Jasper Community Arts is pleased to present the work of Evansville artist and art professor Rob Miillard-Mendez from December to February at the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center.

Millard-Mendez’s exhibit features an array of handcrafted wood and mixed-media sculptures.

Millard-Mendez stated, “The primary aim in my work is to illustrate and analyze concepts that I find enthralling. The resulting objects deal on many levels with formal and conceptual issues. In my work, I hope to show an equal blending of art, craft, and the presentation of engaging ideas in intriguing ways. The works are meant to involve the viewer visually and intellectually.”

“My sources include mythology, science, history, and American Folk Art (among others). The objects I make reflect the sensibilities of a person steeped in New England practicality who (for better or worse) ended up learning about things like art history, existentialist philosophy, and post-structuralist theory.”

“Many of my sculptures are based on themes from classical mythology viewed through the lens of contemporary events. I have a strong interest in how my themes surface and re-surface throughout human history in many varied (but related) guises. I very much enjoy how masks and figurative sculptures are used in disparate cultures to play out everyday dramas that echo age-old narratives,” says Millard-Mendez.

Craft is a very important aspect of Rob Millard-Mendez’’s work. He enjoys working with a wide range of materials. Millard-Mendez states, “Every material has a voice and a logic of its own; one of the most magical things about being an artist is playing with materials and uncovering their expressive potential. I identify strongly with the idea of the artist as a kind of Daedalean hybrid: artist/artisan/shaman. Visual art, like mythology, has the power to compel us with its resonant imagery. It is my hope that my works will, in some small way, enrich the viewer and make her/him see the world as slightly more tragic or laughable (or possibly both at the same time).”

Rob Millard-Mendez is currently a Professor of Art in the Art and Design Department at the University of Southern Indiana, Evansville. He holds a MFA in Fine Arts and Sculpture from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, MA, and a BFA in Fine Arts and Sculpture from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA (Summa Cum Laude).

Millard-Mendez’s solo exhibition will be on display from December 7th, 2023, through February 25th, 2024. First Thursday Receptions will take place on Thursday, December 7th, 2023 (with a Gallery Talk from Rob at 5:30 pm), Thursday, January 4th, 2024, and Thursday, February 1st, 2024, all from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

The galleries at the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center, located at 100 3rd Avenue, Suite A, Jasper, IN

47546, are open to the public Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Saturday from

10:00 am to 2:00 pm, and Sunday from noon to 3:00 pm. School groups, clubs, and students are welcome. Admission is free. Donations appreciated.