Margaret Smithers-Crump: Breaking Point

Saturday, September 14 – October 26, 2019

Opening Reception, Saturday, September 14, 2019 6 – 8 pm

Artist Talk + Demonstration, Saturday, October 5, 2019 3 – 5 pm

Closing Reception, Friday, October 25, 2019 5 – 7 pm

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In Breaking Point, Margaret Smithers-Crump investigates a holistic approach to the health of our planet and the human impact, both negative and positive, on the vulnerability and interconnectedness of diverse life forms and ecosystems. Throughout the exhibition the artworks display a tension between the freedom of natural processes and their subordination by physical or chemical means. Some of the sculptures are literally caught in monofilament netting or bound by cord while others suggest changes caused by subjugation to chemical imbalances such as carbon in the air or water.  Particular emphasis is placed on biological systems that are vast, complex, and fragile. Kinship Network, a wall sculpture that is 9 feet tall evokes notions of biological relationships such as plant roots systems working with fungus. Referencing coral reefs and coral bleaching, Speechless suspends from the ceiling and branches out into the gallery. Breaking Point showcases hanging plant-like forms harnessed by red thread to basalt rocks while other of these structures appear to have broken away and float freely, revolving with the slightest air currents.

Smithers-Crump uses recycled plexiglas, paint and found materials to create these artworks. The use of the clear acrylic material offers diverse applications for her practice and compelling conceptual strengths that underscore her core concerns regarding delicate ecosystems. The glass-like appearance of this material implies fragility and underscores the precarious existence of all life.

Margaret Smithers-Crump is a Canadian artist based in Houston, Texas with a BFA in Painting from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.  Smithers-Crump has been featured in solo exhibitions throughout the United States including her recent one person exhibitions at the Grace Museum, Abilene, TX; Pearl Fincher MFA, Houston, TX; Beeville Art Museum, TX, Galveston Art Center, TX; Imperial Center for the Arts, Rocky Mount, NC; Penn College of Technology - Penn State, PA and Lawndale Art Center, Houston,TX. In the fall of 2019, she will be a part of the curated group exhibition for Sculpture Month Houston and will be exhibiting at the Silos. In the spring of 2021, she has an upcoming solo exhibition at the Art Museum of South East Texas.