When Professor Jamie Oliver invited Chris to install a solo show at Pittsburg State University in Kansas, home of the fighting Gorillas, Chris readily accepted. A roadtrip to Kansas would be a bit of an adventure, it had been a while since he had a show all to himself, and he wanted to see how his former colleague from Denison University was getting along in the Sunflower State. So he motored with a car packed to the hilt with art through wide rural vistas and arrived in Pittsburg, a town of 20,000 inhabitants which revolves in large part around the University.
Chris had packed two cracker portraits into his car for the show, but he had no idea that a mouse had stowed away and munched on the crackers as he was heading West. Fortunately, always ready for mishaps, he had brought a cracker first aid kit along in case any of the crackers chipped en route. Once all the art was intact again, he and Jamie wasted no time in installing the pieces in the spacious University Gallery.
Pittsburg State’s art program is fairly large and emphasizes applications of artistry such as web design, commercial art, primary and secondary school teaching, and careers in design. Business classes are included in the curriculum to help students succeed savvily in their profession.
On the opening day of the exhibition, Chris spoke to a crowd of students, professors, and administrators in a lively presentation with many questions from the audience. In some ways, the installation is very timely politically, as it includes Putin and Trump as imposing cracker works and an American flag composed of 199 dollar bills treated with black dye (dark money). Fifty stars of bills folded origami-style are sewn into each side of the flag. Together, there’s enough symbolism to flesh out a whole essay of words.
In addition to works reflecting on political/social issues are some of his trademark crayon pieces and works utilizing his color alphabet. Below are two incarnations of the alphabet. Those on the left are composed of encaustic, and the print on the right is the King James version of the Old and New Testaments in the colorful script.
The exhibition runs until February 14, 2020 when it will be packed up and toted back to Ohio through cities and farmland, hopefully sans mouse in tow.
