Hand Over Hand

As per usual due to my hectic schedule, I managed to see the Hand Over Hand exhibition right before it closed. Hand Over Hand is a showing of several pieces by Michael Shaughnessy and represents the inaugural exhibition at the Craft Alliance's Grand Center location in downtown St. Louis.

The first thing that struck me was the aroma. I was immediately enveloped in the smell of hay upon opening the door to the gallery. The aroma almost overwhelmed with its sweet grassy scent, but as I love the smell of hay I didn't mind it at all. Hay has so many powerful associations and connotations, and smell can bring back such poignant memories and experiences; I was swept back to my childhood migration between my mother's house here in St. Louis and my father's house in Centralia, IL.

The sculptural pieces themselves are by nature very organic and relate the outdoor environment back into the gallery walls and interior setting. The forms are minimal but bespeak a great history and tradition beyond solely artmaking to agricultural livelihoods and social interactions. An awareness of this is further imparted with the inclusion of a couple of in-process pieces that enable the viewer to better understand the creation of these works: how the materials were used, what kind of framework was built, how many people worked together to fabricate the artworks...

All in all, if you have a chance before the exhibition closes on Sunday, January 11, you should stop in and check it out. Assuming, of course, that you aren't allergic to hay...