May
10 - August 3, 2003
By
Jan Snead, Contributing Editor
Raymond Elozua
is a remarkable contemporary artist whose works nearly defy description
because they are so unique.
The artist's
enigmatic works are a result of his varied interests and influences. Growing
up near Chicago, he worked in a steel mill to pay for college. His later
works reflect this knowledge of structures and metalworking.
The exhibit
at the Mint Museum of Craft & Design covers Elozua’s career from 1973-2003,
and includes ceramics, photography, and computer generated art.
The decline
of the steel industry around Chicago provided the subject for his photographs
and sculptures from 1985-1987. The workers themselves, looking like haunted
figures from the Depression, abandoned mills, rusting machinery and other
powerful images from this era give Elozua’s take on his environment.
His "reconstructed"
series of ceramics are made of very thin clay fused around small metal
rods. Reconstructed Teapot and Reconstructed Bottle
are two of the most recognizable pieces.
How he fuses
clay and metal and fires these most delicates sculptures, I don’t know.
It seems to me that the metal would fire hotter than clay and melt right
through but, obviously, it doesn‘t. The technique gives the pieces a lightness
with an architectural feel, allowing you to see how a teapot is made of
small thin segments of clay.
Elozua,
in collaboration with noted ceramic curator Allan Chasanoff, explored
computer design in the 1990s. His evolution as an artist resulted in some
amazing three dimensional sculptures based on Abstract paintings.
At the Mint
Museum of Craft and Design’s website for this exhibit www.mintmuseum.org/elozua
you can see several of Elozua's unique creations in 3-D. Film clips explain
the
creative process.
The exhibit's catalog is available at the museum, by emailing sfisher@mintmuseum.org,
or by calling (704) 337-2038.
Point of View II
thru July 27, 2003
Burlon Craig and His Legacy
thru October 19, 2003
Master potter used alkaline glaze to create his famous face jugs.
Arts of West Africa: Recent Acquisitions
thru July 13, 2003
Masterful Prints
thru April 11, 2004
Fashions of the Crinoline Era, 1840s - 1860s
thru May 30, 2004
Mint
Museum of Craft + Design is open Tuesday - Saturday 10 am
- 5 pm. Sunday Noon - 5 pm.
Admission:
Members Free, Adults
$6, Seniors (62 +) $5, College Students $5, Students (6-17) $3, 5 and
Younger Free, Audio Tour $2. Includes same day admission to the Mint
Museum of Art.
The
Mint Musuem of Art is open Tuesday 10 am - 10 pm, Wednesday
- Saturday 10 am - 5 pm, Sunday Noon - 5 pm. Admission is free on Tuesday
evenings 5-10 pm.
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