It is absolutely amazing what Ben Butler can do with a piece of wood. His latest romp with cedar has given rise to an eclectic fusion of sculpture and work on paper. “Furrow,” a grand layering of multi-colored cedar is reminiscent of cave stalagmites and stalactites. The freestanding sculptures “Untitled” and “Mutation” are both intricately constructed pieces sensitive to form and space. It might initially seem that the works on paper are a result of a painting technique using a brush or drawing tools. However, wood is once again the culprit. Butler implements a process of woodblock mono-printing and in this manner sculpted cedar blocks are carved and arranged, inked and printed onto paper. The compositions consist of various geometrical planes optically complex and intriguing. Butler’s process further pushes the capabilities of the material by altering a three-dimensional object so that it appears two-dimensional. Every stage in the process is itself a work of art: the shape and condition of the cedar found, the preliminary drawing, the maquette, the tactile chiseling away of wood and, finally, the work of fine art. (Karissa Lang)
Repurposing AI: A Review of Stephanie Dinkins at Stamps Gallery While this show is timely for everyone, I consider its setting within a university art gallery and emerging tech hub like the city of Ann Arbor a subversive provocation which Dinkins invites the greater public—including members of the university community—to consider our own positionality to AI and technology.
Lost in Translation: A Review of Crip* at Gallery 400 The strongest works in the exhibition succinctly express the ways the artist relates to their own body while calling out how the artist’s body and body of work has been perceived or coded against norms or ideals.
