Past Exhibitions
GINNY RUFFNER: AESTHETIC ENGINEERING: THE IMAGINATION CYCLE
July 4, 2008 - October 12, 2008
Ruffner’s exhibit is a visual journey through the never-ending forces of creativity and imagination. This installation features new, large-scale sculpture that cross fertilizes flora, fauna and art. Mixing glass, steel and bronze, Ruffner creates explosive flowers, massive leaves and twisted growing vines. The exhibit includes fourteen sculptures and over 1,000 flowers.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
The “Aesthetic Engineering Series” is a group of metal and glass sculptures originally inspired by recent extraordinary developments in genetic engineering—particularly inter-kingdom gene sharing between animals and plants. This combining of the genetic material of two kingdoms, as well as the suggestion of genetic rationale for certain behaviors, predicts almost infinite possibilities for new genetic traits. Developed in response to these intriguing challenges that stretch the imagination, “Aesthetic Engineering Series” is the ‘what if’ imaginative hybridizing of entities that often neither have genes nor the ability to reproduce. The goals of the “Aesthetic Engineering Series” are twofold—increased beauty and the intellectual stimulation of visual thought experiments.
The Imagination Cycle by Ginny Ruffner
This exhibit marks the release of “The Imagination Cycle,” Ruffner’s latest pop-up art book. The book is designed and engineered by Bruce Foster (Houston, Texas), and published and distributed by the Museum of Northwest Art. “The Imagination Cycle” is available through the Museum Store for $30. Call (360) 466-4446, Ext. 102 or email store@museumofnwart.org to order a copy (shipping &handling extra).