This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, April 6, 2011 - Jessica Stockholder's exhibit at Laumeier Sculpture Park, "Grab grassy this moment your I's," is a delectable visual treat. Ten indoor pieces and one outdoor installation feature what Stockholder does best: combine unexpected materials, brilliant color, and remarkable juxtapositions of objects in poetic propositions that take hold of the imagination and don't let go.
Stockholder, a professor of sculpture at Yale University, is perhaps better known for large-scale installations that tower over the viewer. Here, the works are more human-scaled and inhabit beautifully the domestic spaces of Laumeier's indoor galleries. The sculptures involve materials you'd find at Goodwill, Home Depot or the Dollar Store, woven together into the most perversely charming expressions one could imagine.
Stockholder possesses an easy, imaginative touch; whether she's winding electric cord around a bamboo shelf, using grommets to punctuate a composition, or dragging paint through faux fur, the results are gently astounding, visually arresting.
The exhibition also nicely recalls recent shows of works by Brandon Anschultz and Roberley Bell; indeed, it seems that Laumeier is finding a solid footing in designing its exhibit schedule, zeroing in on artists who transgress conventional sculptural categories, experiment with materials and visual design, and do it all on a domestic scale.
The accompanying catalog, with poetry by Mary Jo Bang, is a work of art in itself.
When: Through May 29 | Where: Laumeier Sculpture Park, 12580 Rott Road | Information: www.laumeier.org
Ivy Cooper, a professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, is the Beacon art critic.