Elizabeth Simonson

Bockley Gallery is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition of new work by Minneapolis artist Elizabeth Simonson. It features a selection of small watercolor drawings and a dozen sculptures made from her signature glass beads and filament line, and reveals her proclivity to create both system-based and more intuitively conceived work.

Simonson has stated, “My work is structured through the creation of repetitive systems...I feel that abstraction and the use of logic, systems, and patterns is a powerful language.” However, certain recent pieces stem from a more intuitive approach and reflect an air of freedom and chance. “In the current exhibition I bring together both paths of my art-making,” says Simonson. “Some of the work is systematic in its structure, and other’s are more intuitive and spontaneous in their conception – they come from my imagination.”

Whether system-based or drawn from an internal well of creativity, Simonson’s new sculptures are constructed exclusively from the cylindrically shaped Bugle bead manufactured by the Japanese company Toho. For the artist, Toho produced their high-quality Bugle beads in three specific colors – clear, amber and grey. Although each sculpture is a distinct expression of form and color, Simonson’s singular use of the Bugle bead in a limited palette clearly informs her current work with a conceptual and unified intelligence.

Elizabeth Simonson is a fiscal year 2015 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural fund.

Gallery Hours:
Wednesday through Saturday, Noon to 5 pm