New alt_space exhibition in September August 16 2018
Laura Mongiovi
Northward
On View in the alt_space: September 1 - October 13, 2018
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 1, 4-7 PM
Artists Talk: Friday, September 28, 11 AM
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
For this exhibition, St. Augustine artist Laura Mongiovi has transformed the alt_space into a site-specific installation to
examine how the senses can be used to conjure memories and experiences relating to the natural landscape.
Mongiovi is a Florida native, however, even during time spent living outside her home state, she was strongly influenced by the landscapes and natural environments that surrounded her. She explains time spent exploring and observing the landscape provided valuable moments of reflection and meditation.” Mongiovi has been living and working in St. Augustine since 2005 and this exhibit is a response to the immediate natural landscape of northeast Florida, with the title Northward, alluding to the St. Johns River and its northward flow.
Mongiovi's installation aims to encourage sensual discovery and spatial exploration through the incorporation of billowing, undulating fabric set against meditative ambient sounds. With respect to her choice of materials, she explains, “I don’t limit myself… I use materials and processes that I feel are necessary to communicate an idea. I often work with fabric, as this material has the power to recall tangible moments.” Mongiovi has also invited poet Liz Robbins to create a short poem that has been incorporated as an element in the installation.
Overall, the minimal presentation of this exhibition allows the viewer to explore and discover subtle connections to the natural environment as they make their way through the space.
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
Laura Mongiovi is an Associate Professor of Art and Design at Flagler College in Saint Augustine, Florida. She has an MFA from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a BFA from Florida State University. Mongiovi exhibits her work nationally and internationally including solo exhibitions, juried and group shows. She teaches across the curriculum at Flagler College, leads community engagement projects for her students and presents her teaching pedagogy at national conferences. Mongiovi guest lectures about her work and conducts workshops.
ABOUT THE POET
Liz Robbins' third collection, Freaked, won the 2014 Elixir Press Annual Poetry Award; her second collection, Play Button, won the 2010 Cider Press Review Book Award. In 2015 she won the Crab Orchard Review Special Issue Feature Award in Poetry and in 2016 was nominated for the Pushcart Prize by Fugue. Her poems have appeared in The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor. She’s an associate professor of creative writing at Flagler College in St. Augustine.