This Saturday was the start of an interesting journey for area artist and U of I graduate Maria Lux. NORDEN Design is sponsoring her from April 29th-May 11th. In a statement, Norden’s Anna Gutsch said:
We have decided to support the local Artist, Maria Lux, a graduate of the U of I and sponsor the [co][lab] space so she has a public studio for two weeks to work in. Also, after the two weeks, Maria will display her work at Art Coop in their storefront. Maria will be working in the front window of the [co][lab] on her project “magnify” (it has to do with water bears, or tardigrade — super interesting animal species!) and will be open to the public Thursdays-Sunday. [Thursday and Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.] During the other days she invites people to peak through the front window and watch her work.”
I attended the opening reception for the exhibit, held at [co][lab] on May 3rd. The living art show began with gummy bears (which are correctly pronounced GUMMI-BARS by Hedwig in the namesake musical that made him a star) and various other candies and sodas. The atmosphere was festive, and the artist had plenty of support from her local friends and former classmates.
Lux, who received her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa in 2006 and her MFA from the U of I in C-U in 2011, has decided to blend art and science in order to use art to help us be more environmentally aware and concerned. Her first stop on this journey is entitled “Magnify” and uses various microscopic creatures called Tardigrade. The Tardigrade, it should be noted, are sort of adorable. Imagine a Koala Bear that gains nutrients through an anteater-like suction tongue and then makes it a teeny tiny addition to your moist and mossy areas, and you’ve got an idea of the appeal of this cute little creature. Lux said she hopes to encourage area schools to obtain samples and study the critters and thus make them more aware of the life we take for granted on the planet.
At the opening, the art was mostly embryonic: a few matted pencil drawings of microscopic creatures, a photo or two from a very fancy microscope, a nude man carved from a soap-like material and his teeny tiny chair, some shadow boxes representing the various spaces of her current journey, and the pop-up invitation that gave attendees a chance to win discounts at the Art Coop (her next stop on this adventure). The invitations were collapsible, functioning microscopes with various slides of the creatures that fascinate her and inspire her work. Lux is excited to enjoy the luxury of a studio space — where home distractions can be left behind — while she tends to her muse. Watching the creative process can be both fascinating and tedious in equal measure, but that is the creative process. Sometimes making art is exciting; sometimes it’s staring at something until you know what it is.
Regardless of your interest in Tardigrade or your threshold for watching someone else create, I highly recommend stopping by and seeing Maria’s work take shape and life!
[co][lab] is located at 206 West Main in Urbana, adjacent to Flying Machine Coffee/Pizza M location. The Art Coop show begins May 23rd and runs through the summer at the Art Coop located in Lincoln Square Mall.