Jasper Community Arts has announced they will present the work of Carmi, Illinois sculptor, Brandon Smith, and Louisville, KY mixed-media artist, Jan Kirstein Rigor for February, March, and April of 2024 at the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center.
The two-person exhibit will feature a variety of 3-D wood and metal sculptures and 2-D mixed-media paintings.
Smith is a sculptural artist who creates his art in Carmi, a small town in southern Illinois, where he grew up. He is currently a coal miner and has worked for over 20 years in the coal industry. Yet, Smith has been sharpening his art skills for over 2 decades.
He was first drawn to the creative scene while attending Carmi white county high school. He quickly realized his passion for the arts and desired to take every art class available to him. He then went on to study art at Southeastern Illinois College where he began to fine-tune his skills in sculpture. At SIC he was able to explore Medias such as metals, wood, and clay. This began his love for the use of more raw materials that he utilizes today in his works.
Jan Kirstein Rigor’s mixed-media collage journey began over 30 years ago while in an MFA
program at University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Brandon Smith attended Southeastern Illinois College, and Jan Kirstein Rigor holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Louisville and Indiana University.
The two-person exhibition will be on display from February 1st through April 21st, 2024. First Thursday Receptions will take place on Thursday, February 1st, March 7th, and April 4th, 2024 from 5 to 7 PM.
The galleries at the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center, located at 100 3rd Avenue, Suite A, in Jasper, are open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM, Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM, and Sunday from noon to 3 PM. School groups, clubs, and students are welcome. Admission is free but donations are appreciated. For more information, call 812-482-3070.
