Columbus College of Art and Design hosts new exhibition ‘Meanwhile,’ redefines pop culture through art

Paige McBane
Thu, 14 Dec 2023 03:08:05 +0000
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One of Mychaelyn Michalec’s works on display at the Columbus College of Art and Design’s current exhibition, “Meanwhile.”
Credit: Courtesy of Mychaelyn Michalec

When thinking of art, outlets like painting, sculpting or drawing are likely to come to mind. But local artists are proving they can use anything from rugs to car covers to disco balls to share their stories.

Located inside the Columbus College of Art and Design — also known as CCAD — Beeler Gallery will house an exhibit titled “Meanwhile” until Feb. 17, according to the gallery’s website. “Meanwhile” aims to explore different facets of pop culture through artists’ personal experiences and interpretations, the website states.

Participating artist Michael Casselli said Tim Rietenbach, the faculty director of galleries at CCAD, took a distinct approach when selecting the exhibit’s artists.

“He was looking at different arts faculty in the area and looking for work that he defined as having a specific kind of approach to wit and materiality,” Casselli said. “So you have a combination of many different kinds of work going on from 2D to 3D installation.”

Casselli said participating in the exhibit has allowed them to rework one of their previous artworks — titled “Sins of my Father” — into a standalone piece.

“So this piece, I did a version of it a couple of years ago, but kind of in a pop-up kind of way,” Casselli said. “I was able to go back to the drawing board and reimagine the piece in its own space, and so for me, that was really exciting.”

Casselli said the work was partially inspired by their strained relationship with their father, more specifically their father’s obsession with golf.

“Instead of having pictures of his kids in the hall, you had pictures of golf holes,” Casselli said. “And so there’s an audio element to the piece, which is a 1975 PGA Masters tournament, and that periodically comes through the room.”

Mychaelyn Michalec, another participating artist, said her featured works essentially function as a timeline of her career and encompass a wide array of pieces she has created throughout her time as an artist.

“My work is directly related to my experience of my domestic life and sort of the roles that are both given to me and chosen for me and how I, as an artist, and a woman, and a mother and a former wife fit into the art world,” Michalec said.

Michalec said all of her pieces are created through rug tufting, or the process of using a needle to punch yarn through a material, thereby fabricating a product on the other side. She said two primary tools are necessary to create the final products: a commercial-grade gun and a traditional punch needle.

“I use both of these things because they add a different texture and density,” Michalec said.

Although her works are technically made with yarn, Michalec said she considers her art to be painterly in nature.

“My degree from Ohio State is in painting and drawing, and I just am using this language of domestic craft to create my paintings,” Michalec said.

Michalec said for her, creating meaningful art also functions as an expression of feminist philosophy and ideals.

“I think the voices of women in art, while starting to become recognized, there’s still a long way to go,” Michalec said. “This is a way of putting out our stories and what we have to say.”

More information about “Meanwhile” and its featured artists can be found on the Beeler Gallery’s website.