New McLean Project for the Arts exhibits open April 1

The McLean Project for the Arts is set to open two new exhibits this week related to climate change and the future of Earth.

The new exhibits will be “Navigating Climate Change, Extended” by Alonzo Davis and “Intium Novum: Humanity’s End as a New Beginning” by artist Yuriko Yamaguchi and writer Mineke Schipper. They will be on display at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave.) from April 1 through Jun. 10.

MPA Director of Exhibitions Nancy Sausser says the two exhibits complement each other, because they “both bring a focus to our larger world.”

“Alonzo Davis is an artist who successfully brings a wide-angle, panoramic view of the world to all the work he creates,” Sausser said. “Organized around a concern about climate change and the future of our planet, our second exhibit is inspired by end of the world mythologies from around the world.”

Influenced by his childhood in California and the stick charts of Micronesia, Davis’s exhibition features “raft-like works from a variety of materials including bamboo, sailcloth, paper, twine, wax, paint, and light,” according to an MPA press release.

MPA describes the exhibit as “unique, dynamic, and immediately relevant” in reference to the current global warming crisis. It will be available for viewing in the Atrium Gallery whenever the community center is open.

“Intium Novum” will be in the Emerson Gallery, which will be open to visitors with tickets on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets can be reserved through the MPA website.

According to MPA, this exhibition pairs Yamaguchi’s “expressionistic” paintings with writings by Schipper that can be accessed through QR codes on the wall near each piece. It also has two site-specific installations by Yamaguchi that utilize “physical materials, video, and light.”

The McLean Projects for the Arts will host a virtual opening reception for both collections on April 8 at 7 p.m., including a conversation with the artists. People interested in joining the free event can register to receive a link.

Photo courtesy McLean Project for the Arts