Verde Valley News – Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic, encouraging us to find beauty in the imperfect. This October, a Verde Campus exhibit plumbs the impermanent and asymmetrical to explore the beauty within. Yavapai College invites you to join us for Wabi-sabi, a celebration of art and imperfection, October 3 – 31 at the Patty McMullen-Mikles Gallery on YC’s Verde Valley Campus in Clarkdale.
The Japanese concept of Wabi-sabi hearkens closely to Buddhist and Greek concepts celebrating the authenticity and impermanence of naturally created art. The McMullen-Mikles Gallery’s Wabi-sabi exhibit will feature artwork that challenges the conventional standards of beauty; embracing imperfection and asymmetry in paintings, illustrations, pottery and sculpture.
Wabi-sabi runs from Oct. 3 – 31 at the McMullen-Mikles Gallery. The Thursday, Oct. 3 Opening Reception will also feature the dedication of a new sculpture from local sculptor and foundational artist Dick Marcusen.
The new sculpture, installed by Building F near the gallery, is a metal artwork created by Dick Marcusen from the beginning of his art career. One of the founding members of the Yavapai College Art Department, Marcusen began teaching at the college in 1971. Over the course of 30 years at YC, he taught Jewelry, Sculpture, Three-Dimensional Design, Welded Metal Sculpture, and Woodworking. He welcomed digital media into the art program and was instrumental in creating the Prescott Campus Sculpture Garden. The sculpture was donated by Albert Kaminski, an adjunct science instructor at YC who also enjoyed art classes. The dedication will take place at 5:30 p.m.
The Patty McMullen-Mikles Gallery is located in Building F, on Yavapai College’s Verde Valley Campus, 601 Black Hills Drive, in Clarkdale. Admission is free. The Museum is open 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. For more information on Wabi-sabi or the Marcusen dedication, please visit www.ycvisualarts.com or contact Gallery Director Molly Borsom, (928) 649.5479.
