SPACESHIP EARTH
Dane Winkler

November 11, 2016 - March 11, 2017

In Spaceship Earth, Winkler explores the possibilities of an otherworldly homestead. How would an industry in another place function in comparison with a farm? What would the development of these practices leave behind as remnants or proof of their past? Winkler explores these ideals through large-scale interactive sculptures that hint at peculiar machines vaguely reminiscent of artifacts here on earth. Using materials and ideas that reference both manufacturing and life on the farm, he compares and contrasts these notions.

The title “Spaceship Earth” encompasses many layers of meaning - the earth as a vessel of finite resources, a reminder of our abridged lifespan as passengers, and the curiosity of the rest of its expansive territory. The objects in the gallery feel as though they could have served a purpose in a world similar to our own, yet their duty is a mystery, causing them to feel ethereal.

The work describes things like vessels of travel, mark-making tools, or agricultural product. Bodily in scale, each defines an uncanny resemblance or calling to an existing product, left undescribed to the viewer’s contemplation.

Winkler grew up on a small farm in upstate New York where he learned about animal husbandry and craftsmanship. He received his BFA in Sculpture from the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh in 2012 and his MFA at the University of Maryland College Park in 2016. His work has been exhibited nationally in solo and group exhibitions including the Prescott Gallery in AZ, the Rosalux Gallery in MN, Socrates Sculpture Park in NYC, the Hamiltonian Gallery in DC, Arlington Arts Center in VA, and Franconia Sculpture Park in MN. He has also received grants and awards such as the David C. Driskell award in 2016, an Emergency grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts in 2015, and a Forecast Public Art Planning Grant in 2013. He is currently the Sculpture Park Manager at Salem Art Works in Salem, NY.

Constance S. & Robert J. Hennessy Project Space