The St. Tammany Art Association is currently featuring Plank & Feather, an exhibit of new works by John Atkins and Zach Slough. The two-man exhibition consists of recent stationary and kinetic sculptures, prints, and video work. Both artists currently reside and create their work in Hammond, Louisiana, recently contributing extensive work to SELU’s production of Sweeney Todd at Columbia Theater, Hammond, LA.
John Atkins is from Belle Chasse, Louisiana and earned his BA in Visual Arts with concentrations in Sculpture and New Media/Animation from SELU. He works in sculpture, video, and drawing and prefers materials such as natural woods, plywood, found objects and paint which emphasize the visual language of nature and it’s relationship with the inorganic quality of the industrial. Atkins explores how man-made and organic forms can both reflect and oppose each other in melancholy and whimsical themes. His driving force for creating is to “bring about new and exciting artistic objects that put my ideas and craft straight in front of the viewer for them to identify with, in hopes that they have as much excitement and wonderment about the objects as he does in conceptualizing and creating them.” John Atkins’ found object kinetic sculpture series was purchased by and used on the set of FX’s American Horror Story: Freakshow.
Zach Slough is from Wabash, Indiana and earned his BA in Visual Arts with a concentration in Sculpture from SELU. He works in sculpture, printmaking, and drawing and prefers materials consisting of aluminum, steel, copper, natural hardwoods, and leather. Zach’s winged series of sculptures utilizes symbolism designed to allow a wide array of viewers to identify with and imagine themselves as part of the sculptures. The overall uplifting effect of the series “puts the viewer in mind of beauty and possibility, as well as the beauty of impossibility.” Zach finds the viewer’s reaction to a piece, which they can touch, manipulate, or imagine themselves as being a part of; to be a visceral experience which engages them to be an integral part of the artwork’s intent.
The exhibition is on display at the St. Tammany Art Association located at 320 N. Columbia St. in downtown Covington April 11th – May 23rd, 2015. The St. Tammany Art Association thanks their generous sponsors Covington Brewhouse, Zea’s Rotisserie & Grill, Mellow Mushroom and Coffee Rani.
