Exhibitions

Krasl Art Center offers historical, contemporary and thematic exhibitions that are thought provoking, relevant and relatable.

Inhaling the Universe

August 09-September 29

JON HOOK & ANDREA PETERSON

Seeing nature through an experience of collecting and observing gives voice to the moment. We breathe deeply and find the earth looking back at us. There is more than process and observation – the sight line for meaning looks out to all parts of life on earth. – Jon Hook 

The exploration of the natural environment is a central theme within the works of artists Jon Hook and Andrea Peterson. Inhaling the Universe marks an experimental new adventure by the artists and nature alike played out in the KAC galleries. Sculpture, art and installation, stimulated by, and made in collaboration with nature, reflects on the passage of time and lifecycles; it leads viewers on a thoughtful and conscientious walk through a wonder-filled  landscape. 

Hook’s wood-fired ceramics use an intense and industrious process that emphasizes the use of local materials for firing as well as glaze making. He reduces local plants such as hay, cattails, thistle, and clay to their molecular essence, which is then used to create unique glazes. He is a forerunner and expert in his field, specifically concerning sustainable and regenerative firing and ceramic studio processes. Hook has received two consecutive Indiana State grants that aided his research of an oil drip burner system to assist the wood-fired kiln on their farm. Hook’s dedication to eco-mutualism in the environment has evolved to center on regional identity. His work creates a sense of place through the use of indigenous patterns of relationships with his community and the natural materials of he and Petersons’ home.

Peterson’s work explores all types of paper fibers and processes including paper works, prints, artist books, and environmental installation pieces. She combines paper arts, printmaking and book arts to make works that address human relationship to the environment. Peterson received her BFA at School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her MFA in printmaking from University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. She has lectured and taught extensively, including at Ox-Bow, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sciola de Graphica, Venice, Italy, Paper Museum Steyermeuhl, Austria, Syracuse University and Indiana University. She currently teaches in the Fiber and Material Studies Department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

I invite the place that I live to encompass me, wholeheartedly. It is a workplace for my development as an artist and critical thinker of the world we live in, especially the place we all call home. The environment and its workings are ever-present in my work. I look at the world around me symbolically and present it as such in the work that I create. I observe connections between the plant, animal and human world that present concerns, desires and realities for many of us to consider or experience. – Andrea Peterson

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In the artlab: Casey Roberts

August 09-September 29

AUGUST 9 – SEPTEMBER 29

My work is synonymous with a fairytale; the paintings are dark, yet humorous. Animals play a leading role and the work blends together to form a narrative. There’s a moral of the story, one that hints at humans’ relationship with nature with a knowing wink. There is an intuitive wisdom in nature.                                                                                      ~ Casey Roberts