IUCA+D exhibit features Evansville native’s evolving work of art

August 7, 2013

Artist Mark Cooper, an Evansville native, has created a collaborative work of art at the invitation of the Columbus Museum of Art and Design and the IU Center for Art + Design.

Currently on display at IUCA+D’s gallery at 310 Jackson St. in downtown Columbus, the exhibition is titled “YuYu Columbus,” a reference to the Yuyuan gardens of Shanghai, where air, water, earth and artifact exist in combination with each other.

The structure of Cooper’s installation is formed by more than 20 sculptural pieces and two-dimensional works made from wood and fiberglass, which are layered with rice paper, paint and silk-screens, along with varying images and patterns.

Local residents are encouraged to add additional pieces and elements throughout the exhibit’s two-month tenure at the gallery, creating an ever-evolving work of art.

The exhibit closes Sept. 13, following a public lecture by Cooper and a reception. The collaborative piece will then be relocated to various Columbus public spaces for ongoing display.

Cooper received his MFA from School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, and he is an adjunct professor at Boston College as well as faculty at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Cooper’s work is in several major museums, as well as corporate and private collections. He is perhaps best known for his large public art pieces made in collaboration with children, hospital patients, students and other constituencies for such institutions as The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston College Museum, Capital Children’s Museum in Washington, D.C., the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Grounds and the Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris.

If interested in collaborating with the art, contact Lisa at lwestmar@indiana.edu or 812.375.7550.

Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Tags: Columbus, IUCA+D, Mark Cooper, YuYu Columbus