CORVALLIS, Ore. – Works by John Selker, a professor of biological and ecological engineering, will be on display in August and September in the Woodshop Projects experimental art space on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis.
The exhibit, a series of hand-turned wood bowls, is titled “Embracing Imperfection: Celebrating to the interior complex grace of trees.” Selker is a distinguished professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
In his artist’s statement, Selker describes the concept for the exhibition:
“We are of nature, wherein our trials become the cornerstones of our character. A perfect person is an impossibility - only through struggle, error and reflections on defeat do we build depth of the soul. We have inordinate sensitive to the lessons embedded in travails. Trees grow in the wind, vagaries of climate, competition from neighbors, and insults of animals, insects and fungus. Their character is apparent in the rich complex structure developed from responding to these pressures. I cannot create anything more beautiful or meaningful than the grain of a tree. I seek to expose the viewer to the hidden world of trees’ of character, seeking to excite the seventh sense of humanity: the breathtaking beauty of the wellspring of character.”
The gallery is in the basement of Fairbanks Hall, 220 SW 26th St., Corvallis. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and until 8 p.m. on Aug. 15 and Sept. 20 during the Corvallis Arts Walk. For information on the walk go to www.corvallisartswalk.com.
About the OSU College of Liberal Arts: The College of Liberal Arts includes the fine and performing arts, humanities and social sciences, making it one of the largest and most diverse colleges at OSU. The college's research and instructional faculty members contribute to the education of all university students and provide national and international leadership, creativity and scholarship in their academic disciplines.
Erin Sneller, 541-737-5592, [email protected]
Andrew Nigon, 541-737-4880, [email protected]
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