An exhibition of firsts, MSU gallery opens 'Mapping Awareness: Social Objects and Detritus'

Bright colors and a variety of textures welcome guests as they walk into Missouri State's Robert & Margaret Carolla Arts Exhibition Center this month. The themes behind the artworks on the walls, preserved on the floor and hung from the ceiling are not necessarily so bright and cheery.

Carolla's current exhibition, "Mapping Awareness: Social Objects and Detritus" opened June 20. The exhibition is open through Friday, Aug. 5.

"Mapping Awareness" features works from social artists Catherine Reinhart and Giovanni Valderas. Missouri State University Director of Exhibitions Jodi McCoy and Missouri State MFA student and gallery assistant Shauna LeAnn Smith curated the exhibition.

"This exhibition showcases social practice-based works of art that document the detritus (waste or decay) of cultural domesticity and neighborhoods," the exhibition's statement reads.

"Mapping Awareness" is the first summer exhibition at Carolla since its opening last fall and the first Missouri State MFA student co-curated exhibition.

McCoy described "Mapping Awareness" as a trial run for Missouri State MFA students, with Smith as the guinea pig. Due to its success, MFA students will now have the opportunity to pitch and curate their own exhibitions through the university.

The first phase of putting together "Mapping Awareness" was creating an intention. Smith said she wanted to portray social practice and socially-engaged art, which aims to improve conditions in either a specific community or the world at large.

As for tracking down the artists, Smith already followed Reinhart and Valdera. How they both spoke about their communities — whether family or a physical neighborhood — through art resonated with Smith.

Catherine Reinhart

Based in Ames, Iowa, Reinhart is an interdisciplinary artist, wife and mother of two. Through her work with fiber, paper and abandoned textiles, Reinhart explores motherhood, domestic labor, connection and caregiving.

A year after graduating from the University of Kansas with a master of fine arts in textiles, Reinhart gave birth to her eldest daughter, who is nine years old today.

"I have never not been both an artist and a mom," Reinhart said. "Not only is (the home landscape or domestic landscape) really underrepresented in the art world in general, I think, but that's where I've been for the past 10 years. It's been a rich place to make art and to build community."

Reinhart's pieces featured in "Mapping Awareness," range from textile weavings to screen-printed maps. Many are from her body of work, "Topography of Dwelling," which explores how her family dwells together through topographic symbolism.

Reinhart said "Mapping Awareness" is her first two-person exhibition, which excited her.

Some of Reinhart's pieces are displayed under glass, as an artifact would be in a museum. This similarity is intentional.

"If you were to go to a natural history museum ... or you go to an archaeological site, all these really just ordinary things are preserved as precious bits of history," Reinhart said.  "How do we extend that type of looking into my landscape now?"

A few of the pieces displayed under glass are paper pulp molds of Polly Pocket dollhouses. Paper pulp mold is made from water and paper, typically cardboard, newspaper or a combination of both.

"Museums aren't saving Polly Pocket toys, but maybe they would in 200 years if those little houses outlive our bodies," she said. "That's the reality of these objects we actually don't pay much attention to in our daily life."

To see more of Reinhart's work and stay updated with the artist, visit her Facebook at facebook.com/catherine.reinhart.94 or Instagram at instagram.com/catherine_reinhart_studio/.

Giovanni Valderas

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, this is where Valderas continues to make art today. Valderas uses mixed media elements to discuss the relationship between his Guatemala, Mexican and American ancestry. He often creates art about his hometown neighborhood in Dallas, Oak Cliff.

In "Mapping Awareness," Valderas has works from his projects, "CASITA TRISTE" and "Text Paintings." Translated to English, "casita triste" is "sad little house."

Valderas described Oak Cliff, as a majority Latinx community. In recent years, the area has become gentrified.

One effect of this gentrification was the loss of affordable housing, which inspired Valderas to start the guerrilla, public art project, "CASITA TRISTE."

The project includes a series of 2x3-feet colorful piñata houses with sad faces. Valderas placed the houses around Oak Cliff, specifically in front of developing areas. Attached to each house was a bag of postcards, which included information about Dallas' affordable housing crisis. Viewers were encouraged to write their stories on the postcards, which were addressed to the mayor of Dallas.

This project was in collaboration with the Texas Tenants' Union.

Two piñata houses from "CASITA TRISTE" are on display in "Mapping Awareness." Valderas said he hopes to place the houses in Springfield after the exhibition closes.

"What I love about public art is that you never know what's going to happen to these things," Valderas said. "The beautiful thing about it is they tend to wither and eventually fall apart, which I think is really symbolic of the community I was living in and how if they're not being taken care of, they're just going to disappear just like these little piñata houses."

Valderas' "Text Paintings" also address Dallas' affordable housing crisis. These signs replicate "for sale" signs that began to appear through Oak Cliff as development continued.

Similar to his houses, Valderas' signs replicate colorful piñatas. Each sign depicts a slang idiom Valderas grew up hearing in his Latinx community, such as "no hay pedo" (no problem) and "ya te vi" (I already saw you).

To see more of Valderas' work and stay updated with the artist, visit his Facebook at facebook.com/giovanni.valderas or Instagram at instagram.com/giovannivalderas_com/.

When can I see 'Mapping Awareness'?

Carolla is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday during the summer.

In addition to regular hours, Carolla is hosting a Slow Viewing Night on Thursday, Aug. 4 from 5-6 p.m.

Slow Viewing, developed and facilitated by Smith, encourages folks to slow down and develop their skills of interpreting, observing and discussing art. Participants will spend the first 30 minutes analyzing one piece of art from the exhibition in silence. Then, the last 30 minutes will be spent discussing the piece together.

"As a participant, it makes art feel really approachable," McCoy said. "I think so many people are just kind of scared or timid to come into the door because it's a gallery, it's fancy and I'm looking at this thing and I don't know what it is or how to talk about it. Slow Viewing really gives you a space to just feel comfortable to say how you feel about what you're seeing in a way that, I think, museums and galleries really struggle with."

Slow Viewing is free and open to the public. Free public parking is available at 313 Boonville Ave. and 310 Boonville Ave. For Slow Viewing updates, visit the Slow Viewing Instagram at instagram.com/slowviewing/.

After the closing of "Mapping Awareness," Carolla will open "Polish Comics in Brief." McCoy said she is allowing a Polish curator to use the space to share the history of Polish comic books. This exhibition will be open Aug. 23 through Sept. 7.

For updates, visit galleries.missouristate.edu/Carolla/exhibition-schedule.htm or visit Carolla's Facebook at facebook.com/Carolla.ArtsCenter.msu.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Carolla opens 'Mapping Awareness: Social Objects and Detritus'