In Between: Contemporary Artists Working in Two and Three Dimensions Featuring Dennis Lee Mitchell

Possibly for ease of categorizing, artists tend to be classified by the materials they primarily use or the types of work most often created—a ceramic sculptor, a jeweler, a painter. Yet, it is not uncommon for artists to shift between media within their creative process—some may favor certain materials but flex between two- and three-dimensional work, while others may create drawings as sketches for objects or as stand-alone works. There are no strict rules that govern the extent or articulation of these changes in working methods.

In Between showcases artists via multiple works made of different materials and/or pieces that reflect a fluency between two and three dimensions, including wearables. Rooted in RAM’s collection, the exhibition specifically highlights the work of Dennis Lee Mitchell, a Virginia-based artist who once favored clay, but for some time has been creating large-scale “smoke drawings” with an acetylene torch.

Further examples include Barbara Brandel, who constructed hand-woven tapestry wall works and wearable garments; Dale Chihuly, who created large-scale drawings and prints with shapes and colors that echo and extend the context of his sculptural glass work; Carol Eckert, who creates drawings that plot out the thread colors used to craft her fiber works; and Russell T. Gordon, who is known for paintings and prints, but also constructed ceramic wall pieces.

Some Artists in the Exhibition: Garry Knox Bennett, Barbara Brandel, Frank Boyden, Dale Chihuly, Chunghi Choo, Richard DeVore, Eddie Dominguez, Carol Eckert, Terri Gelenian-Wood, Russell T. Gordon, Kay Khan, Dennis Lee Mitchell, Masako Onodera, Christina Smith, Kevin Sampson, Toshiko Takaezu, James Tanner, Cynthia Toops, Peter Voulkos, Ann Wolff

Image Credit: Walter Samuel Haatoum Hamady, Almost Like Having a Philosophy (Dos a Dos/Feather in Yr Cap, Box #3 Reworked), 1990-91, Found objects, paper, and wood, 20 1/4 x 11 x 7 1/4 inches, Racine Art Museum, Gift of the Artist. Photography: Jon Bolton