February 4 – March 20, 2010

Contact: Thomas Moore
Director of Arts & Culture
410-455-3370
tmoore@umbc.edu

This release is available as a pdf file.

UMBC's Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture (CADVC) presents Dana Hoey: Experiments in Primitive Living, curated by Dr. Maurice Berger and organized by the CADVC.

An Opening Reception will be held on Thursday, February 4th from 5 to 7 pm, and the exhibition will open for regular hours on Friday, Feburary 5th.

On Tuesday, February 23rd at 4:30, Dana Hoey will present a lecture on her work at the CADVC gallery.

This exhibition and catalog will focus on a recent cycle of 50 color photographs by New York artist Dana Hoey—Experiments in Primitive Living. Insects, old women, tools, and instruments of survival, such as the emergency radio, the flashlight, or the compass, inhabit these images—a vividly imagined world withering under five different weather conditions: ash, freeze, thaw, flood and drought. Hoey employs various photographic styles to shift the mood and intensity of these photographs: commercial product shot, scientific photo, portrait and epic narrative all interrelate on the walls of the exhibition. Because the subjects in the pictures are also on equal ground and of equal detail—for example, the spore and the face merit the same size and resolution—Experiments in Primitive Living exemplifies the camera’s ability to inform, to sell, to explain, or to tell a story.

As Hoey writes of the series, “In this possible world, there is a power vacuum, an absence of infrastructure, and now the overlooked have stepped in. Old women may rule, silently. The small detail may outlast the large story. The icicle may outlive the guitar player.” In the end, Experiments in Primitive Living serves as a powerful commentary on a fragile world changed by recent events, including the tragedy of September 11th, the perils of global warming, and the global economic meltdown. A supplementary exhibition featuring examples from several of Hoey’s other recent projects will complete the project, including Profane Waste and One Pro, Two Amateurs.

About the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture (CADVC)
The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture is dedicated to the study of contemporary art and visual culture, critical theory, art and cultural history, and the relationship between society and the arts. The CADVC serves as a forum for students, faculty, and the general public for the discussion of important aesthetic and social issues of the day. Disciplines represented include painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, photography, digital art, video, film, television, design, architecture, advertising, and installation and performance art.

Since 1989, the CADVC has incorporated a number of public programs into its exhibition programming schedule to further impact the communities it serves. Symposia, lecture series, conferences, film series, visiting artist series, and residencies have all been fundamental in an effort to create an ongoing dialogue about contemporary art and culture. The Center has also initiated a number of projects with Baltimore and surrounding schools to integrate the contemporary artist and their concerns into the classroom. These projects take place on-site at both middle schools and high schools and are team taught by the instructors at these schools, professional artists, and students from the CADVC's Internship Program.

The Center produces one to two exhibition catalogues each year. Each document is fully illustrated and contains critical essays on the given subject by a variety of distinguished professionals in the field. Recent publications include Postmodernism: A Virtual Discussion and Paul Rand: Modernist Design. These books and catalogues are published and are distributed internationally through Distributed Art Publishers.

Since 1992, the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture has actively pursued the organization of exhibitions that contain the aesthetic, theoretical, and educational potential to reach both a national and international audience. Over the years, the CADVC has traveled these exhibition projects to a broad spectrum of museums, professional non-profit galleries, and universities national and internationally. Recent traveling exhibitions include:

- White: Whiteness and Race in Contemporary Art (2003)
- Fred Wilson: Objects and Installations (2001)
- Adrian Piper: A Retrospective (1999)
- Bruno Monguzzi: A Designer’s Perspective (1998)
- Minimal Politics (1997)
- Kate Millett, Sculpture: The First 38 Years (1997)

Beyond the scope of these traveling exhibitions, the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture also undertakes projects such as the Joseph Beuys Tree Partnership. As part of the educational mission of the CADVC, one graduate thesis exhibition and one undergraduate senior exhibition are presented each year.

This multi-faceted focus for presenting exhibitions, projects and scholarly research publications focused on contemporary art and cultural issues positions the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture in a unique position within the mid-Atlantic region.

Hours and Admission
Tuesday through Saturday — 10 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Admission is free.

Telephone
Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture: 410-455-3188

Web
UMBC Arts website: http://www.umbc.edu/arts
Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture: http://www.umbc.edu/cadvc

Directions
- From Baltimore and points north, proceed south on I-95 to exit 47B. Take Route 166 toward Catonsville and then follow signs to the Fine Arts Building or public parking.
- From I-695, take Exit 12C (Wilkens Avenue) and continue one-half mile to the entrance of UMBC at the roundabout intersection of Wilkens Avenue and Hilltop Road. Turn left and follow signs to the Fine Arts Building or public parking.
- From Washington and points south, proceed north on I-95 to Exit 47B. Take Route 166 toward Catonsville and then follow signs to the Fine Arts Building or public parking.
- Daytime metered visitor parking is available in the Administration Drive Garage.
- Online campus map: http://www.umbc.edu/aboutumbc/campusmap/

Images for Media
High resolution images for media are available online:
http://www.umbc.edu/newsevents/arts/hi-res/
Images in this release: Dana Hoey, THAW - Salamanders, 2008, Archival inkjet, 16.25 x 24.25 inches, 41.3 x 61.6 cm (unframed), 19.75 x 27.75 inches, 50.2 x 70.5 cm (framed), 1, Edition1/5, DH 08/038; Dana Hoey, FREEZE - Fallen, 2007, Archival inkjet, 16.25 x 24.25 inches, 41.3 x 61.6 cm (unframed), 19.75 x 27.75 inches, 50.2 x 70.5 cm (framed), 1, Edition1/5, DH 08/012; Dana Hoey, THAW - Julia, 2006, Archival inkjet, 16.25 x 24.25 inches, 41.3 x 61.6 cm (unframed), 19.75 x 27.75 inches, 50.2 x 70.5 cm (framed), 1, Edition1/5, DH 08/042; all images Courtesy of the Artist and Friedrich Petzel Gallery, New York.