Contemporary Art Gallery to feature works of Allison Stewart
Contact: Rene Abadie
Date: June 6, 2012
HAMMOND – An exhibition of paintings and drawings by New Orleans artist Allison Stewart will be on display at Southeastern Louisiana University's Contemporary Art Gallery through June 28.
"River and Bloom" is Stewart's collection of works that address the changes that have occurred in recent years as a result of Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill.
"In both events, human lives were lost, animals drowned, and our local flora and fauna were decimated," said Stewart in her artist's statement. "Our landscape changed and our way of living changed in ways we never anticipated. Yet nature has a way of renewing itself and New Orleans today is a stronger city."
Located in East Stadium on the Hammond campus, the gallery is open Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays.
The exhibit includes paintings on canvas and paper as well as mixed media drawings and two installations addressing facets of the Louisiana coastal wetlands.
Gallery Director Dale Newkirk said the two wall installations, "Bloom" and "Habitat," were created for the Contemporary Art Gallery exhibit, and many of the large paintings have never been exhibited before.
Newkirk said, "Stewart's lyrical drawing and paintings are made up of many layers of line, shape and color that occupy the space between landscape painting and organic abstraction."
Trained as a biologist, Stewart's art is inspired by increasingly fragile environments and the ultimate interconnectedness of all living things. Her work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States and is included in many public collections, including the U.S. Department of State Art in Embassies Program, New Orleans Museum of Art, Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the Pensacola Museum of Art.
