MAY 2012 - An exhibit opening May 12 at the University of Alaska Museum of the North follows five Fairbanks artists as they take their work from concept to completion. Art in the Making offers visitors an opportunity to become part of the art-making process, according to the exhibit’s guest curator and UAMN Fine Arts Curator Mareca Guthrie.

“ It is easy to feel isolated from a work of art if you don't know anything about the artist or how the piece was made,” she said. “I'd like this exhibit to personalize the experience of seeing the art, as if the audience has been transported to the artist’s home and given a chance to watch them work, ask questions, and flip through their sketchbooks.”

By juxtaposing a finished work of art, video of its creation, the tools used, and the voice of the artist, the exhibit aims to transform a single moment of enjoyment into a deeper appreciation. The artists profiled include Teresa Shannon, ceramicist; Glen Simpson, mask maker; Alfred Skondovitch, painter; Adam Ottavi, photographer; and Sara Tabbert, printmaker.

Guthrie said the artists represent a wide variety of art making from different ranges of experience and perspective. “The focus is on the importance and value of the process as a whole rather than on the individual works of art. I hope people walk away wanting to try making something themselves.”

Art in the Making will be on display in the Special Exhibits Gallery until December 1, 2012.

Guthrie hopes it will be a unique experience for museum-goers. “Artwork in a museum tends to focus on historical importance or mastery. I'd like this exhibit to be a celebration of the tools, traditions and the thousands of small decisions that are at the core of making art.”