Cummings to be featured in Robert E. Wilson Gallery
FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Huntington, Ind. "Sculptor, potter, teacher, and gallery owner Charlie Cummings will be the featured artist at an exhibit in Huntington University's Robert E. Wilson Gallery on January 30 through February 24, 2006. Cummings will display pieces including this one in Huntington's Robert E. Wilson Gallery. (Click for high resolution image.)
Cummings will display a series of sculptural pieces marked by figurative imagery, a body of work two years in the making.
Even though they're made as individual pieces, I think of it as an installation. When you're viewing one of pieces, its proximity and image relates to the pieces near it. Since there are images on the work, people expect a specific narrative. I've resisted saying, 'This is what it means to me.' That defines the work for me, but I want people to find their own meaning in these images, Cummings said.
Trained as a production potter, Cummings is accustomed to creating thrown, functional pieces. He describes the departure from that genre as exciting and scary. The artist said this new work allows him to express ideas not related to ceramics.
Cummings' role as the owner of the Charlie Cummings Clay Studio and Gallery, located in Fort Wayne, Ind., has given him new insight into his own art.
I love doing the gallery because I get to exhibit work from well-known artists and up-and-coming artists. Having their work here for a month at a time give me a unique opportunity to view the work over a long period of time. It affects my work. I can't say specifically how, but I can say that it changes the way I think about my work, he said.
An artist's reception will be held for Cummings from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, February 17, 2006.
