Joseph Peragine responds to environmental stewardship
Joseph Peragine // Rhino Field, 2014 // Acrylic and oil on canvas // 66 x 96 in. // Courtesy of the artist and Marcia Wood Gallery, Atlanta
Georgia Southern University’s Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art presents Joseph Peragine: Kingdom Under Glass from August 18 – September 19 on-campus in the Contemporary Gallery of the Center for Art & Theatre. The exhibition includes an artist lecture Thursday, August 21, at 5 p.m. in the Visual Arts Building, Room 2071, followed immediately by an artist reception in the gallery. The events are free, and the public is welcome.
Joseph Peragine: Kingdom Under Glass examines the fragile relationship between exploration and exploitation. Focusing on the use of animal dioramas in the Museum of Natural History in New York, Peragine questions the role of these displays in our society. Initially created to educate patrons and preserve endangered species, these displays are often overly seductive and utopian. The paintings and drawings in this exhibition highlight the irony in these displays and give the viewer clues to their counterfeit nature.
“We are thrilled to show the paintings and drawings of Joseph Peragine,” said Marc Mitchell, the exhibition’s curator. “Not only does Joe have an outstanding reputation as an artist and educator in Atlanta, but he also has national acclaim. His work is always evolving and has garnered the attention of curators from across the country.”
Peragine’s work has been shown at institutions such as the University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson; Cheeckwood Museum of Art, Nashville; Weatherspoon Museum of Art, Greensboro, North Carolina; Arizona State University Museum of Art, Tempe; The Drawing Center, New York.
Peragine is represented by Marcia Wood Gallery in Atlanta. For more information on this exhibition and other gallery programming provided by the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu/cat.
Gallery Programming is supported by Student Activity Fees; all events are free and open to the public. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Georgia Southern University will honor reasonable requests for accommodations. The Center for Art & Theatre is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and by appointment.
The Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art is housed in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Georgia Southern’s College of the Creative Mind. CLASS prepares its students to achieve academic excellence, develop their analytical skills, enhance their creativity, and embrace their responsibilities as citizens of their communities, nations, and world. For more information, visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu/class.