Drawings by Julie Schenkelberg, currently on view in in the lobby of the Maltz Performing Arts Center, The John and Mildred Putnam Sculpture Collection, at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio, April 21, 2023-June 2, 2024.
Works on paper, from left to right, top to bottom: "Moon Dreamer," "Import Moon," "Uncommon Moon," "Elaboration Moon," "Intent Moon," "New Moon Black," "Moon Manifest," "Moon in Sagittarius." Graphite, watercolor pencil, ink and acrylic on paper, 2019 and 2023.
Order and calm aren’t words usually associated with Julie Schenkelberg’s artworks, which often take the form of sculptures and installations made from abundant collections of repurposed materials. In contrast to the visual commotion she is known for, the artist’s pensive side is shown through this grouping. The titles evoke the circles’ celestial associations with lunar phases and planetary charts but the enigmatic forms suggest mirrors or portals, coins or pearls. For Schenkelberg, creating the drawings is a way for her to refocus. Viewers too can have the same meditative experience.