Metalwork exhibit opens January 15 at Sarah Spurgeon Gallery

Beginning next week, the Sarah Spurgeon Gallery at Central Washington University will host "Ferrous," a group exhibition of 15 innovative contemporary artists who transform iron into evocative works of art.

The opening events will be held Thursday, January 15, beginning with a curator's talk by Renee Adams from 4-5 p.m. in Randall Hall, room 117. Adams is an alum of the CWU Department of Art + Design (MFA, 1999), as well as a local sculptor and blacksmith. A reception will be held in the gallery (Randall Hall, room 141) directly following the talk, from 5-7 p.m.

On Thursday, January 29, a panel discussion called If I Had a Hammer will take place from 3:30-5 p.m. in Black Hall, room 107. The talk will feature artists Emmett Armand, Bianca Dorsey, and Margaret Jacobs, and will be led by Lisa Geertsen, an artist-blacksmith and founding board member of the Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths, and Dr. M. Eliatamby-O’Brien, Director of the Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies program at CWU.

Historically tied to masculine labor and mass production, iron and steel are now in the hands of artists who use its potential for personal and cultural expression, storytelling, and adornment. A wide range of themes and approaches to metalwork give viewers the opportunity to explore, learn, and be inspired.

Ferrous will feature artwork by: Renee Adams, Leah Aripotch, Emmett Armand, Elizabeth Brim, Anne Bujold, Kim Cridler, Maria Cristalli, Bruna D’Alessandro, Bianca Dorsey, Joy Fire, Rebekah Frank, Lisa Geertsen, Leah Gerrard, Margaret Jacobs (Akwesasne Mohawk), and Nina Rastgar.

The exhibit, which will remain on view through February 7, is supported by a grant from the City of Ellensburg Arts Commission and cosponsored by the Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths, the CWU Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, and Brian and Elizabeth Frederick.

Sarah Spurgeon Gallery is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. The gallery is closed on Sundays and will be closed January 19 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.