deborah Sukenic, Dennis Guastella, Gary Eleinko, Gary Mayer, Holly Branstner, Jim Chatelain, Jim Pujdowski, Jo Powers, John Corbin, John Hegarty, John Helvey, Joyce Brienza, Kris Schaedig, Kurt Novak, Lila Kadaj, Marilyn Zimmerwoman, Nancy Mitchnick, Ray Katz, Shelley Malec Vitale, Shirley Parish, Steven Zatto, Todd Mitchell, Tricia Soderberg, and Valerie Parks
On view through Nov 20th at Black Box 1034 Monroe Street Dearborn
*images are mine
direct quote from gallery materials
Every time you hit that ❤️ a cow gets raptured. If you’re enjoying these musings and the what-size-is-this guessing game, consider supporting their continuation by becoming a paid subscriber.
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