Barbara Claussen: Seven and One Half
3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series
February 4 – April 22, 2012
Atrium Gallery
Barbara Claussen’s practice focuses on points of discord and dispute often centered on the convergence of public and private space. This “space”, understood as simultaneously physical and theoretical, is inherently rife with contradiction and ambiguity. Arising out of these circumstances is the possibility of conflict, and it is at this point where Claussen begins her investigations and creates propositions. Her installations and projects regularly explore topics such as land use, history, and in the case of the exhibition Seven and One Half, the law. In the development of these works, Claussen frequently utilizes other individuals for their opinion, their expertise, or simply their physical assistance in completing a work. She also invites them to think deeply on the given topic, raise questions, and generate ideas in order to solve the particular problem at hand. A large amount of research is often also required, generating valuable information and content from libraries, archives and governmental records, as well as personal interviews. Always shifting in form, Claussen’s projects can manifest themselves in many distinct ways, from traditional installations in galleries and museums, to large-scale installations and projects existing very much in the public domain.
About the artist
Barbara Claussen received her B.S. Degree in Art from Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN, and her MFA from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. She studied Chinese painting at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou China. During the massacre in Tiananmen Square in 1989, she left China and spent several weeks camping on an island in the South China Sea before she was able to return to the mainland. Recent solo and group exhibitions include: Stillwater Library Noise Mitigation Project, Stillwater, MN; CO2 in My Backyard, Brandenburg, Germany; Silver Islet Project, Ontario, Canada; Highway 280 Sound Wall Project, St. Paul, MN; The Marina Triangle Project, White Bear Lake, MN; Borders, Gage Gallery, Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN; Nuit Blanche, Hennepin Island, Minneapolis, MN, and the Minnesota Biennial 3D II, Minnesota Museum of Art, St. Paul, MN, amongst others. She lives and works in St. Paul, MN, and is an Associate Professor of Art & Design at Northwestern College, St. Paul, MN.
3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series
Rochester Art Center continually strives to engage community members of all ages in the creation, contemplation, and appreciation of the visual arts. As a non-collecting institution, the Art Center focuses it efforts on presenting temporary exhibitions throughout the year featuring established local, national and international artists, as well as emerging artists from diverse backgrounds working in a variety of media.
In 2004, Rochester Art Center initiated the 3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series—an exhibition program dedicated to promising young artists working in the state of Minnesota. Since its inception, the series has reflected shifting trends in contemporary artistic practice and production, and has helped to facilitate the creation of new bodies of work in a variety of media including photography, installation, sound, painting, drawing, sculpture and film. Now entering our sixth year, the 3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series continues to support emerging artists and to provide a dedicated forum for the exhibition of exciting new work.
The 3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series is made possible through funding by The Jerome Foundation.