New alt_space Exhibition in November October 16 2024
TURN OF THE TIDE:
A Site-Specific Installation by Jo Sinclair
On Exhibit: November 2 - December 14, 2024
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 2, 4-7 PM
Artists Talk: Friday, November 15, 11 AM
About the Exhibition:
Jo Sinclair is known for her mixed media paintings and sculptures. She has worked in various mediums throughout her career, including sculptural weaving, encaustic wax, sculptural paper forms, mixed-media jewelry, oil pastel, painting, collage, and assemblage, among others. For this, Jo’s 3rd exhibition at Arts on Douglas, she revisits early influences in sculpture and installation while exploring new ideas, techniques, and materials that have allowed her to push her art practice in new creative directions.
The exhibition title, Turn of the Tide, is a double entendre. On one hand, the title references Jo’s artistic journey towards realignment and balance through her love of experimentation and exploration in the studio. On another, it addresses a larger call for action and the need for a positive Turn of the Tide surrounding the climate crisis.
The idea for this installation began with a series of individual experiences that led Jo to work with unconventional, upcycled materials. In her Artist Statement, she describes how, in 2022, Hurricane Ian rolled across Florida bringing unprecedented flooding to downtown St. Augustine, where she lives. One consequence of the flooding was ruined ductwork in her home. She explains, “When the heavy waterlogged tubes were dragged out from under the house and the physical and emotional exhaustion of the cleanup subsided, I began to see these spent materials in a fresh light. The luminosity of sheets of silver Tyvek reminded me of the illumination of the sea at dawn, and Leonardo DaVinci’s “Deluge” series came to mind as I observed coils of tubing strewn about my patio.”
Instead of discarding these materials, Jo decided to carefully store them away for future use. When the spark of inspiration presented itself, she pulled these materials from storage and got to work. She reflects, “With renewed purpose, I jumped into the rushing waters of creativity. Like water, I followed the flow.”
This site-specific installation is the result of Jo’s creative journey. By reexamining and recontextualizing discarded materials, she has given them a new life and created a welcoming space for contemplation and reflection. Finding beauty in the wreckage, a landscape is born that makes room for the tide to turn toward healing and renewal.
About the Artist:
Jo Sinclair has been a professional artist, arts educator, designer, and creative consultant for the past 39 years, graduating with a BFA and honors from the Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1978 and a Masters of Art Education in 2013 from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Sinclair has worked in a range of different media throughout her career, including sculptural weaving, sculptural paper, mixed-media jewelry, oil pastel, painting, collage, assemblage and encaustics. Her artwork has been included in numerous exhibitions at venues such as the Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL; Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH; Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, FL; and others. Her work is also represented in many private and corporate collections, including International Paper Corporation, Memphis, TN; Indian Wells Country Club, Indian Wells, CA; and Walt Disney Corporation, Orlando, FL. She is a veteran exhibitor and award winner in the national art fair circuit.