Gallery 205 is best seen by one’s self or with a
small group or two or three in the room. It is a small space meant to exhibit art
and that’s it. This room is placed between a main hallway and an office space.
While walking though Porterfield a view would miss it and enter a much larger
lecture room. This gallery is perfect for small shows and intimate viewings of
an artist’s work.
Carrie Metheny’s work was breathtaking. Her melt
working skills were something to admire. Her concept of a women being a part of
nature was truly seen though her work. As one finds their way in to the gallery
they greeted by the main sculpture of the show. Along the wall were a small
army of strong sculptures. The only problem was that the torso were placed a
little higher than average eye level. This caused the view to gaze upward to
the art work. This is fine for larger galleries were there are many people
looking at the art work in a large space; but in this smaller gallery it would
have been more appealing to keep it at eye level and just wait your turn to see
the beautiful works.
As the audience traveled around the small gallery
they had to be mined full of the beautifully sculpted coffee table. It made it
very hard to back up to see the torsos on the walls around it. Passing very carefully
by the table and torsos the view comes to a wall that is parallel to the opposite
with the main show piece. This is two bicycles built totally by the Metheny herself.
Above the bikes is a mathematical drawing she had to do before making the
bikes. This was a gorgeous background for her works because it had no words and
remained very simple. It keep the views thought on the bikes but reminded them
that it took a lot of planning. Below the bikes, almost like a velvet rope to
keep the viewers at a distance, were the wooden models that Matheny hand
whittled. I later learned that these were how the tubes were made for the bikes
basic frame.
On the opposite wall from the torsos are simple
photographs of pass work by Matheny. These were works that had been some of her
favorite but had been sold. It was simple and plain, this part of the gallery
could have been easily missed. Again the
coffee table was a beautiful nuisance that had made it hard to back up and see
all the photos as a whole.
