Objects and Drawings

 Flatlanders Art Galleries proudly present "Objects and Drawings", an exhibition of recent works by John Running-Johnson. The exhibition is free of charge and will be open to the public from April 20th, 2004 to June 11th, 2004. An opening reception with the artist is planned for Sunday, May 2nd from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. John Running-Johnson is a practicing artist and sculpture instructor at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. Some of his recent exhibitions include "Vignettes" at the Park Gallery in Kalamazoo, Michigan; "Sculpture Continuous" at the Overbrook Gallery in Muskegon, Michigan; and "Sculptural Memory" at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City, Indiana.

John’s Artist Statement reads:

The sculpture that I am currently working on involves directly manipulated media: welded steel, wood fabrication and carving, and the assemblage of various bronze or copper parts... In viewing the history of Sculpture, it is objects that most hold my interest: what their unique physicality does to space, time, and light. The effect of that transformation on the hands, the mind, and the eyes fascinates me. It is the ability of these still objects to continually imply action in space, not dependent upon script, fanfare, or my presence that is appealing.

An object of quality grants interactive freedom to the individual viewer. I admire that kind of quiet, complete object. In my work I seek the isolation and orchestration of implied movement and the potential for a contemplative sense of being on the part of the viewer. I work to make pieces that move the observer by means of textural empathy, color, mood, and intimate spatial position. I seek the ideal: the sculpture that remains constant while allowing for many associations.