A FANCIFUL NOTION : 2013-14 Artist in Residence Lindsay Scypta and Rittenberg Fellow Ron Geibel
June 7 - July 25, 2014
Rituals happen in all aspects of the home. From the perfectly groomed exterior to the intricately planned meals that occur on the interior, A Fanciful Notion explores the perception and reality of the home. Lindsay Scypta and Ron Geibel use their intricate use of ornamentation as common ground to explore these ideas. Geibel utilizes multiples to create his porcelain topiaries which disguise intimate objects within the work as an overarching sexual commentary.
Geibel’s work questions whether what lies on the interior truly matches the exterior. Scypta is dissecting components of the home, where the table as a place of social intimacy and the dinnerware as the objects that define the choreography of the meal.
About the Artists:
Lindsay Scypta: Joining us from Columbus, OH, Lindsay completed a BFA in Art & Design from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Lindsay has been a summer intern Anderson Ranch Art Center and an artist-in-residence at Ashland University. Lindsay completed her MFA Ohio State University, following her thesis research to England, visiting the Wedgwood Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum and Brighton Palace.
"My tableware pivots around notions of the table, and social intimacy. The table addresses all of the senses from seeing the dressed table to the gracefulness of the cup lifting to your lips. I want my work to afford people a sense of togetherness and community. In the 1880s dinnerware was advertised to women comparably to the way fashion is advertised today, where the table is the mannequin that needs to be dressed. Unfortunately, in our current culture the table seems disjointed from the meal, although once synonymous. Choreographing the progression of the meal by stacking the dishes to be unwrapped, is my way of pushing the ideals of social iteration. Through the investigation of historical meals, I am able to imagine the choreography of the footmen, gracefully gliding from guest to guest and guest to sideboard, and finally contrasted to the modern host who scrambles to prepare the meal for guests. These towers replace the footmen and the frantic host, commenting subtly on such social implications through their utilitarian attributes. I use food as a way of interpreting the world where the tableware creates rituals through decorum, and the table to build camaraderie. As the maker it is my greatest wish to see these objects in use in the world, and most importantly, through their utility, the necessity of the table within the home becomes indisputable."
Ron Geibel grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2007, he received a BFA in ceramics from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. He has been an artist in residence at Red Lodge Clay Center and The Chautauqua Institution's School of Art. In 2013 Geibel received his MFA from the University of Montana. Currently, Geibel lives in White Plains, NY and is the 2013/2014 Barbara Rittenberg Fellowship recipient at the Clay Art Center in Port Chester, NY.
"How do we choose what to expose and what to conceal about our personal lives? What are the consequences when secrets are revealed publicly? Who are the chosen recipients of this information? These questions form the foundation for my artistic process. I investigate the possibilities of using the “private” to examine the “public.” How does the public react when confronted with what is usually kept private? Through an artistic process that explores the intersections of the public and private spheres, I strive to question our awareness of self and of others.
My aesthetic choices are influenced by the notion of the upper middle class American family. The perfectly groomed exterior with the manicured lawn and trimmed shrubs represents the idea that, “everything is perfect.” Working with multiples obscures the sexual references that influence the topiary series. Creating an inconspicuous exterior is a strategy used to display objects that reference the private parts of people’s lives, issues concerning, sexuality, gender and identity that are typically kept hidden."
