ABSTRACT

A road trip is a journey. We travel, riding in an automobile with family, friends or alone, and our experience is as much a function of the plan as it is of the unknown.

As the terrain changes to that which is less familiar we notice things. We consider our own condition. We reconnect to ideas we care about. We reconnect to each other. Or we don't. If we listen to music it becomes a soundtrack. If we listen to a story we lose ourselves. If we are driving alone an internal dialog is set in motion. We might long for the sun to be out of our eyes, or notice the most beautiful sunset we have seen in a long time. These are things that other people probably experience. Or maybe things that are completely unique. And when we arrive at our destination we might be asked, "How was your trip?" Some of the stories we remember, tell and retell. The journey on the road becomes a microcosm and a metaphor for our life's journey, for the interplay of our experiences, those unique unto ourselves and those we share universally with others.

Road Stories is a mixed media installation that invites the viewer to participate in a journey that takes place from behind the wheel and within the gallery. The project is the undertaking of artist, Sally Graves Machlis and designer, Delphine Keim-Campbell. The mixed media project includes ink painting, screen-printed vector graphics and expressive handwriting. The elements center on stories that have been collected with this project in mind.

BIOGRAPHY

Sally Graves Machlis is professor of Art and Design and Art Education and is chair of the Art and Design program. In an innovative appointment, she is a faculty member of both the College of Education and the College of Art and Architecture. Professor Machlis is active in educational outreach in the state of Idaho and was appointed by the Governor to serve as a Commissioner on the Idaho Commission on the Arts.

Professor Machlis exhibits her artwork regionally, nationally and internationally in juried and invitational exhibitions. Influenced by a sabbatical in Taiwan, her recent work includes abstract paintings and books using Chinese inks.

Delphine Keim-Campbell is an Associate Professor of Art and Design. She coordinates the graphic design area, working with graduate and undergraduate students. Among other teaching activities Delphine leads students in outreach projects, practicing design and collaboration in the community context.

Her scholarly activities include creating award-winning graphic design for her clients, participating and designing on interdisciplinary grant projects, and writing about design.

For more information: Rodney Frey