Elder Gallery Exhibition, Curated by Alums, Highlights Alumni Artists

Two recent alumni from the Department of Art & Art History have curated a new exhibition at the Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art that features print media works by five alumni. Disrupting the Matrix: Impressions, which opened on December 1, was curated by Nicole Thrower ‘21 and Jennifer Minnis ‘21, both associates at the gallery. A community driven companion exhibition to Elder Gallery’s Disrupting the Matrix, the alumni show explores topics of mental health, emotions, self-examination, lived experience, and existentialism.

Morgan Tran, managing director at Elder Gallery, initiated the idea of having a UNC Charlotte alumni printmaking show in conjunction with Disrupting the Matrix. The gallery’s first exhibition exclusively dedicated to the practice of printmaking, Disrupting the Matrix features works by 15 artists, including UNC Charlotte faculty Erik Waterkotte and Anna Kenar. Impressions utilizes Elder’s “pocket gallery,” a space for upcoming local artists, collaborations, and experimental exhibitions. Both exhibitions run through March 30, 2024.

Works by alumni artists in the Disrupting the Matrix: Impressions exhibition at Elder Gallery. Photo by Morgan Tran.

It was Thrower’s first opportunity to curate an exhibition.

“I had full hands on every step: artist selection, communicating with the artist, consignment agreements, installation, etc.,” she said. “Jennifer Minnis and I brainstormed a list of recent UNC Charlotte graduates who were printmaking majors as well as alumni in the art department who took interest in printmaking despite it not being their concentration. We also selected work based on the printmaking process, as we wanted to share as many printmaking processes as possible in the exhibition.”

Impressions includes works by Thrower and four additional alumni: Callie Brewer ‘21, Laura Lucas ‘23, Asia Hanon ‘23, and Tiara Tiana ‘23.

Brewer submitted four works – two intaglio prints, “Umphidone” and “Drained”, and two silkscreen prints mounted on a mirror titled “What Do You Mean I Look Tired?” and “I’d Give You Everything.” Lucas has two collagraphs, “Dark Age” and “Dark Age (Square).” Hanon’s print, “As I Am,” is a linocut on paper. Tiana created a collage made from collagraphs, entitled “Pandora’s Box.” Thrower’s piece in the show is “Amor Fati,” a large scale woodcut print on Kitikata paper (pictured right).

“The hope for the audience is that the people who experience Disrupting the Matrix and Impressions find a love for printmaking and its versatility,” Thrower said. “There is no right or wrong way to do printmaking; it is a medium that is meant to be experimented with and challenged. Disrupting the Matrix does a beautiful job of showcasing the different processes and results of printmaking. I hope visitors leave the gallery feeling inspired, creatively or emotionally, and that they learned about the beauty of printmaking.”

Top image: “What Do You Mean I Look Tired?” and “I’d Give You Everything” by Callie Brewer ’21.