Contemporary art exhibit ‘Swept Over the Rug’ on display at UWSP

An installation by Wisconsin artists Michelle Grabner and Brad Killam is on display at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Carlsten Gallery.
 
“Swept Over the Rug,” featuring contemporary artwork by Grabner and Killam, is on exhibit now through Friday, March 7. An opening reception will be held Thursday, Feb. 6 from 5-8 p.m.
 
Grabner’s depiction of custodial implements memorializes janitorial labor, a concept that emerged from her artist-in-residency experience at Kohler Co. She transforms these elements with silverleaf, bronze and porcelain in celebration of their design and use.
 
Her contrast between material experimentation and conceptual rigor is contrasted with Killam’s enthusiasm for traditional genre painting and its histories. While their ongoing engagement with their daily environments may yield different approaches to artmaking, art as a lived experience is something they both value.
 
Killam’s rural landscapes causes us to wonder about our own custodial practices and responsibilities in the world around us — and reflects the couple’s shared life as dedicated artists, teachers, and parents.
 
Grabner is a Guggenheim Fellow and Crown Family Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Killam is a professor at College of DuPage. These domestic partners have collaborated on artwork, curating, and publishing since the 1990s.
 
Gallery hours are Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
 
The Edna Carlsten Art Gallery exhibits local, national and international artists, hosts community events and contributes to overseeing and maintaining a unique permanent collection of fine art and design works. Within the Carlsten Gallery is the Schneider Gallery, dedicated to showcasing only student works, both past and present. Both galleries allow experimentation, research, and real-world gallery experience in support of its university students.