USF’s star-gazing artists create “Polaris”

News Release ——— Contact Nancy Pohlman (815) 740-3379 ——— npohlman@stfrancis.edu

Polaris, an exhibit by University of St. Francis adjunct faculty Adam Farcus and Erica Moore, will continue through April 14 at the Ainsworth Gallery in Joliet.

Polaris is a result of the artists’ respective investigations of space exploration, astronomical mysteries, and astrological myths. This work is based on scientific data and meticulous observation of stellar events, finds voice in a variety of forms and materials. As star-gazing artists, Farcus and Moore translate their celestial explorations into abstract or quasi-abstracted forms through which they attempt to define phenomenological spectacles of space.

For Farcus and Erica Moore, the goal of this exhibition is to address concepts of space that lie beyond humans in a human manner. Combining ideas of the universe, light, and space programs with humble materials, the artists create work that is easily accessible, while simultaneously elevating the materials themselves to a surprisingly sublime level.

Farcus, raised in Coal City, has exhibited at the Gallery 400 in Chicago; University Galleries in Normal, Ill.; Hyde Part Arts Center, Chicago; Second Bedroom Project Space, Chicago; and the Miami Bridge Art Fair, Miami. In June, he will contribute to the panel discussion Performing Playce: Artist Interventions in Public Space at the Performance Studies International 16 at York University in Toronto, Ontario.

Moore is a Chicago-based artist interested in pattern, chance, and convergence points. She has exhibited nationally in gallery spaces such as Gallery 400, Chicago; Mess Hall, Chicago; Fulton Hill Studios, Richmond; Richmond Art Walk, Richmond. Both artists presently teach for the University of St. Francis Art & Design Department, which moved last fall into new facilities in the Rialto Square Theatre. Their work can be seen at the Ainsworth Gallery, 721 Taylor St., Joliet.