May 7, 2009
HARRISBURG – When artists work in close proximity they inevitably share ideas and methods. Such is the case with HACC art professors James Lard and Robert Troxell. They have brought their ideas together and are collaborating in “Dialogues 2,” an exhibit of their work in ceramics at the Rose Lehrman Arts Center Gallery on the Harrisburg Campus of HACC.
The exhibit runs from May 25-June 24. A reception for the artists takes place 3-4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 4.
Each artist’s style is distinctive. Lard works with simple, austere forms, often using orbs or bulbous shapes referencing forms observed in nature. His sculptural forms have a purity of line and surface. Troxell’s work, with Japanese graphics influences, is colorful and playful. On some of his sculptural works there is a narrative that engages the viewer. Examples of these two different styles merging is evident in several pieces in the gallery.
Lard is a professor of art at HACC and director of the contemporary crafts marketing program. He holds a master’s degree in fine art from Louisiana Tech University. In addition to being a ceramic artist, Lard is a furniture maker and ran Louisiana Woodworks before moving to Pennsylvania.
Troxell is also a professor of art at HACC. He holds a master’s degree in fine art from University of Delaware and a doctorate from the Penn State School of Art and Architecture. His early training is in printmaking and he taught at Eastern Illinois University before coming to HACC. He was a lecturer at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia 2000-06.
Lard and Troxell have helped to move the region’s art scene forward. They developed the crafts marketing program at HACC. They started the Capital Chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen, a student chapter. Additionally, they were instrumental in starting Radius, HACC’s Gallery and Museum Shop at The State Museum of Pennsylvania.
All Rose Lehrman Art Gallery events are free and open to the public. Summer gallery hours are 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Thursday, or by appointment. For more information, call 780-2435 or e-mail Kim Banister, gallery curator, at kebanist@hacc.edu.
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