Humanimals at the Memorial Union
Harebrained
UW alum Gayle Weitz strives to “walk the line in [her] work,” and Humanimals, her upcoming exhibit at Memorial Union, walks that line by examining 12 of the complicated relationships between humans and animals with some truly cool sculptures.
Weitz describes herself as a “social activist” who aims to “reveal truths” and “penetrate the cultural ignorance in society.” This social activism partly comes from her years spent in Madison, as she received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Art Education at the university. She turned her education at UW into a career in collegiate art education, with time spent at Appalachian State University and currently at Seton Hall where she has served as the coordinator of the Art Education Program since 2010.
Humanimals confronts many of the “problematic issues” Weitz sees in our society. Each of the 12 “human-size carved figurative cabinets” depicts an animal idiom (like “Foxy” or “Sheepish”) with the interior cabinet portion opening up to reveal “how humans typically treat the animal in the idiom,” such as the fur and wool industries. Besides “Foxy” and “Sheepish,” the exhibit also includes “Harebrained” (a doctor bunny), “Chickenhearted” (a farmer chicken), and “Night Owl” (an owl in a bathrobe). The chance to see a giant owl wearing clothes and holding a cup of tea should be all the reason anyone needs to see this exhibit.
The exhibit will be at Memorial Union’s Porter Butts Gallery from Friday, Feb. 3 through March 20. There will be an opening reception held on Friday, Feb. 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. with Weitz in attendance.
