Art Gallery Presents Virtual Exhibition, 'Odd Spaces'

These unique and unprecedented times prompted Thomas Nelson Community College's Visual Art Gallery to look for virtual ways to continue bringing art and creativity to College community and the Peninsula. The gallery invited an art collective of 26 makers with an open invitation for others to join in exploring the notion and concept of odd spaces.

This partnership consists of artists from various communities, representing a range of practices that include painting, drawing, printmaking, letterpress, book arts, video, performance art, graphic design and installation work.

The common ground that unites this diverse group of artists focuses on the idea of collective activities and the potential for diverse positions to exist in concert with each other. At a time when forces are polarizing our communities, the group of participating artists believe the basic act of working together is proactive and speaks to their desire for civility, respect and empathy, explained Josh Ostraff, an assistant professor of art at Thomas Nelson.

All of the artwork in the exhibition are zines. A zine is a small book format common with self-publishing that is typically 5.5 x 8.5 inches. This format was used as a unifying means to address the idea of "Odd Space(s)." Each participating artist approach the intentionally open idea of odd space(s) to address notions about location, physical or metaphysical space, human interaction with place, psychogeography, factors that denote inclusion or exclusion, hierarchies, etc.

One of the unique aspects of this exhibition is that there is an open invitation to participate and be a part of the exhibition. Each week those who send in a copy of their zine will have their documented project included up until the last week of the exhibition which closes on Nov. 6. CLICK HERE to check out the exhibition.

For more information about the show and instructions for participating, please visit visualarts.vpcc.edu/art-gallery/.

For questions or details about the Visual Arts Gallery, please contact Professor Ostraff at ostraffj@tncc.edu.