Images courtesy of the artist
From October 7-28 2022, New City Arts presented NotAway: Works of Consumption an exhibition of work by Amanda Nelsen.
New City Arts' Welcome Gallery
114 3rd St. NE, Charlottesville, VA 22902
First Fridays
October 7 from 5-7:30PM; Artist talk at 6PM
Free and open to the public. All ages welcome.
Gallery Hours
Wednesday-Saturday from 10AM-5PM
Exhibition Events
Stop, Snack & Roll: Oct 15 at Noon
New City Arts & Crafts: Oct 26 at 10AM
Covid-19 Visitor Policy
Masks strongly encouraged for all visitors. Please do not come to Welcome Gallery if you have been exposed to COVID-19, are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or have been advised to isolate or quarantine.
Listen to the Exhibition Playlist 🎧
Exhibition Statement (courtesy of the artist)
There is no “away” on a single, shared planet.
Our vehicles for consumption (packaging) could be part of a circular system with a nearly endless life cycle. Instead, we degrade land, pollute waters, and drain fossil energy to create, aquire, and ultimately reject copious amounts of these materials. We push things far enough away from ourselves to forget what it took to bring them close in the first place.
I save, stack, clean, and cull quotidian materials to unlock their unique qualities, exposing the gifts of nature that support our patterns of consumption. From these materials I craft objects that question the assumed worthlessness of single-use products. My work questions the distance (space/time/form) required to remove something from our awareness and personal responsibility - OR - for something to regain utility after being discarded. Could the remains of our daily consumption feed or support holistic life?
I interrogate the materials that come into my life and home from habits and traditions of consumption to better understand their qualities, origin, and impact. Flexible or stiff, brittle or malleable, translucent or opaque - all amalgams of form and function to serve maximized profit. All built from carbon and other elements within and upon this earth. Through play, process and exploration, I ponder how the materials might live beyond our typically brief encounter. I capture the energy invested in these materials by nature, science, and society - which we so blithely destroy.
I hold these materials, keep them close—not away—in the hopes of inspiring change in what and how we consume.
About the Artist (courtesy of the artist)
Amanda Nelsen uses art to respond to and celebrate our place on this earth, highlighting the care we must take and the respect we must show to all living beings if we are to live in peace. She often engages others in the creative process, employing the traditions of printmaking, bookbinding, sculpture, and public art in her work. Amanda studied Studio Art at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, earned a certificate in Bookbinding at North Bennet Street School, and was awarded an MFA from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University in Massachusetts. A long time art educator, she taught Book Arts classes at several Boston-area colleges and universities before moving to Virginia to serve as the Director of Programs & Education at Rare Book School. Recently, she helped develop the Write Climate course series at the University of Virginia, wherein students use art to encourage climate action while engaging with members of their community. Amanda’s work has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and abroad in museums, libraries, and galleries.
Photos by Kristen Finn.