For Immediate Release:  May 31, 2016
Contact:  Susan Strano, Marketing Director
802-447-1571 ext. 204
[email protected]

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Gallery Talk with Artist Sally Gil

Join in the conversation on June 25 at 3:00 p.m. when artist Sally Gil, guest curator Sophie Brech-West, and Bennington Museum curator Jamie Franklin gather in the Regional Artists’ Gallery to talk about the works in Out of This World, Lush Abstract Landscapes by Sally Gil.  Surrounded by the site specific installation directly on the gallery walls; a further three large scale works and a number of smaller scale works, enjoy learning more about the collaboration between artist, curator, and institution as well as the artist’s vision, process, and creativity.

This talk is free and open to the public.  This is the first exhibition of Gil’s work in her native state of Vermont.

“Sally Gil’s technicolor utopias draw the viewer into complex worlds where iconic fragments taken from a variety of found print materials (discarded encyclopedias, seed catalogues, post cards) form new narratives with ephemera from daily life (tea wrappers, paper from florists, doilies).  Her stream of consciousness sweeps us up with effervescent energy.  Seen from afar, there is a sense of the cosmos, the Big Bang, star dust.  Close up, thoughtfully juxtaposed elements create new links, alternate stories.  Choosing to paint over, embellish, or riff off these elements she fully appropriates the found imagery.  More perfect truths are born.” states Sophie Brechu-West, founder of 571 Projects and curator of this exhibition.

Gil’s process is meticulous, using visual and word association to construct possible alternate worlds.  At times a kind of nostalgia bubbles to the surface, and while the works are not intended to be primarily autobiographical documents, each holds the indelible marks of the maker and the things that hold meaning for her.  In Indigenous Mass, the image of a Morgan horse at the center of the piece stands under a blueberry sky – the state animal of Vermont, and a berry that grows wild in the state.  Each fragment holds a wealth of signifiers.  Personal and universal, Gil’s work is generous: it allows each viewer a way in.

Brooklyn-based visual artist Sally Gil was born and raised in Bennington, Vermont.  She received her BA from UC San Diego and her MFA from Hunter College, CUNY.  She has had solo exhibitions at Geary Contemporary, NYC; 571 Projects, NYC; University of North Carolina, Charlotte; and Dean Bergen Gallery, Brooklyn, NY.  Her work has been featured in group exhibitions at The Brooklyn Museum; The Rotunda Gallery, Brooklyn; White Columns, NYC; among other venues. The artist was a Fellow at Apexart (2013) to Sao Paolo, Brazil, and a Visiting Artist at The University of North Carolina, Charlotte (2010) and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (2001).  Her work is included in the U.S. State Department’s Arts in Embassies program, in Brazzaville, Congo (2014-2016).

About the Museum
Bennington Museum is located at 75 Main Street (Route 9), Bennington, in The Shires of Vermont. The museum is open every day except Wednesday, 10 am to 5 pm.  It is wheelchair accessible.   Regular admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and students over 18.  Admission is never charged for younger students, museum members, or to visit the museum shop.  Visit the museum’s website www.benningtonmuseum.org or call 802-447-1571 for more information.
Bennington Museum is close to other notable art and culture destinations, including Usdan Gallery at Bennington College (10 minutes), The Clark Art Institute (20 minutes); and MassMoCA (30 minutes).