The Modern Fantasy of Social Spaces ... and a Sneak Peek at Gallery Night

Contributed Photo

Friday, March 11

It is clear in many of Dan Schank's artworks that the built world we inhabit is a place of relentless publicity, whether the source is consumerism, religion, or politics. Schank's mixed media works at the Erie Art Museum's Holstein Gallery explore the worlds of real and virtual social spaces, and underline the common thread of marketing in all. The press release for the show states "he's curious about the ways that evangelical bombast, conspiratorial posturing, and advertising campaigns overlap visually."

Schank touches on "UFO speculation, conspiracy theories, religious extremism, and online mysticism as applied to everyday spaces" in an effort to "draw connections between the cult-like avowals of underground prophecy and the appetites that propel mainstream markets."

Expect highly detailed works filled with the iconography of commerce and social media, fantasy and aliens, all coalescing in a busy visual vocabulary that mirrors the insistent stimuli assaulting us daily. Stay tuned for a review of the show in an upcoming issue of the Reader.

Schank's opening is part of the March 11 Gallery Night, which this time offers six venues besides the Erie Art Museum. Discover treasures and explore contemporary art, from hand knit clothing designs at Something Wonderful, to installation art at Radius CoWork Gallery. Works by the members of the Northwest Pa. Artists' Association (NPAA) are at PACA in a preview to the March 12 fundraising auction that benefits both NPAA and PACA, and the new ArtLore Studio should be worth a stop if you want to try something fresh. Also noteworthy, the EAM will be presenting a members-only lecture by artist Linda Huey at 6:15 p.m., prior to the beginning of Gallery Night at 7 p.m.

Go get your art, Erie! – Mary Birdsong

7 to 10 p.m. // Erie Art Museum // 411 State St. // 459.5477 // erieartmuseum.org