The Promega Summer Art Showcase highlights the story and the result of the unique project, Photo Town! by VSA Wisconsin. Also, on exhibit will be wood carvings by Madison artist Tom Schlenker.
Photo Town! presented by VSA Wisconsin and Center for Photography at Madison (CPM) has offered two digital photography classes for people with disabilities. Class participants learned how to use digital cameras, with CPM volunteer guidance, to capture photographs of the world around them. Held at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center as well as Jenni and Kyle Preserve, class participants explored Madison through photography. Immediately following the opening reception on June 15, VSA Wisconsin will host a special film screening of Shooting Beauty: Everyone Deserves a Shot. Shooting Beauty tells the story of an aspiring fashion photographer whose life is changed when she discovers true beauty hidden inside a facility of people living with extreme disabilities.
Local artist, Tom Schlenker learned to work with wood as a young man in Antigua, Guatemala. Antigua, a town dating from the sixteenth century, was at that time filled with elaborately carved furniture, doors, wall pieces, statues and church alters. Tom was most drawn to relief carving – figures and scenes that are flat rather than three-dimensional. Later, Schlenker became an enthusiast of brightly painted wooden toys and masks during time spent in Mexico. Over time, his work has evolved from simple designs and figures to more complex animal and human subjects in detailed settings. All are created by hand with mallet and carved and straight chisels. Some carvings are colored with acrylic paints and others are finished with stains or oils.
The Summer Showcase opens Tuesday, June 15, 2010 and continues through September 1, 2010 at the Promega BioPharmaceutical Technology Center (BTC) in Madison. The exhibit is open Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm. Details for the public reception and film screening follow.
Public Art Opening and Film Screening, Shooting Beauty
