The Cheryl McGinnis Gallery is quite thrilled to open their new season with an exhibit that challenges perceptions of accessibility and complexity. This exhibit gives the artists as well as the gallery a chance to “cleanse the palette” as we begin a new season fresh from a restorative yet artistically formidable summer.

The gallery invited these artists to work in black and white as a way to cleanse their palettes for the new season. On the surface, these black and white works appear simple, however, the works contain each artists complex concepts. The beauty of seeing this intimate, lovely gallery filled with black and white, hung salon style, gives the immediate impression of a decorator-inspired room. But look closer, allow your eye to wander, in each detail one finds these works contain much grey matter. One can see clearly each artists’ oeuvre, whether it be post- feminism, cross-cultural issues, environmental concerns or political controversy.

As a society we sometimes want to try to see situations in the most facile terms. With the proliferation of talk shows, news broadcasts and pundits, experts are ready to tell us how to think about a particular situation. They are seemingly adept at taking a complex situation and making it as simple as black and white. The sound bite has become synonymous with an idea as if approaching an issue with all its inherent complexity isn’t required. Much of the same can be said for viewing art, it is much easier to compartmentalize each artists’ work into neat categories so that it feels much more accessible. This exhibit is designed to address these is- sues.

The Cheryl McGinnis Gallery is a space where the viewer can sit on the window seat, have a cup of tea and enter into a conversation about art. It is a place to stop and contemplate the work with all its intricacies and ramifications.

Tomie Arai, Deborah Buck, Margaret Evangeline, Nancy Friedemann, Kristin Flynn, Tony Gonzalez, Susan Hamburger, Stephanie Hightower, Jessica Houston, Duoling Huang, Asia Ingalls, Nina Kuo, Lanie Lee, Margaret Murphy, Roser Sales, Rebecca Riley, Maddy Rosenberg,Tina Seligman, April Vollmer, George Xiong