What
Two art exhibits launch this month at Worcester Polytechnic Institute's (WPI) Gordon Library.
"OCD," is an exhibit of approximately 10 ink-on-paper drawings by 1996 alumna Erica Curran Mason of Lincoln, Mass. While one of the pieces to be displayed has won awards in prior exhibitions, the other works have never been publicly viewed. The pieces in "OCD" are drawings consisting of patterns derived from slides of plant cellular structures. Some of the drawings are representative of the actual slides, while others are an amalgam of patterns found within various slide images. Mason's process is time consuming and repetitive and meditative. The older writing-based pieces and these newer drawings both have a kind of rhythm to them inherent in the process itself, which the artist thinks is seen and felt in the end work.
Also to be shown is the first formal gallery exhibit of photography by Diran Apelian, WPI's Howmet professor of mechanical engineering. The exhibit, titled "A Life's Journey," will feature 36 color images of sites from all over the world that are observations of life, nature, form, and beauty. As an engineer, Apelian's motivations for displaying his works are his desire to change the image of engineering in America and to show that engineers are engaged in culture, societal issues, and in the arts.
Who
Erica Curran Mason double majored in biotechnology and social science and policy at WPI. Her science and engineering background has provided Mason with a desire for order, structure, and uniformity in her work, at least on the surface. Mason has won several awards for her artwork. Recently, she was able to add to her collection the "Works on Paper" award from the Northeast Prize Show at the Cambridge Art Association in Cambridge, Mass.
Diran Apelian is the director of WPI's Metal Processing Institute. He immersed himself in photography 40 years ago and has traveled the world with his camera.
When
Mason Exhibit
August 28 to Oct. 12;
Closing reception on Oct. 11, 4-6 p.m. at Gordon Library
Apelian Exhibit
August 28 to Oct. 12;
Reception on Sept. 12, 5-7 p.m. in Gordon Library
Where
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Gordon Library
100 Institute Road, Worcester, Mass.
