Carol Prusa: Dark Energy Exhibit
Inspired by the solar eclipse of August 2017, artist Carol Prusa created Dark Energy, a multimedia exhibition on view at Endicott College. The solo exhibition consists of fiberglass forms, acrylic circles, acrylic hemispheres and spheres ranging from bowl-sized to five feet in diameter, articulated with silverpoint drawing and ground graphite washes heightened with white. The works are often punctuated by patterns of light from fiber optics, internal programmed lights, video or reflections on aluminum leaf. The exhibition is located in the Heftler Visiting Artist Gallery through May 19.
Carol Prusa states, “Seeking liminal spaces I traveled to experience the totality of the eclipse, in August 2017, following in the footsteps of American astronomer Maria Mitchel. Her story, combined with those of other astronomers such as Vera Rubin – who provided early evidence of dark matter, are feeding this new body of work. As Mitchell stated in her diary, “We reach forth and strain every nerve, but we seize only a bit of the curtain that hides the infinite from us.”
Prusa has worked to create a compellingly complete and coherent visual work. Her rigorous geometry and precision resulted in beautiful containers of reason, much as the ancients visualized the limits of their world in a dome. Merging silverpoint drawing with contemporary strategies, surfaces are articulated to create liminal skins between known and unknown worlds. Artist Carol Prusa seeks to express her euphoria when glimpsing the strangeness and vital beauty of what is possible – to give form to thin spaces that evoke the mystery that both surrounds and binds us together.
Originally from Chicago, Carol Prusa studied chemistry and soon found art, and the two became intertwined. She received a Bachelor of Science in medical illustration from the University of Illinois, and an MFA in painting and drawing from Drake University. She is a Professor of Painting and Drawing at Florida Atlantic University.
Please join us on Thursday, March 29 from 5 – 6 p.m. for an artist’s reception, and on Friday, March 30, in the Rose Performance Hall from 10 – 11 a.m. for an artist talk.
This exhibition is funded in part by the van Otterloo Family Foundation. Exhibition, reception, and gallery talk are free and open to the public.
Contact Information: Kathleen J. Moore, Coordinator of Visual Arts – Gallery Director kmoore@endicott.edu, 978-232-2655