Jarring, mismatched styles and colors are featured in “The Ice Next Time,” an exhibit of textiles, artifacts and clothing by Stephen Hendee at the MCCC Gallery Nov. 11 to Dec. 4. Hendee presents a talk about his work on Monday, Nov. 17 at noon in the Communications Building, Room 109, on the college’s West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. A reception with the artist will be held on Nov. 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. More information is available at mccc.edu/gallery.
The Gallery at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) will host “The Ice Next Time: Textiles and the Artifacts of Dark Age North America,” a science fiction-inspired textile show by artist Stephen Hendee, from Nov. 11 through Dec. 4.
On Nov. 17, the artist will be on campus for two events. From noon to 1 p.m., Hendee will present a lecture entitled “Future Imperfect” in the Communications Building, Room 109. He will talk about his artwork in relation to the science fiction genre as a subtext for cultural issues both past and present. From 5 to 7 p.m., the Gallery will host a reception with the artist. The show is curated by Stephen Hendee, with MCCC faculty members Lucas Kelly and Dylan Wolfe.
Both events are free and open to the public. The Gallery is located on the second floor of the Communications Building on the college’s West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.
Hendee describes “The Ice Next Time” as a speculative historical examination of textiles and crafts from our future. In his imagined future, “The sun has come undone. Electromagnetic waves destroyed communications, air travel, the world economy. Billions died of starvation. Cities were abandoned. History became myth. Scientific knowledge devolved into lost magic. What remained of mankind reconnected with nature; people returned to the land, taking over farms previously owned by corporations. Performance and memory once again served as the basis of community entertainment.”
The show features textiles, clothing and artifacts, with explanatory panels next to each piece providing a narrative of doom, social upheaval, and civilization’s return.
Hendee has exhibited at the national and international levels. He has had major exhibition projects through PS.1 Contemporary Art Center, The New Museum, Sculpture Center, The Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria, Henry Urbach Architecture and Jeff Bailey Gallery, all in New York City. National exhibitions include: The Smart Museum (Chicago); St. Louis Art Museum; Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (Winston-Salem, NC); Rice University Art Gallery (Houston); and Carl Solway Gallery (Cincinnati, Ohio).
He received degrees in sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute and Stanford University and has been awarded residencies at the Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation, the Headland Center for the Arts and the MacDowell Colony. His numerous awards and grants include the Pollock Krasner Foundation, a Louis Tiffany Comfort Award, an Elizabeth Foundation grant, the Kirin Contemporary Art Award (Japan), and a New Jersey Council on the Arts Fellowship.
Hours for “The Ice Next Time” are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. More information is available at mccc.edu/gallery or by calling (609) 570-3589. Visit the MCCC Gallery on Facebook at facebook.com/MCCCGallery.
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