“Liberal Arts: Selected works from Truman State University”

Flood Plain is pleased to announce their newest exhibition “Liberal Arts: Selected works from Truman State University,” which runs October 13 to November 10, 2018 with a public reception on Saturday, October 20 at 6-9pm. The exhibition features work by four Truman State University BFA and BA students, Corin Hoke, Madi Pearson, Nicholas Phan, and Nala Turner, whose work includes painting, ceramics, printmaking, and embroidery. The four exhibiting artists were selected by the gallery from a group of ten students nominated for the show by their instructors. Works in the show explore a range of social, political and aesthetic topics, including black women’s lived experience and social (in)visibility; femininity, domesticity, and mental health; composition as a key component of memory, nature and visual art; and the sublime as a genre that mediates between fantasy and danger.

“Liberal Arts” is the first project in an ongoing collaboration between Flood Plain and the Art Department at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. The partnership aims to bridge the geographical and cultural distance between Missouri’s urban and rural arts communities. It is Flood Plain’s second regional partnership, following their first, with the artist residency Rose Raft (New Douglas, IL), which launched earlier this year.

“Liberal Arts” begins on Saturday, October 13, 12-5pm, with a public reception Saturday, October 20th, 6-9pm. The exhibition will remain on display until Saturday, November 10. Open gallery hours are held Saturdays, 12-5pm, or by appointment.

Corin Hoke is an acrylic painter who explores roles of femininity, domesticity, and mental health in the lives of women. Through her paintings she hopes to express both the entrapment and freedom of being a woman, as well as diverse feelings about sex, gender, and women's place in our world. She dedicates the show to the women in her life and family, and their strength they've shown through toxic and abusive situations. She holds a B.A. from Truman State University in Kirksville, MO.

Madi Pearson began collecting rocks when she was seven years old. The variety of textures and colors in relation to one another captivated her as she would organize and reorganize them on her bedroom floor. She strives to revisit this part of her childhood by exploring the composition in her monoprints. She is preparing to exhibit her B.F.A thesis exhibition December 2-7, 2018 in the University Art Gallery at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO.

Nicholas Phan is a printmaking enthusiast who loves fine detail and the richness of black ink. Each of his works features its own stand-alone narrative. He holds a B.F.A from Truman State University in Kirksville, MO.

Nala Turner is a ceramics artist working primarily with themes related to cultural identity, femininity, social stereotype and popular culture perspectives. She holds a B.F.A from Truman State University in Kirksville, MO and is currently pursuing her M.P.S. in Art Therapy and Creativity Development from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Her vessels aim to instigate a conversation exploring the dichotomy between femininity and strength, highlighting negative tropes associated with the traits of masculinity, virility, and aggression of the Black female. Challenging the distorted conventions within American culture that influence society’s notions about women of color, Turner seeks to redefine what femininity means for a Black woman and confirm such strength as an enhancement of their beauty.