STAMP First Floor 1220
Tel: (301) 314-ARTS
E-mail: sconaway@umd.edu
Mon: 10:00am - 8:00pm
Tues: 10:00am - 8:00pm
Wed: 10:00am - 8:00pm
Thur: 10:00am - 8:00pm
Fri: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Sat: 11:00am - 5:00pm
Sun: Closed

Appropriately:

Five Artists Exploring Humor

COLLEGE PARK, MD--The University of Maryland’s Union Gallery presents Appropriately: Five Artists Exploring Humor, on view January 12 – February 17, 2006. The exhibition features work by five mid-Atlantic artists, A. Clarke Bedford, Jonathan Bucci, Mike Geno, Barry Scott and R.L. Tillman. As part of the exhibition, A. Clarke Bedford will present his lecture/performance, The Hornbuckle School of Hygiene and the Arts: The Crisis of Aesthetic Focus in 19th Century Rural America, on February 9th at 5pm.

Appropriately looks at how these five artists use parody, irony, satire and subtle playfulness to elicit varied responses from the viewer. The work presented in this exhibition relies on the viewer’s previous experiences of viewing art, playing with their expectations and ideas of what are appropriate responses to contemporary art.

Both Jonathan Bucci and A. Clarke Bedford make direct use of art world references. Bucci’s installation, Biscayne Bay, parodies Christo’s 1983 surrounded island piece by using camouflage and pink colored latex to create miniature islands on the floor. Bedford’s “historical” presentation of modern art derived from the argyle sock; pez dispensers of important sculptures; and other curiosities plays with the viewer’s inclination to trust what they see on the walls.

Popular culture, kitsch, and commercialism provide the fodder for Mike Geno and R.L. Tillman– Geno with his hand painted clocks adorned with portraits of celebrities and Tillman with his satirical proposal for a fast food restaurant chain. And Barry Scott’s playful and quirky wax creatures relish in their thinly veiled innuendo.

The exhibition was curated by Union Gallery staff Maya Livio and Brian Sykes.

The Union Gallery is supported in part by a grant from the Prince George’s Arts Council, PGAC Super Circle, and the Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission. 



The Union Gallery is located on the first floor of the Stamp Student Union on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. Admission to the exhibition is free and open to the public. Hours are 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

For more information, contact the gallery at 301-314-8493
or by email at uniongallery@umd.edu .