Collection: Something there in the woods...

Interact is delighted to present Something there in the woods..., an exhibition curated by Robert Cozzolino at Interact Gallery. The exhibition is part of our guest curator program, which invites scholars and artists to organize exhibitions that incorporate work from Interact's extensive, ever-growing archive, which dates back to 1996.

Cozzolino writes:

How do you feel when you are immersed in nature? Do you buzz with excitement about visiting the woods, exploring tree-lined paths, foraging for mushrooms and berries, finding creatures or noticing the flutter and song of surrounding birds? Is time spent along a stream or at the edge of a lake a happy and free time? Do the woods echo with mystery for you? Does a forest seem the right setting for spooky tales, supernatural occurrences, magical creatures and mischief? Perhaps you prefer the colors and openness of a desert climate, or the expanse at a seashore, paddling or drifting out on a body of water, resting atop a boulder at dusk or greeting the day along a river at sunrise? Do you enjoy traveling alone or with friends and family? Is there that one companion (even a pet) you always want with you?

Something there in the woods… is a celebration of the places in nature we might go, with our bodies or in our minds, as envisioned by thirteen artists. They re-create places of memory, depict settings that are both real and fantastic, and bring visitors close to these immersive worlds. Visitors will find landscapes that feel familiar, places dear to the artists from experience or an admired photograph, and even dream (and nightmare) environments. All of the artists entice us to travel imaginatively to these lands, feel what it might be to inhabit them. Each depicted world brings forth powerful emotions, tapping into joy and exhilaration, suspense and thrills, but ultimately conveys a sense of wondrous discovery. 

About the Curator

Robert Cozzolino, an independent curator, art historian, and critic based in Minneapolis, curates collaboratively, in partnership with artists, colleagues, and broad communities. "Starting where you are" is critical to his practice – knowing the immediate context and deeper history of the place in which he works. Dr. Cozzolino is drawn to artists that make work about the full range of human experience, especially those who aspire to visually express the intangible. Although he has worked on topics from the 19th and 20th centuries, he regularly works with contemporary artists in examining history. He considers himself a curator of fluid time, not bound to the labels and bins imposed on the field. First trained as a musician, he has played and free-improvised music as a percussionist for over 30 years.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS

Katie Bretzman, Carl Clark, Bill Crane, Jesse Ferdinand, Peder Hagen, Ingrid Hansen, Kramer Hegenbarth, Ashlea Karkula, Andie Kiley, Caleb Nesbitt, Jill Reedy, Solana R., and Gary Rorby