August 28 – September 25, 2014

Gallery Talk and Reception: Thursday, September 4, 5:00pm–7:00pm, Northcutt Steele Gallery
(Free and Open to the Public)

MSU Billings Department of Art’s Annual Faculty Exhibition opens on August 28 and remains on view through September 25 at the Northcutt Steele Gallery. This group exhibition presents the diverse talents of faculty working across a broad range of media and features a series of mixed-media works entitled Gathered Coherence by recently hired painting and drawing faculty, Jodi Lightner. Artists participating in the exhibition include: Mark Earnhart, Shanna Fliegel, Jill Foote-Hutton, Neil Jussila, David Knobel, Sarah Knobel, Connie Landis, Randi O’Brien, Marcia Selsor, and Markus Urbanik.

Lightner’s “Gathered Coherence” explores the emotional valences of familiar forms, such as ropes and chairs, which often mirror human interactions and the ways we gather, connect, and swirl around each. Consisting of a series of scrolled paintings on Mylar (a translucent film with a matte finish), a sound installation, paintings, and assemblage, Lightner’s skillful arrangement of forms—aural, visual, and spatial—addresses how we collect and organize ourselves, and disperse once again. The resulting constellation of works is meditative and haunting, offering viewers a space to contemplate the endurance and fragility of the internal and external bonds that have held, and continue to hold, us together.

Assistant Professor Jodi Lightner joined the faculty at MSUB in 2012 after she was awarded the emerging artist in residency at Penn State Altoona where she also taught. She received her MFA from Wichita State University in 2010 and has exhibited at national and international venues including Angle Gallery in Seattle; Cara and Cabezas Contemporary in Kansas City; Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art in Atlanta; Montecastello di Vibio in Italy; and Xuchang University in China. Her work is represented by Kim Weinberger Fine Art in Kansas City and is held by corporate collections, including Emprise Bank.

A gallery talk by Lightner followed by a catered reception for all participating artists will be held on Thursday, September 4 beginning at 5pm. The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.

The Northcutt Steele Gallery is located on the first floor of the Liberal Arts on the Montana State University Billings campus. The gallery is open Monday – Friday from 8:00am – 4:00 pm, and by appointment. For more information visit www.facebook.com/northcuttsteelegallery.

Jodi Lightner, Gathered Coherence, detail, mixed media on Mylar, dimensions variable, 2014
Jodi Lightner, Gathered Coherence, detail, Acrylic and Ink on Mylar, dimensions variable, 2014.
Jodi Lightner, Gathered Coherence, installation view, dimensions variable, 2014.
Jodi Lightner, Gathered Coherence, Acrylic and Ink on Mylar, installation view, dimensions variable, 2014.