http://www.clairejanerau.com/work daily 1.0 2023-05-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1481920048432-MRUM3FBF8MRXVNAC4GTB/Buffet2.jpg Gallery - BUFFET At the Gallery of Contemporary Art 121, Colorado Springs Appetite is a basic premise of humanity. We distinguish ourselves through taste, not simply what we crave or find disgusting to consume, but as a way to elevate our character or transform sociologically. Seen through this often rarified cloud, satisfying hunger becomes a primal factor of survival rather than an aesthetic experience. These works are about desire, the kind of hunger that is gluttony. Anxiety results with how to deal with the embarrassing amount chosen to devour, a quantity that is impossible to ingest. Overabundance has a distinct visual and psychological pull. The attraction of fleshy and grotesque objects is simultaneously gross and fascinating. Entwined into a pattern, an abject wallpaper, we feel and see infinite satisfaction. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1434637660120-OXACQQ99EW3YSOS4K6PS/Dog-+detail-72.jpg Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1423196732821-YM8SZ050HC11UGPCT2IH/Critters-+Heirloom+show%2C+June+2014.jpg Gallery - Heirloom These home accessories are inspired by the recent move of my grandmother, who was entrenched within a tomb of family artifacts. Many of these objects, furniture and tchotchkes, have descended to her nearest and dearest. Translation: into another storage unit. Heirloom speaks to this burden of stuff, physical and emotional, between generations of people to whom acquisition meant wealth. The Front, New Orleans https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1517783513537-4JHVPW2AA7MPQA5ETRNY/Stifle+-+whole+shot-+cleaned-150.jpg Gallery - STIFLE Newsprint, bell jar, cast urethane and plastic, oak, paint 22 x 30 x 16” 2018 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1455489148651-P2G8BCBCS8ZYH8CLLJ6Q/Claire+Rau-+Striped+5.jpg Gallery Striped Cast plastic, dowels, paint Dimensions variable 2016 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1578540557909-JH1YGVONEZ5GZVDPJ9UZ/All+American.jpg Gallery TIME: BIANNUAL UCCS VISUAL ART FACULTY EXHIBITION January 31–May 12, 2019 GOCA Ent Center Abbey Hepner, Ben Kinsley, Marina Eckler, Nikki Pike, Claire Rau, Corey Drieth, Jeremy Click, Pauline Foss, Stacy Platt, Matt Barton, Nick Henning, Carol Dass, & Jessica Langley The works in this tableau are experiments, perhaps prototypes for the future. Created in the last two months, this process has been vastly different from my usual long, planned, labor intensive pieces that typically have the phrase “ongoing” somewhere in the subtext. There is a remarkable freedom in working without hesitation and trying out new technology that I’ve shied away from because of its lack of the hand. I hope to revitalize both my ways of making and the reasons for doing so with thoughtful economy. In relation to the Time theme of this exhibition, these works are influenced by the current political environment of The United States of America. All American Plaster 36x24x14” 2019 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1424220785211-R95NE3M0GUD9WHXTOAQW/Bonfire-+close+det.jpg Gallery - Bonfire After the series of devastating wildfires throughout the Unites States last summer, woodworking changed into something darker in spirit for me; the material itself is tinder for conflagration. This particular work is constructed of different types of plywood, an incredibly strong and economic media that has an innate feeling of the incomplete as it is rarely used in isolation. The veneer that provides the surface appearance of a more luxurious wood, the visible process of manufacturing raw pine plywood, and the delicate striping on the edge of each form combine to give a deep aesthetic pleasure. These aspects of beauty and irony mesh with the underlying idea of the work, the character of worth. Conceptually Bonfire is linked to questions of value. The objects within the pile are a mixture of the precious and the mundane. Function and ornament serve diverse purposes depending on the need and motivation of the user. Rare items have both an inherent status and a connection to history while everyday things are measured by what and how well a purpose they serve. With the dawning failure of austerity plans and stimulus packages, problems remain in defining imperative requirements for people, businesses, and governments. I believe this heap of objects connects to these questions on a basic level, such as deciding a household budget, managing the sale of superfluous items, and what to save when an emergency arises in a fiery tornado. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1631316817411-TGPXJWAQDT6B8LXTWUO6/FRONT.JULY2020.RM3%264-01.small.jpg Gallery - Articulation @ The Front July 11- August 2, 2020 My work examines gender dynamics and sexuality in American life. The pervasive struggle for equity is dominated by opposing forces of discrimination. These objects embrace these constant conflicts in our work and domestic environments, often through the symbolism of the everyday. All gallery images thanks to Jonathan Traviesa https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1672794204230-ELLB9Z0OOLBU5UTYMBKY/Shell-+from+above+alone-+amazing.jpg Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1423157400060-4SYKXFZU03NY3JQ4SRWV/Claire+Rau-+Permission.jpg Gallery - Permission Error is a form of deviancy, a supposed inhospitable climate of wrong. The space between the concepts of wrong and right is often a zone of exile, a separate but adjoining area where mistake banishes each of us from previous convictions. Embracing this futile yet consuming human condition, Permission speaks through the language of furniture. As the go between of architecture and its inhabitants, these works subtly highlight dislocation through their groundlessness. As each work essentially misses the mark, error and thus failure takes on a contemplative inflection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1423199080228-9RMYJ1MFRYZFS1U5POS6/Box.jpg Gallery - Man up Through installation, sculpture, and performance, I explore aspects of borders and peripheries. I am interested in work where the viewer may be both a participant and an intruder in a terrain. Often mutations of known forms, these pieces have gravity and a sense of pressure, either as an activated psychological threat or a nuance of material and research. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1423605657435-NM4ROBY3BPM7266XR6Q6/Leg-hold-+one.jpg Gallery - Booby Traps Inspired by the jungle action movie Predator, the most recent works are booby traps. Dysfunctional in essence through their ominous forms, clearly delineated triggers, and intense colors or patterns, the sculptures become ridiculous objects of menace. Booby traps are typically used on land as a psychological threat in non-combat areas and are concealed through camouflage or by sabotaging an everyday object. The name itself implies that only a fool or booby would actually activate the trap, as in Predator, where the alien is eventually defeated through a number of very basic entrapments. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1424638877872-Q4HVBYDYDZNCINHDQX5I/close+up+of+teeth%2C+towards+curtain-square.jpg Gallery - Slowly, with a worshipful heart Forming the first act in a series of installations, Slowly with a worshipful heart refers to a particularly descriptive tempo in a musical work. This body of work is heavily influenced by music and its use in both daily and ceremonial rituals, its arrangement and notation, and the emotional and spiritual effect therein. The central fixture in the room is in the form of a ceiling fan that functions on a pulley system. Throughout the space are roundels with motion detectors and surveillance lights, which switch on with movement. The work itself is in complete darkness unless approached and activated by pulling the noose on the side of the wall. http://www.clairejanerau.com/the-front daily 0.75 2020-01-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1519405122689-4RDKG5XNY57WHZVA083P/Corey+Drieth-+Front.Feb15.Rm3-01.JPG The Front - Corey Drieth: My Secret Love February 14- March 8, 2015 Over the past ten years I have spent almost all of my time in the studio making meticulous small-scale abstract paintings. Inspired by daily life, art history and religious traditions such as Zen Buddhism and Quaker Christianity, this work explores contemplative spiritual experience. Like many people today I want to define my own spiritual path and I do so by borrowing from multiple theological, literary and artistic precedents. Subsequently, my goal as an artist is to create a personal iconography that is intended to be shared with others; I want to make lyrically poetic objects that evoke a sense of deep intimacy and mystery. The paintings shown here are a part of this exploration. However they differ from my previous work in that they also examine this very urge itself. Specifically, they address my semi-secret obsession with the square as a sacred principle, the iconographic center of my spiritual practice. www.coreydrieth.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1425241754270-DWM869P4NK4SBBYJI0U6/Front%2C+exterior+2.jpg The Front The exhibitions within these galleries were hosted at The Front in New Orleans. As a member, part of my focus the past decade has been to facilitate/curate other artists. Thank you to all the artists, fellow Front members, friends, family, and art lovers. Please enjoy! The Front, an artist-run collective and not-for-profit gallery, fosters the development of contemporary art in the city of New Orleans through innovative exhibitions, lectures, screenings, performances, and other arts programming, all of which are free and open to the public. Founded by artists in 2008 amidst the post-Katrina resurgence of New Orleans and committed to a spirit of grassroots DIY determinism, The Front cultivates new and experimental work, in particular from emerging artists, but also from nationally and internationally known artists. www.nolafront.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1538069292706-CC9JKE7O97S1BPZYWYMH/Nicole_Jean_Hill-small.jpg The Front https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/t/5bad15e4104c7bbe443f74db/1538068868574/ The Front https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1519405587599-27TF5ZOXSGDYWRB9DUO1/Juicy+postcard+back+5x7.jpg The Front Photography by Jonathan Traviesa https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1549229768314-AZUSAL03N8M9L2XA0WBR/1.jpg The Front - Echoes January 12- February 3, 2019 Opening reception: Saturday January 12th, 6-10pm Leah Dyjak Nate Nettleton Jacqueline Dee Parker Lee Emma Running Curated by Claire Rau Influence is a strange beast. An artist’s practice, I believe, would wither without an influx of ideas. Many artists that I work with or have researched go through periods of intense consumption of the outside world, then enclose themselves in the studio as a retreat to filter and digest what is essential. Others maintain a regular back and forth of information- the similarity of the methods is that they are both a dialog. And in this conversation, with others or themselves, echoes and nuances of those influences creep into the artist, and into the work. Echoes features a diverse group of artists, whose works clearly embrace and ripen from influences. Their studio work progresses, each into a distinct and compelling voice. For more information about the artists and their work: https://nolafront.org/january-12-february-3-2019/ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1425251806635-9UUAHPJLFC3V25QDEW0S/FrontJuly09.Rm1-01.jpg The Front July 11- August 1, 2009 Opening Reception: July 11, 6-10 pm The Front Americana Featuring the work of American artists, this group exhibition at The Front responds to issues concerning the influences of the United States of America. Typically referring to cultural artifacts or the westward expansion of the pioneers, Americana seeks to extend the horizon of American popular culture through an exploration of side-show and backwoods phenomena, altered landscapes, and arcane celebration. New Orleans is of particular interest in lieu of these objectives as the Crescent City, both historically and currently, has been an incubator for a diverse population that challenges much of the racial, economic, and religious status quo. Matt Barton Mark Bradley-Shoup Corey Drieth Nicole Jean Hill Arthur Brett Reif Lydia Moyer Brad Benischek Doug Dertinger Greg Murr Cristin Millet Colin Frazer Photography by Jonathan Traviesa https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1578538586257-DSS77MX4AO2T9X7ZZE3I/image-asset.jpeg The Front - MATTER October 12- November 3, 2019 Featuring: Stephen Collier, Rachel Jones Deris, Jenny LeBlanc, Cathy Lu, and Shannon Sullivan Curated by Claire Rau Using the ancient material of clay as a starting point, these artists venture outwards to expand its possibilities. For more information about the artists and their work: https://nolafront.org/october-12-november-3-2019 http://www.stephencollierstudio.com/ www.racheljonesderis.com https://cathyclu.com www.shannonmsullivan.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1425240922580-OBKN89U3VHTKHSHA1DGF/Yumi-+March+2012+2.jpg The Front February 11- March 4, 2012 The Front, New Orleans Opening Reception/SATURDAY, February 11, 6-10 pm Room 1: Yumi Janairo Roth All that Glitters In All that Glitters, Yumi Janairo Roth presents two projects, a collection of police barriers encrusted in disco mirrors and a series of photographs of designer-label carved potatoes, juxtaposing mundane objects with images of luxury and glamour and thereby asking the viewer to reconcile the seeming contradiction between surface and material. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1425240662326-FL962AEO6ZZVY5NHVPKT/Headphones-+February+2012.jpg The Front February 11- March 4, 2012 The Front, New Orleans Opening Reception/SATURDAY, February 11, 6-10 pm Room 2: Headphones: Listen Up! Valerie Brodar, Curator Is a compilation of sound art from the first recording in 1860 to work created yesterday. Sound art is a hybrid practice investigating silence, noise, ambient textures, appropriation, soundscapes, indeterminacy, narrative, and mashups encompassing intimate listening experiences, live multi-dimensional performances, sound sculptures and installations that expand and engage the non-visual aspects of perception. Jacki Apple Lynn Book Paul Bright Michael Burns Thomas Edison Philippe Landry Lou Mallozzi Filippo Tammaso Marinetti Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville David Moss Senga Nengudi Luigi Russolo Kurt Schwitters Helen Thorington David Webber Hildegard Westerkamp Gregory Whitehead Michael Winter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1425238477602-X5EAV706YNTALRTS6BOX/Carol+Dass-+Beauty%2C+whole+shot.jpg The Front November 9- December 8, 2013 The Front, New Orleans Opening Reception/SATURDAY, November 9, 6-10 pm Room 1: Carol Dass Beauty The photographs in this exhibition were taken in a small Midwestern Iowa town. One of those towns described by some as “you can drive through it in the blink of an eye.” These three images are a small sampling of the Beauty I found there. The Cyan-o-Panties were made using Women’s 100% cotton briefs dyed using the historic cyanotype process, referencing events from my recent and past history. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1425238627001-0HJRMHB8KU9GD1PCPV3N/Hathaway_John_03.jpg The Front November 9- December 8, 2013 The Front, New Orleans Opening Reception/SATURDAY, November 9, 6-10 pm Room 2: John Hathaway Wild | life For as long as I can remember, I’ve been captivated by the tenuous relationship between humankind and the natural world. My early fascination with the ways we shape – and are shaped by – our interactions with natural environments informed and eventually became the focus of my photographic work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1425239603724-X9W0MHC9RWGFJVJJTZR1/Barb+Hunt-+Nov.+2011.jpg The Front November 12- December 4, 2011 The Front, New Orleans Opening Reception/SATURDAY, November 12, 6-10 pm Room 3: Barb Hunt Rain Canadian artist Barb Hunt is a pacifist, a heritage that she received from her family, and the influence of living in the United States during the Vietnam War. In this work, she is trying to balance the cruelty of war with her empathy for the individual soldier. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1425241193723-GVE0FFSJ5BUSQIG7NBIN/Counter+cartographies.jpg The Front October 9- November 7, 2010 The Front, New Orleans Opening Reception/SATURDAY, October 9, 6-10 pm Room 2: Jeremy Drummond and Hoang Pham Counter Cartographies In this ongoing series of drawings, collages, and digital images, relationships between nations and territories are reconfigured into alternative worldviews. In our globalized world, the distance between nations continues to lose significance yet divisions pertaining to culture, conflict, economics and ecology remain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1425239966109-ZE47F2Z4NHX84YOS80A2/Nicole+Jean+Hill-+June+2012.jpg The Front June 9- July 8, 2012 The Front, New Orleans Opening Reception/SATURDAY, June 9, 6-10 pm Room 4: Nicole Jean Hill Artifacts & Incidents Artifacts & Incidents is a photographic series that explores human and animal activity along the periphery of rural communities throughout the American West. The images are of subtle and aggressive relationships within the natural world- evidence of disruption, cultivation and inherent wildness along the boundary between public and private spaces. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1425241309579-I336BMU03CKHMIQ14IUV/Book+of+rocks%2C+flowers%2C+and+birds.jpg The Front October 9- November 7, 2010 The Front, New Orleans Opening Reception/SATURDAY, October 9, 6-10 pm Room 1: Yoonmi Nam Book of Rocks, Flowers, and Birds My work considers the cross-cultural experience and sense of transience through prints and drawings. My recent interests include the study of traditional ink paintings and woodblock prints from East Asia. This exhibition title refers to the chapters in the 17th century Chinese painting manual Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39f25e4b06a6856133996/1425252821936-XH57RQHGK0N75Y6H5JX4/Fire-+TVs+%26+Meteor.jpg The Front May 14- June 5, 2011 The Front, New Orleans Opening Reception/SATURDAY, May 14, 6-10 pm Rooms 3 & 4: Leah Bailis & Andrew Suggs Fire At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet. Fire is a new collaborative effort featuring sculpture and a video installation. The work takes as a starting point two pop songs: Bruce Springsteen's “I'm On Fire” and The Pointer Sisters' “Fire.” Bailis and Suggs have cast themselves as karoke singers who reframe these gendered ballads in a four-channel video installation that layers their performances into a cacophonous sound/image piece. http://www.clairejanerau.com/about daily 0.75 2020-01-09 http://www.clairejanerau.com/page-cv daily 0.75 2023-05-12