The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery is pleased to present “Value Added,” an exhibition of mixed media sculptures by Springfield native and Oregon-based artist Patrick Collier. The exhibition will open on Thursday, Sept. 26, and run through Thursday, Oct. 17. A reception for the exhibit will take place from 5:30-8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26.
Collier is a visual artist and arts writer residing in Corvallis, Oregon. His approach to art-making is multidisciplinary, including sculpture, drawing, photography, video and poetry, periodically utilizing all of the above disciplines in the same artwork or installation.
“Value Added” is a term used in agriculture (among other types of industry) that describes a marketing and production strategy. A farmer may grow and harvest one type of product, and while there may be a set and steady market for that product, as a grower, the farmer only sees income from that raw material. In an attempt to expand the revenue stream for the farm, a farmer will develop other products from what they grow and sell those as well. A good example would be a lavender farm that makes its own scented soaps, candles, essential oils, etc., all under the farm’s name.
“While I first encountered the term in a former life as a farmer, ‘Value Added’ takes on a slightly more indirect meaning in my art,” said Collier. “Products I have purchased to meet my day-to-day consumer needs have been culled, and sometimes saved from the landfill to be incorporated into my sculpture. I do not pretend to think there is much of an actual commercial market for these things I make, yet I would like to think they do have some value, if only cultural.”
Collier’s artwork has been exhibited widely in Oregon, including Portland State University’s Broadway Gallery and Nine Gallery in Portland, Oregon State University’s Concourse Gallery, CEI Artworks in Corvallis and the Schneider Museum of Art at Southern Oregon University in Ashland. Another exhibition of note was at The Suburban in Oak Park, Illinois. Collier writes art criticism for the cultural website Oregon ArtsWatch and is the author of numerous artist catalogue essays. Born in Springfield, Illinois, Collier has a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master’s degree in English literature and bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
The Visual Arts Gallery is centrally located on the UIS campus in the Health and Science Building, Room 201, and is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
For more information, visit the UIS Visual Arts Gallery website or contact the gallery at 217-206-6506 or alach@uis.edu.