“Diffused Connections”– Visual Arts gallery features variety of art with deeper meaning

 

 

 

The work of three current or former MHCC visual arts department technicians—Allie Bentley, Todd Beaty and Chris Pate—is on display in the Visual Arts Gallery.

Labeled “Diffused Connections,” the exhibit runs through Oct. 17 and features a variety of ceramics, glass and sculptures.

Pate said the title comes from the idea the three MHCC workers are able to “gather knowledge from other instructors and the use of facilities here, and diffuse the knowledge back to the students.”

Bentley, until recently a technician for Mt. Hood’s jewelry metals department, makes interactive sculptures “that really (pull) the theory of subtle beauty and simple elegance,” she said. Her sculpture is called “Know That Your Space Leaves Impact.”

With 130 metal flowers, her piece takes up a big chunk of the gallery space and draws visitors in to take a closer look. The piece is the biggest she has ever created.

“I call it sculpture, but other people call it an installation, because it does kind of transform space,” she said.

Bentley’s piece is unique in that it allows anyone to walk through its pathway, touching the metal “flower bells,” as she likes to call them.

It took her six weeks to make, working on it all day, every day, she said. She has been spinning metal since college, the technique that is used to create the flowers. “It was just about an idea, a practice: Can I push my skills to do it on this scale?” she said.

The rods that make up the flower stems are steel, and the petals, bronze. As as visitor walks through, the flowers sway and clink together, unusual for most art pieces. “It’s a little bit scary making something where you let go and say, ‘Okay, you can interact with it…’ It’s metal. The worst thing that could happen is, a stem comes out of a holder. I mean, Hey, if that’s the case, a flower wilted.”

Bentley’s art is more than simply fun to walk through: It holds a deeper meaning. “The concept really comes from understanding your personal space and  being aware that your space has a ripple effect,” she said. “The more self aware we are, the easier a time we will have of communicating with each other,” she added.

Most of Bentley’s time is spent on her own jewelry business. Her line is called “Allie B Studios,” produced from two different jewelry production lines, one made of bronze, the other copper-and-silver. She also has created engagement and wedding rings. Her jewelry may be viewed at alliebstudios.com.

Although she enjoyed her MHCC work, Bentley said she now needs to give her art and jewelry business her full attention. “I learned a lot as an artist and as a teacher. It was a cool community,” she said of Mt. Hood.

Beaty, an MHCC sculpture technician, is featured at the gallery with his colorful and vibrant glass pieces on display. “Todd’s work is totally conceptual. It’s about getting ideas across,” said Bentley.

Beaty’s plaster work is meant to illustrate the   “limitations of flesh and the associated mental turmoil,” while his glass work combines nature, heat and pressure to create a flow like a volcanic eruption.

Pate is a technician in the ceramics department, where he fires the kilns, makes the clay and does maintenance around the studio. Being a tech is just one of his three jobs: He also works at a Northeast Portland ceramic production studio and with at-risk youth as a skills trainer in the mental health field.

Pate grew up in Louisiana and said his grandmother was an artist and a significant influence.

His work in the VA gallery represents one year of wood firing. While firing his pieces, temperatures can reach up to 2,400 degrees, and must stay fired for days on end, sometimes for more than a week straight.

The amount of work that goes into each piece is greater than meets the eye.

“It’s days of splitting wood prior to the firing, making the pieces, unloading, cleaning,” Pate said. “Cleaning is a chore, too, because you have to actually grind the melted ash – which turns to glass – off of the posts and shelves inside the kiln.”

The real drama takes place in the kiln, he said.

“In wood firing ceramics, the meat of the art is in the actual firing. There are so many variables that come into play,” Pate said.

The trio’s artwork is shown at the Visual Arts Gallery, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.