The Double Down

Opening Reception: September 15 – 7-10PM

September 15 – November 12

Three artists reflect their daily experience and identities through installation, sculpture, and functional pottery. Despite challenging times, these artists focus on individual, authentic stories through quotidian objects such as furniture, food, and home decor. Esoteric sculpture, political symbols, and historical themes create a visual and intellectual playground in this rollicking exhibition.

Christina Erives was born in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. She Received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Studio Art from California State University of Northridge and her Master of Fine Arts from Pennsylvania State University. She is currently a Resident at Red Star/ Belger Crane Yard Studios in Kansas City. Erives’ work stems from her memories of growing up as one of twelve children. Through the use of various objects, Erives constructs information rich installations that speak of her experiences as a Mexican-American.

Kevin R. Kao is currently assistant professor of art at McKendree University in Illinois. He is interested in the perception of value and its relationship to history, craft and authorship. He continually questions these ideas to examine how to use ceramic material to address the body, identity, and otherness. Kao earned his MFA at the University of Tennessee and a BS in Biology/ecology at the University of California San Diego.

Dustin Yager is a ceramic artist whose installation and functional work deals with popular perceptions of pottery, taste, class, and all that goes along with it. His work has been exhibited nationally, and he has given presentations at Pecha Kucha Chicago, the National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts, The Soap Factory, The American Craft Council, and elsewhere. Yager earned a Master of Arts degree in Visual and Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and holds a BA from Carleton College. Now living and working in Brooklyn, he is originally from Wyoming.