Gem State — A BIG IDEA project of Sun Valley Museum of Art

gem state SEPTEMBER 23–DECEMBER 31, 2020 A BIG IDEA PROJECT

THE MUSEUM 191 Fifth Street East, Ketchum, Idaho Mon–Fri, 10am–4pm HAILEY CLASSROOM 314 Second Ave South, Hailey, Idaho Scheduled Class Times LIBERTY THEATRE 110 N. Main Street, Hailey, Idaho 208.578.9122 SUN VALLEY MUSEUM OF ART P.O. Box 656, Sun Valley, ID 83353 208.726.9491 • svmoa.org

COVER: Blane De St. Croix, Moving Landscapes, 2020, model trains, wood, recycled m ­ aterials, eco resin, paint and natural materials, courtesy the artist and Fredericks & Freiser, New York BACK PANEL: Mari Andrews, Coalgem 16, 2013, coal, wax, courtesy the artist and Tayloe Piggott Gallery, Jackson, WY INTRODUCTION PANELS, TOP TO BOTTOM: Mari Andrews, Collected Topography, 2011, lead, soil, courtesy the artist and Tayloe Piggott Gallery, Jackson, WY Brad Johnson, Cooper's Ferry Area A Myriorama, 2020, oil, red ochre, acrylic, hide glue and gampi paper on archival pigment prints, courtesy the artist INTERIOR, CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT: Brad Johnson, Blue Bierstadt, 2020, oil, acrylic, hide glue and gampi paper on archival pigment print, courtesy the artist Cynthia Ona Innis, Blonde, 2017, acrylic and fabric on paper, courtesy the artist and Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles Cynthia Ona Innis, Grieta, 2019, acrylic, ink and fabric over stretcher bars, courtesy the artist and Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles

he origin of Idaho’s nickname as the Gem State is murky, but it likely alludes to the state’s abundant mineral resources, from silver and lead to semiprecious and precious stones.

Idaho, like other parts of the American West, is rich not only in minerals but also in mountain scenery. The state’s history is written across its topography. The jagged, vertical peaks of mountains in the Sawtooth range tell the story of their relatively recent emergence from the earth’s crust, whereas older ranges, such as the White Clouds, have been softened by the erosive forces of time. And while the history that these mountains carry in their appearance is one that spans millions of years, Idaho’s geology is also a place where human history has been written. Narrow roads carved into mountainsides lead to the mines that once drew adventurers seeking their fortune. Humans have also used Idaho’s geological formations as surfaces on which to record their stories, from petroglyphs made by the region’s first peoples to signatures

painted onto boulders by emigrants headed west in the 19th century: evidence of their progress left for friends and family who followed behind.

Inspired by Idaho’s moniker, SVMoA’s BIG IDEA project Gem State considers geology—­ particularly the geology of Idaho and the American West—and uses it as a metaphor for the ideas of time, transformation and history. While the idea of time (both geologic and human) drives the project, so does the notion of transformation. Geological processes occur on a time scale that is difficult for us to comprehend. Over thousands or millions of years, minerals and organic matter accumulate in layers that become sedimentary rock; long-term exposure to pressure or heat transforms one type of rock into another—igneous (volcanic) rock or sedimentary rock becomes metamorphic rock. Inherent in geology is the promise that change through time is both possible and inevitable.

gem state SEPTEMBER 23–DECEMBER 31, 2020 A BIG IDEA PROJECT MUSEUM EXHIBITION The Gem State visual arts exhibition features work by four contemporary artists, all interested in the ­connections between geology, place and time.

Northern California-based artist Mari Andrews works with natural materials, i­ncluding stones and minerals, to create sculptures, two-dimensional works, and installations. Andrews’s Coalgems, small pieces of a­ nthracite that she carves and polishes, suggest the idea of t­ ransformation through time. ­Collected ­Topography, small lead aprons filled with soil collected around the world, reveals Andrews’s interest in the g­ eology of place.

Blane De St. Croix is well known for his ­large-scale sculptures and installations that r­ ecreate different kinds of geological and e­ nvironmental sites of political or social i­mportance, with a focus on the dramatic effects of climate change. At SVMoA’s ­invitation, De St. Croix participated in a residency in the fall of 2019, visiting geological sites around ­southern Idaho. Inspired by the geological ­formations he encountered and the history of Sun V ­ alley as a Union Pacific destination, De St. Croix has c­ reated a unique installation—a model Union ­Pacific train ­pulling cars that carry small s­ culptures of sites he visited during his residency.

The painter Cynthia Ona Innis has ­responded to geological sites throughout the American West for several years. ­Working with acrylic paint, ink and fabric, she c­ reates s­ triated, abstract artworks that s­ uggest the c­ ollision of tectonic plates at fault lines, ­geothermal or volcanic activity, mountains and canyons. Innis made a number of pieces in this ­exhibition after a road trip through Idaho, M ­ ontana and W ­ yoming. Others examine sites in her home state of ­California.

Based in Trout Lake, Washington, the ­multidisciplinary artist Brad Johnson has long been­ ­interested in the geology of the A ­ merican West.

SVMoA invited Johnson to create a new body of work for this ­exhibition with a focus on Idaho, and Johnson made several trips around the state, spending time at sites both well known (Hells Canyon and City of Rocks, for example) and obscure (abandoned q ­ uarries and remediated archaeological sites). Johnson uses ­photography and digital media to create works on ­paper that are sculptural in nature, using relief to evoke the textures and surfaces of the places he depicts. Johnson is particularly drawn to sites where human activity and geology intersect.

EVENING EXHIBITION TOURS Thu, Oct 1, Oct 29 & Dec 3, 4:30 & 5:30pm The Museum, Ketchum FREE, pre-registration required Join us for a glass of wine as your tour the exhibition with SVMoA’s curators. Participants must register in advance. Each session is limited to 10 participants.

PRIVATE TOURS Walk-in visitors are always welcome, but if you’d like to learn more about the artwork in the e­ xhibition, ­SVMoA welcomes families and small groups for

private curator-led tours. Please call The Museum to arrange your tour.

ARTIST TALK WITH BRAD JOHNSON Mon, Oct 19, 6pm Livestreamed, pre-register for link FREE, pre-registration required Join curator Courtney Gilbert for a livestreamed conversation with multimedia artist Brad ­Johnson about his practice and the geological sites he visited throughout Idaho while creating a new body of work for Gem State. Johnson uses photography, mixed m ­ edia and digital media to create artworks, ­installations and immersive experiences that ­reimagine the natural world.

ADULT CLASSES GEOLOGY FIELD TRIP & HIKE: GEOLOGY OF THE EAST FORK WITH PAUL LINK Sat, Sep 12, 9am–2pm Johnstone Creek Trailhead, meet at parking lot, ­intersection of East Fork Road and Highway 75 $65 / $75 nonmember Join ISU geologist Paul Link for this walking tour and field trip, including four stops before the trailhead to see rock formations. Participants will enjoy a hike along a maintained trail with views of thick sections of Challis volcanics. In this glaciated terrane, rocks are fresh and easy to see, and the complex structure of the mountains surround the area. Participants will each receive a geologic map of Idaho.

The 45-­minute hike up Johnstone Creek Trail is easy to moderate, with a round-trip distance of ­approximately 2 ½ miles and an elevation gain of 900 feet.

Paul Link has taught geology at Idaho State ­University since 1980. He and graduate students worked extensively in the Sun Valley area as part of a USGS project from 1985 to 1993.

Review of Books, among other publications. She has taught at Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland State University, California State University ­Channel Islands and Willamette University.

CREATIVE JUMP IN: DRAWING FROM OUR MINING ­HERITAGE WITH BOB DIX Sat, Aug 29, 10am–5pm Meet at The Museum, Ketchum and caravan to Yankee Fork and ghost town of Custer City $175 / $225 nonmembers This field trip is meant to inspire your inner artist, whether you believe the richness of our state lies in its vast beauty or the lure of f­ ortunes found in mineral deposits. We’ll drive over Galena Summit into the Stanley Basin, tour the ­Stanley Museum, then explore the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge and delve into Idaho’s past with a walk around the ghost town of Custer. We will spend the ­afternoon drawing sites that inspire us.

Bob Dix has exhibited his work widely at ­institutions including the Headlands Center for the Arts, San Francisco Artspace, the San ­Francisco Art Institute, the Richmond Art ­Center, the San Jose Museum of Art and the San F­ rancisco Museum of Modern Art.

Sun, Sep 27, 10am–1pm Hailey Classroom, Hailey $75 / $85 nonmembers The bottom of every jewelry box holds a trove of forgotten gems: single earrings, school mementos, charms, broken chains and more. Let's turn these little treasures into a personal work of art full of memories and worthy of a catalog page. Each student will create a one-of-a-kind piece, learning about jewelry design and the basic skills needed to make a clasp, attach beads and objects together with wire and work with leather cord. The class will focus on problem-solving as well as technique.

A childhood fascination with plants led Lisa Horton to a master's degree in plant anatomy, and she uses the textures and forms of the plant kingdom in all her jewelry. She began teaching jewelry-making classes 10 years ago.

SVMoA’s 2020–21 Craft Series Workshops are generously s­ upported by Heather Horton and Deida Runswick.

FAMILY PROGRAM

A THOUSAND WORDS: GUIDED WRITING ABOUT THE ART YOU SEE WITH SARAH SENTILLES Wed, Nov 4, 6–7:30pm The Museum, Ketchum $10 / $12 nonmember Can you describe what you see? Art inspires, captures, escapes, disrupts, disturbs, conceals and reveals. It also helps us learn to look more carefully, reminding us that what we think we see is not all there is. In this time of mis-seeing and misunderstanding, careful looking is ethical and urgent work. Please join us for generative writing exercises based on the current exhibition. Experiment with new ways to view art and play with language. The workshop is open to all levels, from beginner to advanced writers ages 14 and older.

Sarah Sentilles is a writer, teacher and author of many books, including “Draw Your Weapons,” which won the 2018 PEN Award for Creative Nonfiction.

Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Oprah Magazine, Ms. and the Los Angeles

CRAFT SERIES WORKSHOP: TREASURE NECKLACES WITH LISA HORTON

AFTERNOON ART

CRAFT SERIES WORKSHOP: GEMSTONE RINGS WITH LISA HORTON Sat, Sep 19, 1–5:30pm Hailey Classroom, Hailey $75 / $85 nonmembers Dip your toe into the dazzling world of "metal clay" with this intermediate class. Students will build a silver ring with a gemstone, fire it with a kiln, then polish and add patina. You'll leave with a fine silver ring set with the stone of your choice. Students with some metal clay experience are best positioned to benefit from this class, but if you have zero knowledge of metal clay, take heart! Instructor Lisa Horton will give you extra attention to help you succeed.

There are myriad jewelry techniques for making rings, but metal clay offers the advantage of its suitability for sinuously sculpted detail.

(for families with kids ages 5–12) Fri, Oct 16, 23 & 30, 2:30–3:20pm & 3:30–4:20pm The Museum, Ketchum FREE, pre-registration required Families will make art, explore The Museum’s Art Lab and view the exhibition together. Projects will change on a weekly basis and always connect to the artwork in the exhibition. Participants must register in advance. Each session is limited to a single family of 4 people per reservation.

This project was made possible in part through generous support from The Dawson Family.