Printmaker bringing exhibit showcasing neighborhoods to Northwest

Printmaker bringing exhibit showcasing neighborhoods to Northwest

A St. Louis-based visual artist opens the spring slate of visiting artists and exhibits at Northwest Missouri State University this month with an exploration of the differing parts that coalesce to create mental images of neighborhoods.

The exhibit, "Deconstructing the Block," features the work of Norman Spencer. It opens Wednesday, Jan. 21, in the DeLuce Art Gallery at the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building, and continues through Friday, Feb. 27. Spencer will give a lecture at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 21 in the Charles Johnson Theater at the Fine Arts Building in conjunction with the exhibit opening; a reception will follow.

Coinciding with Northwest's Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week and America250 activities, Spencer also will participate in a fireside chat, moderated by Dr. Shay Malone, Northwest's assistant vice president of institutional excellence and global engagement, from noon to 1 p.m. Jan. 21 in the J.W. Jones Student Union Living Room.

"Norman's visual meditations on neighborhoods as rooted places that offer community, support and a sense of belonging encourage us to slow down and pay close attention to the physical and emotional connections that we feel to our own neighborhoods," Dr. Karen Britt, a Northwest associate professor of art, said. "The medium in which Norman works, wood block printing, requires a slow, thoughtful approach that is conducive to the reflective practice that the artist seeks to cultivate in his studio. We are thrilled that our students and the community will have an opportunity to engage with the artist and his work."

Building on his passion for nature, identity and the hands-on, meditative process of block printing, Spencer's work explores community and belonging in neighborhoods, taking inspiration from interactions between humans and their environments.

While living in Louisville, Kentucky, he began making custom block prints of the city's contiguous collection of Victorian mansions. Spencer says he was enamored with each home's architecture, unique details, their chromatic colors and the variety of people who lived in them.

Now, after moving to St. Louis four years ago, he has finished hundreds of similar portraits of scenes throughout the region.

"Through this exhibition, I hope to highlight the parts of our neighborhoods that go into the grand collage of what our neighborhood 'looks like' to each of us," Spencer says. "This image of a neighborhood can vary from person to person but can include tiny bits of the landscape such as the business that you know to turn left at on your way to work, or the Chinese food spot that you order on Thursdays. The juxtaposition of different aspects of houses, materials, and textures in my work reflects this dynamic, illustrating the complex collage of our lives, in reference to the structures around us. These collages and sculptures, in their layered complexity, mirror this relationship, inviting the viewer to look beyond the surface."

Spencer earned a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Louisville and took up printmaking during his studies as a way to unwind and connect with his creative side. He is a 2024 Kranzberg artist in residence and has held residencies in organizations, including Bernheim Arboretum and The Louisville Public Library.

His work has been featured in exhibitions in multiple galleries as well as the Kentucky Museum of Arts and Crafts and the Roots 101 African American Museum in Louisville. He also has taught printmaking workshops for the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, multiple public libraries and the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.

Spencer's visit and exhibition are supported by the Missouri Arts Council.

The Olive DeLuce Art Gallery, which is free and open to the public, is open from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. For more information, call 660.562.1326 or email [email protected].