Repurposed

Curated by Erin Cunningham and Amanda Linn McInerney

July 5 – August 3, 2019

Repurposed is a group exhibition co-curated by Erin Cunningham and Amanda Linn McInerney, both members of the artist-run gallery ICOSA Collective. This exhibition focuses on artworks that have been created from discarded and undervalued materials that possess a status of the imbued history of those objects. The diverse group of artists, from six different states, are known for their ability to elevate their materials and refine their craft through a variety of techniques. When developing the concept for this exhibition, the curators both had recent experiences that made them consider the impact of consumerism on the environment and on personal psychology. It seemed there was enough “stuff” in the world. They realized how important it was to feature works of art that reused materials and reconceptualized them into things that were beautiful, sometimes humorous or tongue in cheek, but also thoughtful and meaningful. The show draws upon family connections, folklore, and cultural and personal histories to create works that repeat and reconstruct forms and ideas.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

Carolina Alamilla (Miami, FL)
Doug Baulos (Birmingham, AL)
Michael Bonadio (Birmingham, AL)
Melanie Brauner (Everett, WA)
Debra Broz (Van Nuys, CA)
Zach Clark (Oakland, CA)
Erin Cunningham (Austin, TX)
Tobias Flores (Hays, KS)
Vladimir Mejia (Austin, TX)
Amanda McInerney (Austin, TX)
Karri Paul (Los Angeles, CA)
Jerry Slayton (Austin, TX)
Shalena White (Austin, TX)
Jason Tanner Young (Montevallo, AL)

ABOUT THE CURATORS

Erin Cunningham (b. 1979 Honolulu, HI) is an artist living and working in Austin, Texas. She received her BFA with a focus in metalsmithing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2003 and an MFA in studio art from the University of Texas in Austin in 2007. Through the use of material combinations and the female figure, her sculpture work explores dualities of masculine and feminine, disposable and precious, fragility and strength. She has shown both nationally and internationally, most recently at the Metropolitan Art Museum in Tokyo, and has been the recipient of several residencies including BAER Art Center in Hofsos, Iceland. Erin is one of the founding members of the ICOSA Collective, an artist run exhibition space in Austin TX. She is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Texas at Austin and an instructor at The Art School at The Contemporary Austin.

Amanda Linn McInerney (b. 1981 Sioux City, IA) is a Texas-based visual artist, printmaker and homebrewer. She is one of the co-founders of Artist Screen Printing Cooperative where she teaches screen printing. She graduated from Iowa State University in 2004 and continued her printmaking career in San Diego, California until she moved to Austin in 2010. She has contributed to and shown work with artist nonprofits and mentoring programs like the Women Printmakers of Austin, Chula League, ICOSA Collective and The Contemporary Austin. She is the secondary Design Teacher at Meridian World School and an instructor at The Art School at The Contemporary Austin. Her work is inspired by mortality, how different cultures process loss and how it affects the decisions we make in life.