What is art?  Does it serve a purpose?  Should we even discuss these questions, or should we observe art as it is presented to us and let it work its magic?  These questions have been around, probably as long ago as when the first caveman picked up a piece of charcoal to draw on the walls, and his mother-in-law took a broom to him and his artwork.

The debate really opened up in the U.S. when the first International Exhibition of Modern Art (the Armory Show) shocked New Yorkers in 1913.  Having been used to realistic art, everyone came to see the “Nude Descending A Stairway” by Marcel Duchamp, and almost all were scandalized not to find a realistic human form, but rather a painting dominated by cubist, squarish, and rectangular-like shapes, moving from upper left to lower right, a series of light and dark, square and rectangular shapes of dark brown fading into light and lighter and lighter shades.  Even though the more than 300 European and American avant-garde artists, who participated in the show with more than 1,300 works, were accused of insanity, immorality, anarchy, and more, this exhibit started a dialog between the artist, the art work, and the viewer that continues to this day.

Almost 100 years later, do we know the answers to the questions?  How does art relate to you and how do you relate to art?  Why don’t you come and find out how Ariane Roesch makes her art accessible to us?

We are excited to invite you to an extraordinary exhibit Simple Machines and Simple Dreams at Redbud Gallery by Ariane Roesch on Thursday, October 18, 2012, at 6:30 p.m.

Ariane Roesch is a young artist whose work investigates how we situate ourselves within a mechanized society.  She holds an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA (2011), a BFA from the University of Houston (2007), and is currently teaching as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston.  Her work questions the physical and psychological structures that make up our everyday, ranging from essential building structures, such as the electrical wiring, to the basic conduct of how people communicate and behave.

Since she came to Houston from Germany as a young girl with her family, it will be interesting to find out whether she believes that European or German sensibilities still influence her thinking and her work.

Redbud Gallery is located in the Heights at 303 East 11th Street, Houston, TX  77008 at the intersection of East 11th and Cortlandt streets.  Check out our Events page for a map.  Parking is available at Redbud Gallery or surrounding streets.

Our customary food and beverage reception will be catered by Spec’s and will include some of their fabulous German offerings, and then Ariane will discuss her art and our perceptions of them.

Meeting fees are $15 for nonmembers, $10 for members, and $5 for students.  Registration will start at 6:15 p.m.

Please RSVP by clicking here or to angelika@houston.org now, so that we can plan properly for the reception.  We are looking forward to seeing you on October 18.

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