Arts & Entertainment

'Repetition with Variation'

New exhibit popular at Marin Arts Gallery

As you walk through the doors of the Marin Arts Gallery, you'll first notice the red-wire cyclone that hangs brazenly from the ceiling; then the clay village neatly arranged upon piles of bark on the floor. Paper mache raindrops hang from copper wires in the window, and imitations of leaves and seashells made of delicate Japanese mulberry paper decorate the slate gray wall.

Amidst the bustle and vibrance of an emerging downtown San Rafael exists this serene and contemplative new art exhibit, "Adding On: Repetition with Variation," that has transcended this 2,500 square foot space into a meditation on life, loss, and reemergence.

"The fragility of human existence takes many forms," said Carol Newborg, one of six Bay Area artists whose work is on display here. "I find great metaphor in these works. Through the abstraction of natural forms, we are trying to elicit an emotional experience."

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That was the idea when curator Claudia Chapline gathered the works of Newborg, Carol Beadle, Jane Brucker, Nancy Macko, Kevin Nierman and Anne Wolf, six artists known for their subtle approaches to nurturing themes.

"She saw a similarity in their work," said Argo Thompson, the council's executive director. "She saw a theme and wanted to bring them all together."

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This free exhibit will be on display until July 24, open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is sponsored by the Marin Arts Council and Art at the Cheese Factory.

Thompson said his biggest surprise since the exhibit opened on June 5 has been the amount of children this adult-theme has attracted.

"I am amazed at how many young children are dragging their parents in here," he said. Thompson believes the children are lured in by the unique way the artists have used the space to display their installations.

Though the exhibit was not created to make money, these pieces are for sale. For those in the market for a 10-foot hanging funnel hand woven from electronic wire, they can purchase "Funneling," Carole Beadle's $7,000 piece, while individual pieces of Kevin Nierman's "Global Village" range anywhere from $150 to $850, and Newborg's sprawling wall design, known as "Findings," can be bought whole for $4,000.

Deborah Renner, 59, an art instructor at the College of San Mateo, was the only one wandering down Fourth Street who chose to stop inside during a quiet, mid-afternoon.

"It's a beautiful space," she said. "This exhibit can evoke a dialogue between artists and non-artists, and between generations."

For Newborg, though, the repetitive theme of the exhibit represents something much more personal.

"We are nurturing people, all of us," she said of the six artists. "This exhibit is about an understanding of life and it's many vulnerabilities.  It's about how careful you must be with it. And like these pieces, though we can all seem so similar from a distance, take a closer look to see the differences that matter. We may seem so delicate and fragile, but take a closer look to see that it is strong, and it lasts."

The Marin Arts Gallery is located at 906 Fourth St., San Rafael, marinarts.org.


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