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Art exhibit will contemplate the 'multiple'

By Anna Stevens '10
February 12, 2008

The inside of a cactus might not sound all that interesting, but it has been a source of inspiration for artist Roberta Allen.

"The dense, spongy fibers -- the interior structure of a prickly pear cactus -- are fragile as one, but powerful in their multiples," she says.

Allen is one of five Twin Cities-area artists whose work will be displayed at St. Olaf College Feb. 16-March 9 as part of an exhibit that examines the idea of the "multiple." While she uses the contrasts of the desert as inspiration, the other artists examine elements that range from the shadows captured on a spiral notebook to fences.

The exhibit, titled "Prints in Time: Contemplations of the Multiple," will be on display in the Flaten Art Museum in the Dittmann Center at St. Olaf. An opening reception for the collection will be held Feb. 15 from 5-7 p.m. The reception and exhibit are free and open to the public.

In addition to Allen, the artists include Jil Evans, Amy Sands, John Saurer and Jeff Wetzig. Jill Ewald, director of the Flaten Art Museum, said each of their prints allows the viewer a different look at time.

"Time is directly apparent in the work of Jil Evans, whose solar plates capture moving shadows," Ewald says. "Roberta Allen uses interior images of the slow-growing prickly pear cactus and Amy Sands investigates memory of particular places and time."

The artists' works range from room size to small Polaroid-based pieces.

"As a printmaker, the process of print editioning (the exact reproduction of a singular image) holds little interest for me," says Saurer, who is also an associate professor of art at St. Olaf. "I am, however, intrigued by the 'multiple' and the potential to construct larger compositions and installations from a single image."

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.