Long-time photographic artist John Spence will be showcasing new assemblage sculptural work during a two-day pop up show First Friday, August 4 and Saturday August 5 at Wallspace-LNK Gallery, 1624 S. 17th Street, Lincoln. 

This assemblage work features a long-standing interest in the childhood play activity of “Cowboys and Indians” and the depiction of the American bison in our culture. Spence drew inspiration for this body of work from the Hastings artist, Dave Stewart. “After completing an hour video program about Dave and his work, I realized I wanted to have as much joy making art as he did,” Spence said, “I looked at my twenty-year-plus collection of buffalo figurines and thought, ‘I need to put these guys to work!’’’ 

As the series progressed, happy associations with other long term collections and interests integrated themselves with the original focus. This has resulted in recent work which presents wider and deeper associations to engage the viewer. Most recently Spence has integrated elements of Classic 1930’s Tramp Art to the assemblages.

Note: This show is a Pop-up for two days only August 4 & 5. WallSpace-LNK will be closed for parts of August for family vacations and events. Stay tuned for information about another Pop-up event later in August!

July’s offering at WallSpace-LNK

“Sacred Places of the Near West,” large format color photographs of Nebraska and Colorado, are on display July 6-29 at WallSpace-LNK, 1624 S. 17^th Street, Lincoln.  A First Friday reception July 7 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. will feature artist’s remarks at 6:00 p.m.

Gathered from over two decades of travel to photograph unique and inspiring landscapes, these color images and the places they represent are imbued with meaning not only to photographer Michael Farrell, but to many who see the land as a living entity. From long before our contemporary geopolitical boundaries and place names, these locations were important to the Otoe, Pawnee, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Lakota and Ute peoples. Today they offer solitude, visual beauty, and the opportunity to contemplate the brevity of our existences measured against the seeming timelessness of the land.

Photographed using the challenging high-craft 8×10 inch film camera process, these scenes are unequalled for clarity, detail and subtle rendering of light and shadow. “They need to be seen in person to appreciate their intensity, quality, and spirituality,” Farrell noted.

WallSpace-LNK is open Th-Sat, noon to 5pm or by appointment at 17th & Sumner in Lincoln, NE.