MARK NEWPORT: Super Heroics
Arizona State University Art Museum
Nelson Fine Arts Center
June 25- September 3, 2005
Mark Newport, He Knew He Could Help, 2005,
Ink jet on paper, 24 x 36 inches,
Courtesy of Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle, WA and Lyons Wier Gallery NYC.
Opening Reception:
Friday, June 24, 7-9 p.m.
Student Welcome Back Party:
Tuesday, August 30
MARK NEWPORT: Super Heroics
For centuries, knitting has been associated with the feminine
-- from medieval portraits of the Virgin Mary beatifically purling to Grandma's
treasured knit afghans. Arizona artist Mark Newport, however, views knitting
and related domestic textile arts in quite a different way. For him, they
are symbols for understanding masculinity and brute strength -- and the unlikely
means by which he is able to create the iconic wardrobes of the superhero.
Through methods traditionally associated with female cultural identity, Newport
expresses his own ideas about male identity in American society in this, the
very first museum solo exhibition of his work.
Complete gallery guide text.
Mark Newport - Batman, 2003; The
Patriot, 2004; Rawhide Kid, 2004; acrylic yarn, 80 x 30 x 6
inches each. Courtesy of Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle, WA and Lyons Wier Gallery
NYC.
About the artist
Mark Newport was born in 1964 in Amsterdam, New York, and currently lives
in Mesa, Arizona and works in Tempe, Arizona as a member of the faculty of
the ASU School of Art. The artist did his undergraduate studies at Kansas
City Art Institute ('86) and went on to earn an MFA from the School
of the Art Institute of Chicago ('91). The artist has recently exhibited
at the following venues: Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle, Washington; Lyons Wier
Gallery, Chicago, Illinois; John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan. Wisconsin;
Regina Gouger Miller Gallery, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
Galerie Edward Mitterrand, Geneva, Switzerland; Western Washington University
Gallery, Bellingham, Washington; The Lusty Lady Gallery, Seattle, Washington;
Archer Gallery, Clark College, Vancouver, Washington.
ASU Art Museum Presentation
Organized by John D. Spiak, MARK NEWPORT: Super Heroics will be installed
in the Arizona State University Art Museum's Nelson Fine Arts Center
location.
Duration
MARK NEWPORT: Super Heroics (June 25 through September 3, 2005) is
open at the ASU Art Museum: Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Support
The exhibition and related programs are supported in part by Friends of the
ASU Art Museum.
Acknowledgements
The artist gratefully acknowledges the support of Creative Capital, the Corporation
of Yaddo, Greg Kucera Gallery, and the Herberger College of the Arts.