Source: Geraldine Craig, 785-532-6605, gkcraig@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Andrew North, 785-532-7718, anorth@k-state.edu

Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011

ARTIST CRAIG LAYS OUT THE EVIDENCE IN 'WHY MATERIALS MATTER' LECTURE

MANHATTAN -- Theorist Marshall McLuhan famously said, "The medium is the message." Gerry Craig, head of the department of art at Kansas State University, will explore just that in "Why Materials Matter" at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27, at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art.

The lecture supplements the Beach Museum of Art's exhibition "Material Evidence: A Phenomenology of Matter," which Craig curated.

The image-based lecture will last about 45 minutes with time for questions and discussion at the end.

Examples of art spanning several centuries will be shown, but the focus will be primarily on contemporary art with a high level of innovation and craftsmanship. Examples will come from many different disciplines such as painting, digital art, ceramics, textiles and sculpture, and include work in the "Material Evidence" exhibition.

"I always experience art first as a maker, looking closely to see what and how it was made," Craig said. "This is fundamental to how artists make work but has not been considered as valid for looking at work. Yet every material is charged with psychological meaning from our personal experience and history. I suggest there is no inherent designation of meaning, but meaning is created through our interaction with works of art."

"Material Evidence: A Phenomenology of Matter" is on display through Sunday, Feb. 6, in the Beach Museum's Marion Pelton and Hyle Family Galleries. The exhibition includes the work of eight international artists who use a variety of media, including painting, video, photography, sculpture, textiles, ceramics and computer-activated installations.

More information is available by contacting Martha Scott at the Beach Museum of Art at 785-532-7718 or dropping by the museum on the southeast corner of the K-State campus at 14th Street and Anderson Avenue. Free visitor parking is available next to the building. Normal museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. The museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.