Time for a new transition

Local artist featured in Hewes Library

By Natalie Hall
Courier staff

The sculpture exhibition titled “Transitions,” by Macomb artist Matt M. Myers, will be on display Oct. 3-28 in MC’s Len G. Everett Gallery located upstairs in the Hewes Library.

A reception for the artist will be held Sunday, Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. in the gallery. Both the exhibit and reception are free and are open to the public.

Myers said the exhibit’s title is a reference to the way he works and looks at life.        “Because I started out as a painter years ago, I have been trying to find the one medium that makes me happy. However, I have since realized it is the transition between the various mediums that is what’s important to me,” said Myers.

Myers described his collection as eclectic, featuring mixed media, paintings, jewelry, metal-smithing and other forms of sculpture.

A typical day for him might include a few hours of painting, some design work with gold or silver jewelry and then he travels to his sculpture studio where he might work on an 8 ft. tall sculpture.

As a full-time and independent artist, Myers creates his works in sculpture, metal-smithing and painting.

His work has been displayed throughout the area, recently in his own show entitled, “Some Old, Some New: The Artwork of Matt M. Myers” at the Sullivan Taylor Coffee House in Macomb.

He was also featured at the Galex 39 National Juried Exhibition at the Galesburg Civic Art Center where he received a sculpture award.

Myers was recently represented at the 6th Annual “Handcrafted: A Juried Exhibition of Ceramics, Fiber, Glass, Metal and Wood” at the Rocky Mount Arts Center and Museum in North Carolina and, in 2004, his work was named best of show.

Also in 2004, Myers received the “University Union Purchase Award” at the Western Illinois University Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition. His artwork is on permanent display in the WIU Union Collection and the Rocky Mount Arts Center and Museum collection. Last year, he received a B.F.A. degree from WIU, where his studio major focused on metal-smithing and jewelry design.

While he said he does not define himself as a “traditionalist,” Myers likes to use traditional techniques which are more than 3,000 years old.

For example, some of his metal-smithing work uses a technique called “raising” which involves forming a flat sheet of metal around what are called stakes. This technique is used to create various forms of vessels, such as bowls and other containers.

The Len G. Everett Gallery is open during regular library hours: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to midnight; Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to midnight.