An Invitational Group Exhibition curated by Karissa Johnson from the Museum of Nebraska Art

Seven artists with Nebraska connections have been selected for “Loosely Assembled,” an invitational exhibition of assembled objects on display November 2-25.

Karissa Johnson, curator at the Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) and WallSpace-LNK founder and artist Michael Farrell curated and designed the exhibition highlighting a range of Nebraska artists committed to assemblage artwork in order to bring renewed attention to the artform.

Works by Jeanelle Myers, now of Sag Harbor, NY; Jo Nelson, Hastings; John Spence, Jeff Chadwick, Liz Shea, and Michael Farrell of Lincoln; and the late Mott-ly (Lee Tisdale) of Lincoln and Kansas City will be featured. 

Connected by their Nebraska roots, the artists bring widely divergent experiences to their mixed media creations. Jeanelle Myers has been collecting things, many from the natural world, and turning them into art for 35 years. Jo Nelson’s artistic journey took her to New York City and Florida where she refined her interest in Asian objects. Liz Shea began her artistic career as a textile designer and has worked for decades as an art educator and public art advocate. Architect Jeff Chadwick has covertly constructed boxed assemblages for 30 years and is exhibiting them publicly for the first time. John Spence is a Lincoln photographer and filmmaker who began making assemblages exclusively in 2017. Michael Farrell has been creating assembled objects and other artistic works since the late 1960s. Mott-ly, the only deceased artist in the show, grew up in Lincoln and studied at the Kansas City Art Institute. His assemblage work often sought beauty and humor in the face of living with chronic pain and illness. It has not previously been on public display in Lincoln.

“What I really appreciate about assemblage work, and it’s something that is demonstrated by each of the seven artists included, is the requirement of the viewer to really look and engage with the artwork to find out what it’s about,” says Karissa Johnson, co-curator of the exhibition. “I hope this show draws in visitors who are open, curious, and not afraid to ask questions.”

The artists are unified by their creative impulses to assemble objects in complex and enigmatic works that convey beauty, mystery, tragedy, faith, joy, and whimsy.  Co-curator Farrell observed, “this show brings together an unusual group of artists and never-before exhibited assemblage work. It will be talked about in our community for a long time.”