Divergence & Senior Art Exhibition Open Nov 17th

The Coburn Gallery at Ashland University will host a duo of exhibitions; a fiber installation entitled “Divergence” created by Ohio artists Susan McClelland and Clare Murray Adams and the fall semester Senior Art Exhibition of Kara Mcwhinney.

“Divergence” is an installation of organic, sculptural forms created by Susan McClelland and Clare Murray Adams as a point of departure in the common ground of fiber work that exists for the two artists. Using the embroidery/quilting hoop as one of their points of departure the two artists started their work with this form as the underlying structure of the resulting fiber pieces.

Clare Murray Adams was born in Canton Ohio.  She received a BFA from Kent State University and an MFA from Vermont College.  She is a retired Professor of Art and former Chair of the Visual Art Department at Malone University in Canton, Ohio.  She now lives in rural Southington Ohio where she maintains an active studio practice. 
 
Earlier work was strongly rooted in quiltmaking and surface design while more recent work relies on the processes involved in mixed media collage and in encaustic painting.  Clare uses found objects and clothing as vehicles for the content of her work allowing her to comment on emotional human qualities and feminist issues.  Working in layers and with a variety of media enables her to work both two-dimensionally and sculpturally. 
 
Clare teaches workshops in collage and encaustic painting and exhibits throughout the United States.  The venues where she has shown include Quilt National in Athens OH and The Third Encaustic Invitational in Tucson AZ as well one person exhibits in Ohio, South Carolina, Michigan and California.

Susan McClelland is an artist based in Northeast Ohio. She has been an adjunct Professor of Art at Malone University and Kent State University. She received her B.S. in Computer Science and both her B.F.A and M.F.A. in Sculpture from Kent State University. Susan has exhibited in one-person and group shows throughout the Midwest. Earlier three-dimensional work by McClelland utilized traditional materials including plaster, clay, and felt. Currently Susan’s evolving work finds its basis in sculpture and installation. Her method of creating relies heavily on intuition. She is interested in the unconventional use of materials and processes that involve fibers and hand sewing. 

Kara McWhinney is an Art Education major with a concentration in ceramics from Medina, Ohio.

The exhibition will run from November 17 through December 18. An opening reception is planned for Thursday, November 17; from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and is free and open to the public. For more information about the reception or exhibition, call 419.289.5652 or visit us on Facebook.