The Ruth Davis Design Gallery at University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Human Ecology is pleased to present “Laura Anderson Barbata: Transcommunality,” from Sept. 19 to Nov. 21.
The exhibition documents the work of Mexican-born, New York-based artist Laura Anderson Barbata, which principally focuses on the decade-long project she undertook with stilt-walking communities from Trinidad to Tobago, and Mexico to Brooklyn. Her project highlights the diverse cultures and vitality of the installation art through stilt walking.
Through artistic inventions during special events, carnival competitions, workshops and outreach programs, diverse groups can produce social ideals and gain respect for cultural heritage.
Barbata hopes to share various stories behind her artwork. The artwork presented in the exhibition widely ranges from textile-based to sculpture objects, as well as photographs, videos and projections that document the collaborative nature of the exhibition.
Stilt walking is a form of installation art, and setting up installation art may be more challenging than any other art form. Spanning from 17 feet tall to 11 inches small, the art works presented by Barbata are no exceptions.
Liese Pfeifer, a director of the Gallery, was responsible for designing the show and putting everything up for the exhibition within the gallery, frequently using the tools like sketch-ups. Pfeifer says that putting up this particular exhibitwas very challenging, but the most fun assemblage so far.
“What was unique about this exhibit is that it is like a big puzzle. It came with eight crates, and another 18 stands,” Pfeifer said. “Physically it was huge.”
“It’s very different from seeing two dimensional work on the wall,” Pfeifer said. “Part of what installation art does is to create an environment. As a viewer, when you walk in here, you get a body response, which is totally fitting for what it is.”
Each exhibition is meant to tell distinctive stories.
“For exhibition of Wall Street toward the back part of the gallery, you feel you are small,” Pfeifer said. “It makes you feel really insignificant, which is perfect for what story it is.”
With different stories, each exhibit represents documentations of the performances.
“Transcommunality” also attempts to tackle diversity in the university setting, and the Ruth Davis Design Gallery continuously seeks to take different approaches of art for the university and Madison community.
“Our mission is to serve the students first, and the UW professionals, and we also add Madison as the whole,” Pfeifer said. “It is important to have exhibition opportunities to the students to show the diverse subject matter, and what we have shown has been very diverse.”
In addition, there will be a public exhibition, co-sponsored by the UW Arts Institute with music by Golpe Tierra, performances by Madison stilt walkers and exhibition of Latin American, Caribbean and West African textiles from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection and refreshments, which will take place Sept. 28 from 3 to 5 p.m. There also will be a talk by the artist from 2 to 3 p.m.
The Gallery’s hours are Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
