Exhibit of work by Shawn Williams opens Feb. 21
Fenêtre Gallery at HACC’s Midtown 2 will exhibit “Constructions,” work by Shawn Williams, Monday, Feb. 17 through Saturday, April 5, 2014. A reception will be held for the artist on Friday, Feb. 21, from 6-8 p.m., during 3rd in the Burg.
Williams’ work is inspired by his family’s love of working with their hands. The exhibit is a nostalgic homage to the American middle-class domestic work ethic, where personal pleasure and self-worth can be realized by working with one’s hands to build, repair or to simply keep busy by “tinkering” away on home-improvement projects. The constructions, which incorporate screen printing, are depictions relating to the handy man, projects in process or projects not yet begun. The forms of these works – chunks of walls, window shades and doors – also suggest the content of the work.
According to Williams, “The flatness of the screen-print process emphasizes the romanticized imagery in advertisements and catalogues from the 1950s, updated by the sculptural use of construction materials like drywall and cement board as printing surfaces. These ideal images of people effortlessly working on their home improvement projects offer obvious humor to anyone who has tackled projects like these on their own.”
Williams earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1998 and his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Delaware in Newark, Del. in 2001. He currently teaches printmaking and art foundation courses at HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, where he is also the technical assistant for the art programs.
Williams has had solo exhibitions at the Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia, Lock Haven University, West Chester University, Millersville University and Elizabethtown College. His work has been exhibited nationally in group exhibitions at the Print Center in Philadelphia, the North American Print Biennial in Boston and the Pleiades Gallery of Contemporary Art in New York City.
Fenêtre Gallery is on the second floor of HACC’s Midtown 2 at 1500 Third St. The entrance to the building is on Reily Street. The gallery is open on Saturdays from noon-2 p.m. and the third Friday of the month from 6-8 p.m., or by appointment. Events are free and open to the public. Visit us on Facebook for additional information.
About HACC
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, offers nearly 200 career and transfer associate degree, certificate and diploma programs to more than 20,000 students at five campuses in Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and York and through virtual learning. In addition, HACC serves more than 29,000 students in noncredit workforce development, public safety, adult basic education and continuing education programs offered at all campuses and off-site locations in many communities in Central Pennsylvania. For more information about what HACC has to offer, visit www.hacc.edu.