Above: Ryan Frank, Emerald Ash Borer Cedar Closet, ash, cedar, cardboard, and hardware, 30x15x10 in., 2022.

The Tremaine Art Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of work by Brooklyn-based artist and woodworker Ryan Frank. Ryan Frank: Cross Cut will be on view Nov. 5 through Dec. 10.  An artist talk is scheduled for Tues. Nov. 15 at 7p.m. and a reception with the artist will take place  Dec. 3, 4 - 6 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public: guests must be vaccinated; masks are optional.

Frank’s artwork is a unique blend of woodworking and photography, realized through a variety of forms including sculpture, light boxes, windows and large-scale installation.  For the Tremaine exhibit, he will use found and discarded materials from the Hotchkiss campus to organize and transform decaying organic specimens into a sculptural installation that will inspire contemplation of the past, present, and future. Materials will include a diverse collection of wooden objects from fallen tree limbs to used furniture. Viewers can consider the objects in relation to each other: Is one “more wood” or “more natural” than another? What if the item was handmade? How is our perception affected if the material was altered by nature and time, rather than by human hands?

Cross Cut will invite viewers to engage in dialogue with the works and materials, encouraging all to see themselves as part of the space of the gallery and the ecology of the Hotchkiss campus. Hotchkiss architecture students will contribute to the installation, making Cross Cut a truly collaborative work between humans and nature as well as place and space.

Ryan Frank has exhibited his work extensively throughout the U.S. including at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, CT and Invisible Dog Art Center in Brooklyn, NY. He is a former artist-in-residence at the Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY and from 2009-2015 he served as director of The Granary, an art exhibition and storage space for a private collection of contemporary art in Sharon, CT.

The Tremaine Art Gallery is located in the Main Building of The Hotchkiss School. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.  For more information about this and other events at The Hotchkiss School, phone (860) 435-2591.