Program & Artwork
Show Program
September 14, 2024
7:00
8:00
8:30
9:30
10:30
12:00
Gallery Opens
Welcoming Remarks
On the Sculpture Garden main stage.
Guided Tour, feat. Artist Talks
Meet by the Gallery Entrance.
Performances & Fire Lighting
On the Sculpture Garden main stage.
Guided Tour, feat. Artist Talks
Meet by the Cafe.
Gallery Closes
Featured Art
Jump to an artist:
Bailey Arman
Reconciliation, 2024
Digital
In Reconciliation, Arman brings attention to the physical ephemera and singular incidents that help put complex thoughts, experiences, and feelings into context. As these assorted pieces fall into place, a fuller picture may emerge.
From the artist: “Revelations—about myself, the people around me, the world, etc.—often feel fleeting unless I ground it in external objects or events. Like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, this collection of things feel recognizable above (a rabbit, a watch, a meeting to get to), but disparate in juxtaposition until I can reconcile them both externally and internally. This piece was an attempt to represent the way I process a sudden revelation. It's inspired in part by the Art Nouveau style and tarot cards.”
What is a revelation?, 2024
Paint, paper
The artist, two years old at the time, was asked, “What is a revelation?” Averill responded with paint and paper, creating art that is unique to him. The vibrant colors of the diptych bring to mind flames, a source of both destruction and rebirth.
Sophie Averill & Dawson Averill
Many words, for many revelations, 2024
Wood, light bulb
In this piece, the Averills – a married artistic duo – gesture at the inspirational power that language holds over each of us. A single word may be the spark that ignites the mind. But what is the source of that light? A divine voice? Or something closer to home, something more… mechanical?
From the artists: “Reflect on the words that bring new beginnings and ideas to life. We are all capable of making a change with one simple ‘revelation.’”
Nascence, 2022
Digital film
Nascence allows viewers to unearth their own meanings. One possible interpretation speaks to the interplay of day and night, light and dark. The short film carries us from an initial tactile and organic daytime setting into a series of scenes that speak to the obscured perceptions of night. Ultimately, we return back to the daylight, potentially signifying the cyclical nature of life.
Fingerbowl, 2024
Nail polish
Fingerbowl reminds the viewer that we cannot avoid leaving pieces of our past selves throughout the world. In interacting with the discarded nail decorations, we confront the impacts that we inevitably create, both minute and monumental.
From the artist: “We wear fleeting, highly personal art pieces on our bodies in many forms, such as tattoos, makeup, piercings, and hairstyles. What do our choices about these art forms reveal about us? What do they hide?
“Each ‘peelie’ in the dish was created by applying nail polish to a fingernail over a peel-off base coat, wearing the manicure for a short time (from a few hours to a few days), then popping the peelies off. Many popped off during the course of normal activities — washing dishes, doing yard work. Some of these remain scattered in the artist’s home and across Minneapolis, waiting for the light to strike them just right.”
You are invited to touch the artwork and illuminate with your phone flashlight.
Triumph Over Chaos, 2024
Acrylic paint, micron pen
The layered symbolism of Triumph Over Chaos rewards thoughtful consideration. Of course, even a cursory glance communicates Bergerson's depiction of the dual nature of the universe, with a clear contrast made between the two main elements of the piece. Deeper examination reveals yet more details, such as the use of marbles to spread the red paint, representing the unpredictable nature of the apocalyptic events it signifies.
From the artist: “My piece juxtaposes chaos and divine triumph as illustrated in the Book of Revelations. The bottom layer, a chaotic red acrylic painting, represents the turmoil and disorder of the world, while the overlying black-and-white composition signifies the triumph of divine order over this chaos. This interplay of layers reflects the narrative of transformation and redemption, inviting viewers to explore the profound tension between destruction and resolution.”
The Duality of Chaos and Light, 2024
Watercolor, micron pen, paint pen, colored pencil on paper
Birt's work features the regeneration inherent in destruction. Instead of relying on the commonly used imagery of a phoenix rising from the ashes, The Duality of Chaos and Light brings attention to the symbolism of the artist's chosen media and the ability for an artwork to – just like life – contain multitudes.
From the artist: “I researched abstract concepts for revelations and was drawn to the contrast of dark and light in its relation to chaos and new life. The unpredictable nature of watercolor serves as a way to depict chaos, while also capturing the contrast of brighter colors used to represent new life. I chose to use a variety of different art mediums to add detail and other elements to the piece. Overall, I went for an abstract take on revelations that represents two sides of life, darkness (chaos) and light (new life).”
Light Bulb Moment, 2024
Electrical fixtures, wood
Ernest Hemingway originally wrote the line of dialogue, “Gradually, then suddenly,” in reference to bankruptcy, but it also provides an apt description for the way inspiration tends to strike us. Light Bulb Moment illuminates this effort that often precedes the titular moment.
You are invited to touch the artwork. One configuration of the wires/switches leads to the mounted light bulb illuminating.
Follow the Rabbit, 2024
Poem (live performance and printed)
From the artist: “This poem was an exercise in accepting what the universe wanted to give. In this case, the universe wanted to give rabbits – rabbits ran across my path as I walked around the neighborhood, appeared in paintings, books, and movies, and finally took shape on the page in the form of this poem. It attempts to encapsulate the anxiety of pushing forward when the world is – or feels like it is – falling down around you.”
19/29, 2014, 2024
Digital film
An artist never truly ages; they simply continue to create new versions of themselves that live on in the museum galleries, living room walls, and dusty storage closets that their artworks inhabit. Del Fiacco's recovered video – itself inspired by a previous work – exemplifies this fragmented perception of the artist, playing with themes of time, identity, and chance.
From the artist: “Ten years ago, I arrived home from a late work shift and asked my college roommate to record me for a few minutes on my phone. Inspired by Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests – short, silent films of individuals sitting in front of a camera – the recording was part of a larger class project. The original file was lost, but an edited version was recently rediscovered when I paid someone to recover the hard drive contents of an old laptop.
“In 2024, I sat in front of the camera again. With no action, lines, or direction, staring down a camera lens is intimidating. It’s like holding a stranger’s gaze a little too long. Side-by-side, viewers can see the passage of time in my physical appearance and demeanor. But as the subject, the two selves on screen blend into each other. ‘It's very difficult to keep the line between the past and the present,’ as Little Edie says in Grey Gardens.
“If you could sit next to your 19-year-old self for a moment, what would you say?”
Karen Del Fiacco & Tracy Schabert
Some revelations are brighter than others, 2024
Wood, synthetics, electricity
In their work as a team, Del Fiacco and Schabert take firm aim at the popular conception of the artist as a solitary genius. Building on the legacy of other artistic duos – Gilbert and George, Claes Oldenberg and Coosje van Bruggen, among others – they vividly display the value of collaboration, both in practice and in form.
From the artists: “We do not create in isolation. Art is a communal process. Our art piece gives a nod to the complexity and multifaceted nature of idea generation. Two heads are better than one.”
Special thanks to Dan Schabert.
You are invited to touch the artwork.
Fragmented Reflections, 2024
Photomontage
Mysticism often assigns deeper layers of meaning to familiar imagery, such that an oddly shaped cloud, the dregs in a coffee cup, or a chance sighting of a bird become portents of far greater import. Dixon's artwork echoes this practice, hiding symbols and figures in a common woodland scene, enticing the viewer’s gaze to linger.
From the artist: “At first glance, Fragmented Reflections appears to be a serene forest, yet something feels slightly off, like a half-remembered dream. The longer you look, the more details emerge from the shadows—each piece borrowed from more than dozen different images, stitched together in a way that is almost seamless, but not quite. Faces blend into the bark of trees, objects hover where they shouldn’t, and familiar elements take on strange new forms.
Every detail invites a closer look, drawing you deeper into a woodland where reality seems to blur at the edges. As you explore its depths, the image challenges your perception, hinting at hidden layers that reveal themselves slowly, like secrets whispered by the forest itself.”
The Puppet Master, 2024
Collage
Dixon and Noe, in The Puppet Master, illustrate the unraveling that occurs when our yearning to reveal the deeper patterns in our lives is unmoored from the traditional societal confines of family, church, and state.
From the artist: “Everyone talks about the deep state like it’s a big secret, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What I’ve found goes beyond that—it’s the deeper state, the real power hiding where even conspiracy theorists don’t look. It’s been pulling the strings for years, slipping the word "revelations" into headlines, thinking no one would notice. But I did. I saw the patterns. They thought they could distract us, but I see it all now.
“The red string shows the truth—the truth they didn’t want me to find: Elmo. Yes, Elmo. Big Bird didn’t just disappear. Elmo made sure of that. It was a puppet coup, orchestrated by the deeper state, and no one’s asking questions. Elmo’s rise wasn’t random. He took out Big Bird, and no one noticed.
“All the signs point to September 14. I don’t know exactly what’s coming- why is that date important?!- but something’s been set in motion, and I’m going to uncover it. They think they’ve covered their tracks, but I’m closing in.”
Everything Everywhere Dances All The Time, 2024
Cardstock
In Everything Everywhere Dances All The Time, Frase gives hints to the viewer as to the relationship between the two featured figures – a pair of dancers joined together at the hand. Their positioning suggests familiarity, perhaps love, and certainly joy. The setting appears to be a room in a home or another informal space. We can even catch a glimpse of greenery and blue skies through a well-placed window. However, the precise meaning of who these two people are to each other remains obscured. What is art able to reveal, and what are the limits of its unveiling?
Need a Hand?, 2024
Mixed media miniatures, magnetized
Much successful horror – whether in literature, film, or other art forms – prods our everyday fears and desires into twisted, terrifying extremes. Frightwig’s miniature artwork finds inspiration in this tradition, while also prompting us to ask what our fascination with the horrific and grotesque reveals about ourselves.
From the artist: “As a kid, I grew up making miniatures for dollhouses, and never lost the love of making tiny things out of clay. I now make horror-themed miniatures, centered around crimes committed by women driven to the brink of madness by men, inspired by noir pulp novels. Need a Hand brings to life the work of a psychic spurned, who now uses her victims severed arms to pick tarot cards for her most unlucky clientele. What will the cards reveal to you?”
See more of the artist’s work on Instagram @frightwig73
Revelations According to Lily, 2024
Spoken word
Gross’s autobiographical work structures her life as a story with three chapters: a beginning, middle, and end. Looking back, it’s hard not to see patterns emerge from the arc of one’s own existence. The passage of years allows us to visualize our personal growth, recontextualize past events, and reach deeper levels of understanding. Yet, Gross subverts these tropes by highlighting the lingering uncertainties and the unreliability inherent in self-narration.
From the artist: “We have each endured unique and beautiful and horrible lives. A reflection on mine and the resulting revelations.”
Winter, 2023
Paint, canvas, wood frame
The artist was seven years old at the time she painted this piece. Through its compelling depiction of sunlight peeking through the snow-laden boughs of a pair of trees, the painting prompts sensory recollections of winters past: the metallic tang of a captured snowflake, the spiced scent of a towering fir tree, the clumsy fumbling of frost-deadened fingers, the glint of light caught in an icicle’s length. It also reminds us of the ability of art to capture our particular view at a particular time, to be revealed to our future selves.
Family Recipe, 2024
Gelatin, found objects
Kienbaum, working in her preferred medium, offers a meditation on how memories personal, shared, and ancestral form so much of the context in which we live. Like objects suspended in gelatin, we can be both buoyed and held back by our relational ties.
From the artist: “Our memories of food so often reflect our memories of family. It’s not just what we eat but who we eat it with. By making this implicit connection explicit, I aimed to explore how my family’s recipes reveal aspects of my heritage – which in turn reveal parts of myself.”
Revelations Tour 2024 Friendship Bracelets, 2024
Beads, elastic cord
Drawing from an original pop culture phenomenon, Morgenstern plays with the discordance of mixing Christian theology with Swiftie fan culture, highlighting the ways in which people have sought meaning and belonging in both.
From the artist: “Friendship bracelets take a more serious turn in this revelatory design. Featuring sayings like ‘whore of babylon’, ‘locusts’, and more, this work takes the Eras tour trend to new heights.
You are invited to touch the artwork and take a bracelet home.
godcraft, 2024
Digital
The divine voice requires a medium, an intermediary. godcraft asks whether technology can play that role in today’s world. The answer is left to the viewer to decide.
From the artist: “For centuries organized religion has tried to monopolize revelations. Only they can commune with gods and relay that information to the masses. However, like the printing press and Gutenberg Bible, modern technology has democratized access to divinations. With readily available tools, users can receive a revelation on any topic in a matter of seconds. The information presented draws from the corpus of human knowledge, but seeing the interconnectedness of everything leaves even gods slightly unhinged.”
Viewers are encouraged to show reverence for the process by kneeling before the source of revelations and typing in their questions or topics in need of divination.
What Have I Done?, 2014-2024
Digital
You are what you do, argues Noe in What Have I Done? In this surprisingly vulnerable collection of tasks from the artist’s life, we catch a glimpse of the habits and preoccupations that shaped his personal history and present self. But only the artist can speak to the true impact of the words that appear onscreen.
From the artist: “The simple to do list is not often viewed as revelatory. In isolation it captures the mundane details of a snapshot in one’s life, but over time the snapshots tell a story as private as a diary. I have been keeping a to do list continuously for 10 years, with over 8,500 items covering my personal and work activities completed. The quantity of tasks and time scales involved mean I cannot review or remember the contents before they are put on display. Will deeply personal and pivotal moments appear as tasks like ‘decide on relationship’? Will the viewer see my passions and pursuits, or will my life be perceived as rote chores and esoteric work?
“Pause for a moment and watch my life flash before your eyes, revealing the answer to the question: what have I done?”
Revelations Growing, 2024
Paper
An idea is never born solely of itself. Instead, it is pieced together from a collection of disparate experiences, thoughts, and learnings, broken apart and glued back together again in new configurations. By undertaking the same process with paper, Skluzacek’s collages remind us of the truly composite nature of inspiration.
From the artist: “This piece represents a revelation blossoming from one’s mind.”
Reveal Yourself To Me, c. 1976-present
Mylar, sticky notes
Viewers are encouraged to interact with this piece by labeling the locations that the questions below bring to mind with the corresponding color.
- Where have you learned something about yourself? (Blue)
- Where did someone reveal their true self to you? (Yellow)
- Where have you experienced a personal apocalypse? (Red)
- Where do things need to be reborn? (Green)
the only thing, 2024
Collage
Life may seem grim in the moment, but Thuma’s piece reminds us to look beyond the fog of the present instant. By reflecting on the broad sweep of our lives, we discover the understanding and acceptance – and even the elusive happiness – that can help us endure the most crushing of losses.
From the artist: “Inspired by the song The Only Thing by Sufjan Stevens, I wanted to create something around the revelation that life is worth living. The song discusses several things that keep the narrator from ending their life after the death of their mother; constellations, natural wonders, faith in reason, among others. I took these motifs, and expanded them to include things that give my life meaning; family, finding beauty in ordinary things, and faith in a force bigger than ourselves, whatever that may be.”
REMINDERS, 2024
Hand drawn digital posters
Sometimes a message sparks instant change; sometimes it only gains its full potency after re-emerging from the furthest reaches of our memory. In REMINDERS, Vang points to the therapeutic power of reflection, amplified by the passage of time.
From the artist: “Upon hearing ‘revelations,’ my mind immediately went to all the messages I've collected over the years working through anxiety, depression, and loneliness. The process of sitting on my sofa, drawing, reconnecting with art, and intentionally immersing myself with all these meaningful reminders has been amazing for my mental health.”
The curators offer a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of the talented artists featured in REVELATIONS.
Get in touch: DigitalisArtShow@gmail.com
REVELATIONS logo designed by Katie Kienbaum.