2022 Salina Biennial by salinaartcenter

Cover: Sarah Robl, Feeling Energized [detail], 2021

The Salina Biennial was established in 2018, in part as a continuation of the regional invitational, an exhibition held at the Art Center from 1979 until 2002, but also to highlight artists who are balancing the traditions and history of our region with a larger, global contemporary practice. It includes artists from Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.

Artist Reception May 27

TYLER BLACKWELL

As we all reflect on the many ways the nature of the ongoing pandemic has affected our daily lives (what a strange thing to write!), it is truly an honor and privilege to jury the Salina Biennial. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to turn my attention to the many remarkable artist practices firing across all cylinders in the Mountain-Plains Region. While this exhibition is by no means an exhaustive look at American artistic production across this area—several hundred submissions here included artists from Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming—there is a wealth of unique perspectives, experiences, and cultures represented in this year’s Biennial. I thank the organizers at the Salina Art Center for this chance to become introduced to so many new artists; after my review, I am very impressed with the quality and scope of artworks included in this cohort, and I am delighted to consider such a varied and high-caliber selection of objects and ideas. The selected artists’ work reflects a breadth of interests—from aesthetic and formal concerns to issues of representation and identity, geographies and borders, and practices

1. Marco Hernandez, El Azteca Valiente, 2020 2. Candace Hicks, Notes for String Theory #3, 2021

seeking to re-articulate or elucidate fraught sociohistorical issues. In these uncertain times, I feel strongly it is important to look to contemporary artists to help us explore and think through the complexities of the issues confronting us. These makers grapple with personal, communal, and political stories that illuminate lesser-known histories and distinct relationships to place and personhood. In this way, their works simultaneously celebrate and complicate our understanding of the human condition and the state of social and/or institutional infrastructures that govern or have somehow informed the way we live. In this Biennial, we are fortunate to encounter multiple perspectives and artworks that seek to highlight topics of cultural heritage, tradition and ancestry, race, gender, and performed bodies. In particular, works across media by Marco Hernandez, Kailin Nielsen, Annie Arnold, Bianca Roman, Sarah Alsaied, and Amy Baber speak to these intersecting issues and our ideas of constructed identities and how they may or may not be informed by the weighty or marginalizing restrictions, rules, or precedents governing how we move through the world. Simultaneously, many artworks contemplate the knotty natures of our human psyches and the dailiness of life, including themes of family and motifs of home and belonging. As we have all dealt with new responsibilities and pressures or unwelcome realities amidst the onslaught of difficult, whiplash-like news cycles over the last two years, works by artists like Katie B. Temple, Kristy Yenkey, Eden Quispe, Candace Hicks, Hugo Zelada, and Jessica Simorte encourage us to slow down and consider our own footing and points of view. With Anthony Warnick’s video 15 24-Hour News Sources, we are also urged to take stock of our own biases and truths, as well as the far-flinging ideas that are tossed across our (many) screens at a galactic pace. This year’s submissions also saw the reemergence of a focus on the landscape and the natural world—an apt subject considering

the history of art made in the region as well as the nature of health-imposed isolation. Artists such as Kelly Yarbrough, Mark Reynolds, Anna Reich, Pirjo Berg, c marquez, Wendy Tan, Cedar Van Tassel, and Travis Apel harness images and elements of the land as a possible means towards contemplation or celebration of environmental trappings. Works by these artists made me pause and prompted me to exhale, a bodily response that naturally aligns with slower looking and even-keeled reflection—methods which I hope visitors to the exhibition will exercise with gusto. The artworks seen in this Biennial also encompass a diverse array of materials and media, and the exhibition seeks to celebrate abstraction in all its forms. In works by Steven Frost, Sarah Parys, Jared Packard, Sarah Robl, Shane Tolbert, Jada Messick, Max Manning, Angelika Rinnhofer, and Shin-hee Chin, strategies of form, shape, color, and gesture become paramount concerns and substantial means toward communicating difficult or intangible ideas. Here, the artists’ close attention to formal composition and palette signals a fuller engagement with the world.

Tyler Blackwell Associate Curator Blaffer Art Museum University of Houston, Houston, TX

Unless otherwise noted, all work is courtesy of the artists. Dimensions are given in inches, height preceding width, preceding depth.

Sarah Alsaied Born 1992, Kuwait City, KW, Kuwait Lives/works: Wichita, KS Still Here, 2021 Clay, fabric, yarn, and acrylic paint 60" x 10" x 5"

THE ARTISTS

Travis Apel Born 1975, Moberly, MO Lives/works: Omaha, NE Sail, 2021 Maple branch, maiden grass, grass roots, hemp cord, and plastic 35” x 70” x 26”

Annie Arnold Born 1981, Krum, TX Lives/works: Austin, TX How can we get noticed if we’re all doing the same thing? (twinning), 2021 Embroidery thread and embroidered patches on canvas 31" x 45" Amy Baber Born 2002, Everett, WA Lives/works: Wichita, KS The Sacrament, 2022 Oil on Canvas 40" x 30" Pirjo Berg Born 1964, Helsinki, Finland Lives/works: Grand Forks, ND Icy Trail, 2020 Oil on synthetic Yupo paper mounted on board 6" x 6"

1. Amy Baber, The Sacrament, 2022 2. Max Manning, Untitled (PPR313), 2021

Shin-hee Chin Born 1959, Seoul, South Korea Lives/works: McPherson, KS The End and The Beginning, 2020 Perle cotton threads, linen threads, organza, cotton, wool, india ink, and recycled blanket 56" x 48" Emergence: The Pathos of Things, 2020 Random weave and stitch on recycled quilt 52" x 40" Steven E. Frost Born 1981, Woodsville, NH Lives/works: Boulder, CO After Dorothea Rockburne, 2021 Textiles, upcycled clothing, and found objects. 60" x 132" Allegra Hangen Born 1992, Omaha, NE Lives/works: Omaha, NE Viva México, Arriba México, 2021 Metal frame, plexiglass, acrylic paint, image transfer, iPad with single-channel digital video and sound 17.75" x 15.75" x 4" Marco Hernandez Born 1988, La Piedad, Michoacan, Mexico Lives/works: Wichita, KS Los Niños También Sufren, 2020 Etching 8" x 11" El Azteca Valiente, 2020 Etching 6" x 9"

Candace Hicks Born 1980, Athens, TX Lives/works: Nacogdoches, TX Notes for String Theory #1, 2021 Embroidery on canvas over wood panel 10.5" x 16" Notes for String Theory #2, 2021 Embroidery on canvas over wood panel 10.5" x 16" Notes for String Theory #3, 2021 Embroidery on canvas over wood panel 10.5" x 16"

Max Manning Born 1988, St. Marys, OH Lives/works: Spring, TX Untitled (PPR341), 2021 Acrylic paint on Yupo paper 14" x 11" Untitled (PPR340), 2021 Acrylic paint on Yupo paper 14" x 11" Untitled (PPR313), 2021 Acrylic paint on Yupo paper 14" x 11" c marquez Born 1967, Los Angeles, CA Lives/works: Taos, NM 3653, 2020 Tumble-plant sculpture (wall installation) 72" x 72" x 6"

Jada Messick Born 1997, Omaha, NE Lives/works: Omaha, NE Self Portrait, 2021 Acrylic on canvas 60" x 36" Kailin Nielsen Born 1998, Kearney, NE Lives/works: Hays, KS Ideal Cannibalism, 2021 Oil paint and glitter 42" x 48" Jared Packard Born 1989, Washington, D.C. Lives/works: Omaha, NE Untitled (poles), 2021 Oil, acrylic, and spray paint on raw canvas 96" x 48" x 72" Untitled (armor threadbare flannel), 2020 Oil, acrylic, stitching, spray paint, and grommets on raw canvas 40" x 30" Untitled (blue jeans), 2020 Oil, acrylic, spray paint, and grommets on raw canvas and blue jeans 38" x 30"

Sarah Parys Born 1979, Omaha, NE Lives/works: Omaha, NE Over and Under, 2021 Fiber tapestry (cotton and silk) 44" x 24"

Untitled, 2021 Fiber collage (cotton, wool, and hemp) 14" x 11" Eden Quispe Born 1985, Wichita, KS Lives/works: Newton, KS On Change and Permanence, 2020 Stitched and painted textiles 57.5" x 38" Anna Reich Born 1987, Woodland, CA Lives/works: Sioux Falls, SD Llano River, 2020 Archival pigment print 30" x 40"

Bethany Panhorst Born 1997, Bamburg, Germany Lives/works: Quinter, KS Breath, 2021 Ceramic, wood 12" x 10" x 2.75" Clothed Grass, 2021 Porcelain 1.75" x 4" x 10"

Mark S. Reynolds Born 1959, Boston, MA Lives/works: Santa Fe, NM Meadow 1, 2021 Oil and alkyd medium on canvas, mounted on panel 10.75" x 17.5" Meadow 2, 2021 Oil and alkyd medium on canvas, mounted on panel [11" x 17.75" Angelika Rinnhofer Born 1962, Nuremberg, Germany Lives/works: Albuquerque, NM trace 1, 2021 Tintype/archival inkjet print 16" x 12" trace 2, 2021 Tintype/archival injet print 16" x 12"

Sarah Robl Born 1984, Winfield, KS Lives/works: Owasso, OK Feeling Energized, 2021 Thread, foam board, and watercolor paper 11" x 15" Spring, 2021 Thread, foam board, and watercolor paper 11" x 15" Bianca Roman Born 1998, Chicago, IL Lives/works: Longmont, CO Nazca Three, 2021 Photography - framed and matted inkjet print 18" x 24" Nazca Four, 2021 Photography - framed and matted inkjet print 24" x 18"

Jessica Simorte Born 1988, Scottsdale, AZ Lives/works: Spring, TX Coast, 2021 Acrylic and graphite on canvas 8" x 6" March, 2021 Acrylic and colored pencil on canvas 8" x 6" Uh Huh Found It, 2021 Acrylic and colored pencil on canvas 8" x 6" Wendy Tan Born 1968, Malaysia Lives/works: Hays, KS Big Dandelion, 2021 Cast iron, aluminum, steel, and spray paint 66" x 33" x 66" Emerging from below, 2021 Cast iron, aluminum, steel, and spray paint sizes vary

1. Kailin Nielsen, Ideal Cannibalism, 2021 2. Wendy Tan, Big Dandelion, 2021

Katie B. Temple Born 1988, Lima, OH Lives/works: Omaha, NE Fearful Home, 2021 Acrylic mixed media on wood panel 36" x 36" Homes with Character, 2021 Acrylic mixed media on wood panel 30" x 40" Shane Tolbert Born 1985, Corsicana, TX Lives/works: Santa Fe, NM Untitled, 2021 Acrylic on canvas 50" x 60" Pony Boy, 2021 Acrylic and oil on canvas 48" x 64" Courtesy of the artist and McClain Gallery, Houston Cedar Van Tassel Born 1999, Salina, KS Lives/works: Gypsum, KS Big Spill, 2020 Organic material and steel adhered with epoxy 33" x 31"

Kristy Yenkey Born 1943, Omaha, NE Lives/works: Salina, KS Topaz, 2020 Mixed media/fiber 12" x 7" x 7" Lapis, 2021 Mixed media/fiber 12" x 7" x 7" Hugo Zelada-Romero Born 1984, Guatemala City, Guatemala Lives/works: Wichita, KS Mother and Child in front of the Guatemalan National Palace, 2020 Cyanotype, acrylic, 3D printed lithophane, and lead on raw canvas 24" x 24" Family in front of the Basilica of Esquipula, 2020 Cyanotype, acrylic, 3D printed lithophane, and lead on raw canvas 24" x 24"

Anthony Warnick Born 1983, Washington, D.C. Lives/works: Manhattan, KS 15 24-Hour News Sources, 2020 Single-channel video with sound 05:00 min TRT Kelly Yarbrough Born 1986, Dallas, TX Lives/works: Manhattan, KS Mending (Removing), 2021 Mixed media on paper 55" x 69" Rewilding III, 2020 Mixed media on paper 24" x 24" 1

1. Cedar Van Tassel, Big Spill [detail], 2020

Biennials are exhibitions which allow us an opportunity to reflect on the past two years. They also afford us a glimpse into trends and social changes that have been brewing during this time. On the third occasion of the Salina Biennial, we are thrilled to celebrate the talents of our Mountain Plains artists through the expert lens of Tyler Blackwell, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Associate Curator at the Blaffer Museum at the University of Houston. Themes in the selected artworks range from the abstract to the performative, as well as the symbolic and the gestural. Fifty-four artworks from thirty-two artists were chosen out of eight states, including: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas. Whether seen in Shinhee Chin’s intricate web of circling threads, or through the quasi-assaulting impact of Anthony Warnick’s video mélange of tv news media, many of these artworks speak to the challenges we have all endured throughout the past two years. We have also encountered struggles with our own creativity and lack of focus. Evidence of this can be witnessed in Candace Hick’s swirling yet blank embroidered notebook pages. Themes in these works all mark trends which we have collectively experienced, yet ultimately serve to make us stronger. Our juror explains that many of the selected works encourage the viewer to engage in reflective and slowed down viewing methods. Employing these techniques, we can take time to posit Wendy Tan’s hyper-realized ant installation as they seem to emerge from the ground inviting us into a ritualistic dance. Or, to reflect on the dizzying patterns in Sarah Robl, Kristy Yenkey, or Jared Packard’s paintings and sculptures. Natural elements and landscapes also play heavily into the chosen pieces. Mark Reynolds and Kelly Yarbrough’s painted landscapes suggest speed, countering Pirjo Berg’s placid icescapes which follow along with Anna Reich’s

2022 Salina Biennial

2022 Salina Biennial – Contemporary Art from the Mountain Plains Region

meditative photographs of the Llano River. Travis Apel’s woven network of roots and limbs presents the bounty that our earth has to offer us, contrasting the vulnerability in c marquez’s delicate installation. Identity, family, and the communal are other strong aspects to this year’s Biennial. Family and community are reinforced in the patchwork fiber creations from Eden Quispe, which lament on the struggles of being an artist, wife, mother, and teacher; or in the reflective works of Steven Frost who represents community in their layered and celebratory large-scale weavings. Through the lens of a modern indigenous person, Bianca Roman’s photographs echo her ancestry evoking pre-Incan communities. Hugo ZeladaRomero recreates lost family histories in his digital works that reconnect to lost memories. And Katie B Temple’s paintings of abandoned homes ultimately remind us that life is not really a destination, but a journey. Clearly, there is a strong community of artists who submitted their work to the Salina Biennial this year! Thank you to Tyler Blackwell for your focus in choosing from this talented pool of artists. We are also extremely grateful to the Salina Art Center staff, Board of Trustees, Exhibition Committee, and our volunteers for their continued dedication. The Salina Biennial is funded by Salina Art Center donors, members, and the Salina Art Center Endowment Foundation, along with the Horizons Grants Program of the Salina Arts and Humanities Foundation, a private donor group. We are gracious for all of your support and for helping to bring these terrific artworks to the Salina community.

Jefferson Godard Curator Salina Art Center

The Salina Biennial is funded by Salina Art Center donors, members, and the Salina Art Center Endowment Foundation, along with the Horizons Grants Program of the Salina Arts and Humanities Foundation, a private donor group. Founded in 1978, the Salina Art Center is a 501(c)3 creating exchanges among art, artists, and audiences that reveal life. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Art Center’s galleries, Art Center Cinema, and Warehouse are located in the heart of downtown Salina, KS. Learn more online at www.SalinaArtCenter.org.

THANK YOU

Salina Art Center exhibitions and programs are supported in part by donors, members, underwriters, foundations, the Salina Art Center Endowment Foundation, and the City of Salina.

Catalog published by Salina Art Center to accompany the exhibition, 2022 Salina Biennial | Contemporary Art from the Mountain Plains Region Text by Tyler Blackwell & Jefferson Godard Design by Emily Monson All images courtesy of the artists Distinguished Juror, Tyler Blackwell Exhibition design by Jefferson Godard & Daniel Picking

Salina Art Center, 242 S. Santa Fe Ave, Salina, KS www.salinaartcenter.org