Pictured: An example of the art of Jon Hook and Andrea Peterson
The Krasl Art Center has announced an immersive exhibit inspired by our relationship to nature called “Inhaling the Universe.”
On display starting August 9 through September 29, this exhibition marks an experimental new adventure by artists and nature alike, played out in KAC’s galleries. LaPorte, Indiana artists Jon Hook and Andrea Peterson have created specific pieces for the exhibit, including sculpture, cyanotype and custom prints in a awe-inspiring installation that is stimulated by and made in collaboration with nature. Their work reflects on the passage of time and lifecycles, leading viewers on a thoughtful and conscientious walk through a wonder-filled landscape.
Hook and Peterson have been living in northwest Indiana since 1997. In both work and study, they attempt to live harmoniously with the surrounding environment. They apply regenerative and sustainable methods on their small farm that entwines their work and life. Hook Pottery Paper consists of a clay studio, a combined book, paper and print studio and a gallery shop.
Hook’s wood-fired ceramics use an intense and industrious process that emphasizes the use of local materials for firing as well as glaze making. He reduces local plants such as hay, cattails, and thistle, as well as clay to their molecular essence, which is then used to create unique glazes. He is a forerunner and expert in his field, specifically concerning sustainable and regenerative firing and ceramic studio processes. Hook has received two consecutive Indiana State grants that aided his research of an oil drip burner system to assist the wood-fired kiln on their farm. Hook’s dedication to mutualism in the environment has evolved to center on regional identity.
Peterson’s work explores all types of paper fibers and processes including paper works, prints, artist books, and environmental installation pieces. She combines paper arts, printmaking and book arts to make works that address the human relationship to the environment. Peterson received her BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her MFA in printmaking from University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. She has lectured and taught extensively, including at Ox-Bow, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sciola de Graphica, Venice, Italy; Paper Museum Steyermeuhl, Austria; Syracuse University and Indiana University. She currently teaches in the Fiber and Material Studies Department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The KAC is inviting the community to welcome the artists and this impressive undertaking on Friday, August 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. with a cash bar, live music and hors d’oeuvres provided by Bistro on the Boulevard. Guests will meet not only Hook and Peterson, but also artlab artist Casey Roberts and sculptor Peter Krsko, who created the wooden interactive sculpture “Ground Wave” in KAC’s East Garden.
Hook and Peterson will give a presentation about their farm and regenerative practices before the opening party at 5:30 PM.
“I invite the place that I live to encompass me, wholeheartedly,” says Andrea Peterson. “It is a workplace for my development as an artist and critical thinker of the world we live in, especially the place we all call home. The environment and its workings are ever-present in my work. I look at the world around me symbolically and present it as such in the work that I create. I observe connections between the plant, animal and human world that present concerns, desires and realities for many of us to consider or experience.”
