The Nelson Gallery

     Currently the Nelson Gallery in Davis, CA is housing several exhibits. One is a brilliant display of African American quilts ranging from modern to antique all in a beautiful array of colors. The second is an exhibition of Merch Art. Before going into explanation of the exhibit, let me first define Merch Art. Merch Art is a fun and colorful way art is incorporated into everyday merchandise. The art in the gallery was fun, exciting and inviting and gives a glimpse into the more amusing side of the art. It invited the viewer into the object, or even become a part of the art in some cases. In using this everyday merchandise the person become apart of the art. Sometimes being able to show it off to the rest of the world as a means of self-expression – giving everyone a little clue into individual personalities.  The art transcends just the regular object and projects itself outward onto the viewer. One can’t help but smile when viewing the art.

       I have posted two photos from the exhibit (the photos came from the Nelson Gallery’s web page: http://nelsongallery.ucdavis.edu/). The first is an image by Pablo Picasso called “The Dove of Peace” and is a jigsaw puzzle.  There are for outward facing faces, all slightly different and each a different color. The use of the bright colors (the primary colors: red, yellow & blue) with the darker brown incorporated not only gives this piece depth but also lends to a nice composition. Turning a piece of Pablo Picasso’s into a jigsaw puzzle lets the viewer experience the art in a whole new way. Society is able to not only view art, but also really become a part of it.  In turn be the viewer can understand the art through new “lenses” and see details they might not have seen before.  Society can experience what it means and how it feels to be the designer.

      The second piece that I posted is called “Puppy,” (on the left picture found at: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin22LyC8ilPLIhL5JMOBrCNM6islfajOkK4sHlTPwtuBkS2bbQ7cOLtcYXYzOTURu5KS7QmSRIcE7-NUfyJOb6X0mZo4cZX3qhenX8uCtR2_n6QgJsvo37UAuGEmOdT3_naAPc-i4UBVk4/s320/jkpuppy.jpg) designed by Jeff Koons and is dyed plush fabric and stuffing. It was designed to commemorate the installation of Koons’ sculpture ‘Puppy’ at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. One might look at this and think ‘why is this art.’ This piece of art serves to allow the greater masses to enjoy and take home a little piece of it. And why can’t a plush puppy be art? It can be!  If you say it is art and this most certainly is, it is a wonderful representation of Merch Art!

Design can take many forms and through the exhibit at the Nelson Gallery, one can see that even everyday merchandise can be art. This art represents not only what we see in society, but also allows us to take a closer look at it to better understand it as well as have a piece of it. These deigns let us transcend the art and actually become a part of it. Bringing the art to straight to society.