An exhibit of recent works by artist Gib Foster will be on display in the Main Gallery of the Fulton County Public Library in Rochester from Oct. 3-28.
“Gib Foster is an interesting character,” said FCPL Marketing Director Erica Coffing, the exhibit’s curator. “Visiting him in his barn home out on Rain Creek you get the distinct feeling you’ve stepped into a world long forgotten, one of a more bohemian lifestyle, when the artist was more closely connected to their creative pursuits and less worried about modern ills … there are Native American artifacts mingled with magazine clippings, stacks of old letters and various areas devoted to different methods of art-making.
“Go up even further and you are in the loft where a computer, printer and massive drafting table occupy a large space framed by a massive painting that shows the influence of the Pacific Northwest peoples.
“Gib mentions he lived with the Ojibwe for a short while on an island in northern Lake Michigan, and I am not surprised. He finds indigenous Native American culture inspiring, referencing their closeness to nature and spiritual life.”
Foster’s FCPL exhibit features his most current project - assemblages of found objects, which he finds “more freeing and creative than a lot of his previous work,” said Coffing.
“I didn’t ask, but I assume it is probably the ability to experiment which he enjoys. While his technical skill as an artist is undeniable, as a person I would describe him as curious, alive and playful. These works represent that side of him.”
Foster studied at the American Academy of Art from 1960-64, as well as the Art Institute of Chicago and Studio 22. His professional experience includes work as a graphic artist, illustrator and educator with firms and institutions including the U.S. Army, Motorola Aerospace Center, Stephens-Gross Studio, Fitchco & Corly, Louisiana Tech University and Manchester College. In 2003, he opened Rain Creek Design freelance studio following his retirement from Manchester College.
Foster’s list of exhibitions and awards is equally diverse, including first place at the 1967 Museum Gallery Exhibition in Macon Ga., first and second place in the Creativity ’72 Cover Design and Poster competition in Chicago, and first place in the Hoosier Salon’s 78th “New beginnings” logo competition at the Indiana State Museum, to name just a few.
For more information, contact the Fulton County Public Library at (574) 223-1015.
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