Fred Burton’s life and career as a mixed media artist, world traveler, educator at the Memphis College of Art, and friend to countless fellow artists, has spanned the latter 20th century and continued well into the 21st. Steve Gerberich builds some of the most entertaining contraptions you’ve ever seen. They have been friends for decades, and will be the subjects of an exhibition, Fred Burton/Steve Gerberich: A Shared Curiosity, which will open with a reception on Tuesday, October 22, from 4 to 6 p.m., and continue through November 15. The gallery is located at 180 Holley Street, Brockport, and is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 4 pm. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
Also free and open to the public will be an “Artist’s Talk” given by Burton prior to the opening reception, at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, Tower Fine Arts Center, Room 2203.
Burton, painter and illustrator who is also known for turning pieces of mail into elaborate, exquisite works of art, feels that his “artworks refer to memories, dreams, and experiences relating to travel. They are attempts at distilling important events in my life into a visual diary… Inspiration usually comes from flashes of moments in time. My influences are continually shifting, but the most important ones have included traveling in North Africa; viewing the Book of Kells in Dublin; knowledge of the symbolism of birds and flight; star charts; architectural elements; elements of various landscapes; these have all fed into my current imagery.” Born in Panama and now based in Memphis, Burton has shown his work both nationally and internationally.
When your friend has such diverse interests and inspirations, would it be any wonder that Gerberich is just as eclectic? A self-described “alchemist of odds and ends,” he’s always searching for possibilities. He describes his work as “a mixture of 1 cup Duchamp, 3 teaspoons Calder, 2 tablespoons Kienholz, cup Cornell, 1 pound Rauschenberg and a sprinkle of Tinguely.” There’s definitely a dash of Rube Goldberg in there, as well.
It is correspondence between these two friends that Burton has turned into many little illustrations, some of which have been joined together to form the basis of a type of quilt.
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