Roberley Bell, Flower Blob #77, 2006, image courtesy of the artist

Artist Roberley Bell discusses her exhibition Inside Out at the Laumeier Sculpture Park in the latest installment of the Saint Louis Art Map: On the Air podcast. Her work explores the relationship between the man-made and the natural with a focus on the artifice of nature. She talks about the colors and materials in her flower blob pieces, her inspirations and influences, recurring motifs in her work, and the ways she sees visitors interacting with her work.

This week, I’ve been able to visit with artist Roberley Bell as she installs her exhibition at Laumeier.   Along with our curatorial crew -  Robert Goetz and Nick Lang – and intern Adrienne Sandusky, Bell has been assembling, mounting, and positioning a dizzying array of blobs, wonders, flowers, butterflies, insects and glass orbs.  Her subject matter and her color choices are undoubtedly arresting – but the larger question about man’s quest for “control” of nature is equally intriguing to me.

Visiting Laumeier is largely an outdoor experience and one with varying degrees of human-manipulated nature.  Between the manicured lawns and the landscaped plantings you can clearly see the nature of man’s desire.  While exploring the wooded trails, you can take a few steps into the thick brush and gain a sense of the landscape of two centuries ago.  The geographical distance between those two is not great, but the metaphorical expanse is large enough for artists like Bell to roam and explore the question.  How do we define nature?  Are we controlling the  natural world or is it controlling us?  Why do we surround our increasingly indoor lives with real and artificial nature?

Come to Laumeier and step inside for a whimsical look at the outside from the inside out.

Roberley Bell: Inside Out
Opening reception: October 9, 6-8:00 p.m.
Laumeier Sculpture Park, 12580 Rott Road
www.laumeier.org

I woke up the other day and realized that an entire summer had whisked by in what seemed like a good night’s sleep. Perhaps it was the uncharacteristically great weather or maybe the litany of projects and events that made June, July and August blow right on by. Nevertheless, fall is fast approaching and I’d like to share a bit about two recent acquisitions to the Laumeier landscape and remind you about our upcoming fall exhibition.

The newest sculpture in Laumeier’s collection is Donut No. 3 (2002) by Fletcher Benton. Sited in the Children’s Sculpture Garden, Donut is a tasty visual treat for visitors of all ages. Benton was recently recognized by the International Sculpture Center with a lifetime achievement award and this piece showcases has mastery of materials and aesthetics.

Over the summer, Laumeier secured the loan of a fabulous sculpture by Cosimo Cavallaro. Knots (1996) tangles up perceptions with contorted steel that mimics string or noodles in a mystifying dance of form and mass.

You can visit Laumeier everyday between 8AM and sunset to see the new works by Benton and Cavallaro and more than 70 other sculptures. A visit in October will provide another opportunity for contrasts.

Roberley Bell: Inside Out which opens at 6PM on October 9, 2009 and continues through January 10, 2010 presents the vibrant colors of a fluorescent springtime and the juxtaposition of real and man-made natural objects and specimens during those neutral hued days of autumn and winter.

Visit Laumeier and be inspired.