Art exhibition at UWSP explores time, seasons and the natural world

By Patrick Lynn

STEVENS POINT — A new exhibition opening this week at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Carlsten Art Gallery draws inspiration from Wisconsin’s changing seasons and the quiet rhythms of the natural world.

“What Gave Us a Feeling About Time,” featuring new and recent paintings and a video piece by Milwaukee artist Peter Barrickman, opens Thursday, Dec. 11, with a reception from 5–7 p.m. The show runs through Jan. 23 on the second floor of the Noel Fine Arts Center. Admission is free. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Barrickman, a multidisciplinary artist, builds his work through a mix of found images, observational drawing, recorded experiences and collected objects. His paintings often merge the observed and the imagined, influenced by expressionism, post-impressionism and years of collaborative work in music, film, printmaking and drawing.

“Paintings can deliver a slow, quiet kind of news,” Barrickman said. “I like that they are a handmade communication which seem to trust the audience to bring their own complex interior. My new work is rooted in the cycles and phenomena of the natural world. I think the distinct seasons of the Wisconsin climate are a continuous meditation on transformation itself and the residents of our region are the embodiment of that.”

As part of the exhibition, Barrickman will add a new video work to the gallery each week, creating what the university describes as an evolving connection between his studio and the exhibition space.

The Green Gallery in Milwaukee supported the development of the project.

Barrickman is an associate professor in Fine Art + New Studio Practice at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Tate Modern in London, Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago, La Panaderia in Mexico City, and Karma International in Zurich. He also co-founded Mazzzagine, an initiative that produces editioned works supporting artists and new collaborations.

The Carlsten Art Gallery regularly features student and professional exhibitions with themes connected to UWSP and the broader Central Wisconsin community.