What allows you to transcend into a deeper awareness? Until March 2, 2007 there will be a show called Glimpse/Stare in the Northeastern Fine Arts Center Gallery. It features work from painter Rhonda Wheatley and sculptor Isaac Duncan III.
It will be out during Black History Month, though it is not specifically geared toward African American culture. Gallery Coordinator Heather Weber stated, “I choose shows on the quality of work; this is not exactly for black history.” At the gallery opening, Chicago artist Rhonda Wheatley was present.
Isaac Duncan III, a Brooklyn native of Afro-Cuban descendant, received his bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Notre Dame, certification of secondary art education from St. Mary’s College, and a master of fine arts from the University of Kentucky. He has lectured on his work at various seminars.
“These investigations started after I began teaching elementary school art,” Duncan said of the series. “I found myself reinvestigating basic forms which led me to redefining what sculpture was to me. Sculpture forces one to consider and re-consider their existence and the existence of that which is.”
Duncan’s work focuses on gravity, balance, motion, references, and interaction of the whole to its parts.
Rhonda Wheatley is a self-taught artist whose acrylic and collage paintings reflect her passion for words and letterforms. When asked how she started painting, she laughed,. “My mom says I have been painting since I was in diapers, but I didn’t originally consider a career in art.”
Her paintings reflect diverse sources of inspiration: ancient writing systems, alphabets from all over the world, and typography. About this specific series Wheatley said, “In my ‘Glimpse’ series of paintings, I am attempting to capture a moment ? a shift in consciousness, where there is a long, forever moment where there is no past, no future.” There is a visual reference to Sanskrit, atomic symbols, script, and language to varying degrees in each piece.
Wheatley’s inspiration comes from “uplifting colors, science, the spiritual, philosophy, quantum physics” she professed. She truly enjoys art and literature and went to college to be a writer. She confessed that the strong presence of letterforms and language in her artwork is connected to her love of language.
Duncan and Wheatley’s works are tastefully matched in this show. Both artists’ work is rooted in universal concepts: thought, form, and self- awareness. The Fine Arts Gallery is not the most ideal exhibit space, but it brings in quality artistic works and displays them in an attractive and open area. Spring semester gallery hours are Monday-Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Call 773.442.4944 for more information or visit the Web site at www.neiu.edu/~art/gal.html.