Former Art Teacher Exhibits Latest Work

Former Middle School art teacher Whitney Robbins returned to Rivers this week for the opening of the exhibit “Lost and Found,” featuring work by Robbins and her partner Marjorie Morgan. The work, in a variety of media, includes pieces done individually as well as jointly by both artists under the name Woolly Mammoth.

During a brief gallery talk, Robbins and Morgan described how the theme of Lost and Found is a reflection of the past year or two during which Morgan left a career in dance after an injury, Robbins retired from teaching, and both moved from their home in the Metrowest area to the western part of the state. They found themselves reassessing their lives as they packed and unpacked, losing and finding items and identities along the way.

“At the beginning of last year, I found I was asking, ‘Will I feel lost or found today? Will I know what I am doing and why?’ I asked 'What is in between?' The word 'questioning' came to mind,” said Robbins in her artist’s statement. “Lost and found are the extreme ends of the complexity of being artistically aware…Getting lost is now instructive, and a goal in and of itself.”

Students and visitors at the opening enjoyed playing ping pong on a full-sized table displaying game spinners on each half, one labelled Lost, the other Found. The table sports a net composed of items from some of Robbins’ favorite collections: pencils threaded into spools of thread, small glass bottles, animal figurines, and tin cups.

Winding its way across the gallery and up and down in the elevator, with the help of the younger guests, was a painting mounted on a remote-control truck. There were a few minor mishaps along the way, but the piece gave new meaning to the term “travelling art show.” Equally engaging, though less interactive, was a small town diorama by Morgan, with painted buildings mounted on toys trains that circled on an endless track while pedestrian figures skittered about.

Robbins’ work includes several of her signature blackbirds which often appeared in faculty art shows during the 19 years she taught in the Middle School. Accompanying the birds is a menagerie of creatures ranging from a woolly mammoth to a barnyard-worthy chicken. Also displayed are a number of “Thingamabobbers” crafted from old cigar boxes and found objects, as well as multimedia collages incorporating personal items like gloves, bits of lace and fabric, and small household items.

Morgan’s drawings and paintings highlight her dancer’s eye for movement, catching her subjects in mid-motion and mid-emotion. Her personal favorite is a small study of an elderly woman pausing to rest, gently capturing the woman’s weariness with life. With faces turned away from the viewer, the figures in her paintings and drawings have a feeling of universality to them.

“Loss created openings for new discovery and the things I have found astound and humble me on a daily basis,” commented Morgan in her artist’s statement.

The Woolly Mammoth collection blends elements of each artist’s personal style and has often involved reworking each piece over and over. Their favorite joint piece, a building they discovered while travelling in the French countryside, has undergone many iterations on the way to its final form.

“Compositions change drastically, layers are applied, colors pop, and new subjects are revealed in this spontaneous process of image making,” says the Woolly Mammoth statement. The importance of the artistic process was captured in Morgan’s closing comment during the gallery talk.

“I feel that I am always changing as an artist,” said Morgan. “I’m not the same artist at the beginning of a painting as I am at the end.”

“It was wonderful to be back at Rivers sharing my latest artwork and some lessons from the year,” commented Robbins after the event. “I loved seeing old friends and felt our work was very warmly and enthusiastically received. We are both grateful for the opportunity to show at the Bell Gallery.”

The exhibit will be on display in the Campus Center until December 1.
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