Paridise Ignored: an exhibition of recent works by Robert Barnum

 Flatlanders Art Galleries proudly presents "Paradise Ignored", a solo exhibition of paintings by Robert Barnum. The exhibition is free of charge and will be open to the public from August 3^rd to September 17^th, 2004. An opening reception is planned for Sunday, August 15^th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Don’t miss the solo exhibitions also being held in Flatlanders’ other gallery spaces!

Robert Barnum, of Big Rapids, Michigan, is a visual storyteller whose narratives describe blue collar America and the common person. The works exhibited in "Paradise Ignored" illustrate the people of the middle class who are seldom described in visual form. His oil and watercolor paintings use flowing line, fluid color, and rhythmic movement to exaggerate and distort reality. The figures are stretched and elongated into improbable yet elegant poses.

Barnum is renowned for his murals such as "Of Thought and Reason", a 130 foot mural on canvas located at Ferris State University that "traces the history of humankind from the Paleolithic era to the present and on into the Brave New World of tomorrow." He has received over 30 awards in National and International Juried competitions and has been included in such publications as Dialogue and American Artist Magazine.

Robert Barnum is currently a teacher and Artist-In-Residence at Ferris State University where he has been instrumental in developing a campus wide museum devoted to Michigan artists. Artserve Michigan recently presented him with its highest honor, the 2002 Governor’s Michigan Artist Award that recognizes those who create, sustain, and promote art in the state.