HOUGHTON -- The exhibition "Never Empty," featuring work by artists Dylan Miner of Ann Arbor and Amanda Breitbach of Nacodoches, Texas, is on display through Nov. 10 in Michigan Tech’s A-Space Gallery, within the Rozsa Center. Gallery hours are Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. A reception will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27. Artist Amanda Breitbach will give an artist talk at 6 p.m. during the reception.
The exhibit, curated by Lisa Gordillo, curator and director of the Rozsa Galleries, features photographs by Breitbach and mixed media paintings by Miner. Both artists’ work investigates stories about local and national lands
"Our collaboration is dynamic and thought-provoking," says Gordillo. "The exhibit digs into the myths and the tensions present in our landscapes and the peoples who have histories there. Both artists work to uncover, and to showcase, stories that may not be present at a first glance."
This exhibit is part of Gordillo’s effort to showcase minority voices within the gallery and to pay special attention to First Nation artists.
According to Gordillo, "It’s very important for all of us, but especially for Michigan Tech, as our campus sits on Ojibwe lands. I hope this exhibit inspires thoughtful conversations about landscape, land-use and the many heritages of our nation."
Amanda Breitbach’s photographs and Dylan Miner’s cyanotype-process paintings recompose the narratives we often speak when talking about "the land," "expansion," and "environments." Together, the two artists dig into the myths and tensions that exist within the landscape and peoples who have histories there.
Breitbach is a photographer whose work focuses on the complex relationships between people and land. She grew up on a family ranch in Montana; she offers portraits of a farm in decline, centered within the expansive high plains. Dylan Miner is a Wiisaakodewinini (Métis) artist, activist, and scholar. His work reimagines the landscape as he layers pigments, minerals, and smoke on top of Upper Peninsula images.
The artists’ visit is supported in part by the Michigan Tech Visiting Women and Minority Lecture Series, which is funded by a grant to the Office of Institutional Equity from the State of Michigan’s King-Chavez-Parks Initiative. Both artists will spend time with the community during their visit.
Dylan Miner to present "This Land is Always" Oct. 29
Dylan Miner will present "This Land is Always" at Michigan Tech's Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, in the Great Lakes Research Center, GLRC 202.
Miner is director of American Indian and Indigenous Studies, associate professor, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, Michigan State University.
In this talk and informal conversation, Miner will discuss his artistic and scholarly practices related to political and ecological concerns. He will focus on his recent work in particular, but will also discuss collaborative projects and ways that artists can intervene in larger socio-political issues. Given that his work circulates around Indigenous knowledge and issues, Miner will integrate these ideas throughout.
This program is supported in part by the Visiting Professor Lecturer/Scholar Series which is funded by a grant to the Provost's Office from the State of Michigan's King-Chavez-Parks Initiative.
