A Treat at Upfront Gallery

I have a confession to make: I am fairly new to Fargo and am not completely familiar with the downtown area and all of its hidden treasures. Consequently, I had never been to Upfront Gallery on Broadway until I went there to scope out this month’s exhibit, “We Have Never Been Modern,” a collection of works by Greg Blair and Sara Christenson Blair.

My adventure turned out to be a real treat. I was very impressed with the gallery’s atmosphere and the show itself. I left feeling excited and inspired. Whether you’re like me and you haven’t experienced Upfront Gallery or you are acquainted with its incense, mellow music and cool feel, now is the perfect time to go. The Blairs’ show really is worth the trip to new (or familiar) territory.

Greg Blair is a sculptor and graphic designer. He received his MFA in sculpture from UND in 2004. He is currently working on a Ph.D. in Aesthetics and Art Theory at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts in Portland, ME.

He is also an assistant professor at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, specializing in graphic design.

Greg’s piece, “Even Though the Ship Sinks, You Know You Can’t Let Go,” consists of the bow of a boat that is obviously not watertight. It is beautifully crafted, even with its visible cracks between boards. The boat is slightly tipped to the side and is filled branches. The wild, natural-looking branches are a strong contrast to the stripped, cut, formed wood of the boat.

Sitting next to the vessel is a television with a film playing on a loop of a video camera dunking in and out of water over and over again. The boat is reminiscent of a dream or aspiration that just can’t be realized or discarded. The boat is beautiful and can’t be tossed, but it also can’t sail.

Sara Christensen Blair is a mixed media artist who focuses on using “traditional craft processes in contemporary art” (http://www.northern.edu/schristensen-blair). She received her MFA in mixed media from UND in 2004 and is currently working on a Ph.D. in Aesthetics, Philosophy and Art Theory in Portland, ME. Additionally, she has been teaching design, graphic design and mixed media at Northern State University in Aberdeen since 2006.

Sara’s work, “Deterioration,” is a collection of bones of various shapes and sizes that have been encased in white, crocheted lace.

When I first glanced at the work, I was stunned by the care Sara took, enclosing the bones so carefully in the fitted, dainty doilies.

Honestly, at first glance, I didn’t even realize that the objects inside the cocoons were bones. Once I realized what they were, the piece was filled with meaning and irony. Pairing something beautiful like a doily with something morbid like a bone truly is unusual, memorable and cause for reflection.

I have deep appreciation for Sara’s crocheting skill because my grandmother taught me to crochet when I was about 10.

I am the only grandchild that she taught and she always remembers that her legacy and art form lives on through me.
Sara Blair’s piece reflects the fact that after our life is over, our legacy and our art live on, whether it is through a grandchild who we taught to appreciate the skill or through the creation itself.

The descriptions of these two works are just a small peek into the brilliance of this show. Greg and Sara have varied skills that they utilize in their artwork. Their works are a perfect marriage between installations and framed works, natural and modern elements, classic and contemporary.

The show will be at Upfront Gallery through the end of September and there will be an Artists Closing Reception on Friday, Sept. 26 from 8-11p.m.

I am still thinking about the pieces in this show.

If You Go

What: We Have Never Been Modern
Where: Upfront Gallery, 512 Broadway
When: Sept. 2-27, 12-5:30 p.m.
Info: http://www.myspace.com/upfrontgallery