dumb mud
June 26th to October 5th 2018
How does matter point to the animate earth? Clay, berries, ash, soil—the fabric of material holds weight while more intangible elements remain in flow, gathering energy and filtering through. By sifting out residues—gravel, dyes and dust—the cone filter holds the record of what remains—of what air, water, and re leave behind in transmission.
Inspired by the natural ecology of Madison County Iowa, processes of filtration & dispersal, material animism & Lakota star theology, Rebecca Beachy transforms Rush Hall into a cosmology, employing the cone as the site of mirroring, material dispersal and vital matter, accumulating into dynamic form.
Inspired by the natural ecology of Madison County Iowa, processes of filtration & dispersal, material animism & Lakota star theology, Rebecca Beachy transforms Rush Hall into a cosmology, employing the cone as the site of mirroring, material dispersal and vital matter, accumulating into dynamic form.
Material list
green clay
red clay
cremains of Amish horses (Morgan County, Ohio)
black raspberries
mulberries
fabric
window screen
cheesecloth
birds nests (barn swallow, robin, etc.)
crayfish nest mud
sewing thread (various)
T-pins
extracted river log (water eroded)
extracted tree stump (insect & water eroded)
Semi-burned shelf
wool (extracted from obsolete piano)
paper-wasp nest fragments
green clay
red clay
cremains of Amish horses (Morgan County, Ohio)
black raspberries
mulberries
fabric
window screen
cheesecloth
birds nests (barn swallow, robin, etc.)
crayfish nest mud
sewing thread (various)
T-pins
extracted river log (water eroded)
extracted tree stump (insect & water eroded)
Semi-burned shelf
wool (extracted from obsolete piano)
paper-wasp nest fragments
Rebecca Beachy
Rebecca Beachy’s work presents the accumulation of reformed and tended animal and nature-sourced material, collected among many walks and through many acquaintances over many years. rough poetic examination of the relationship between material and representation, Beachy’s work questions what makes up the essence of matter and objects, addressing the material roots of
language and symbolic forms. By pulling objects from the context of lived experience, she asks the viewer to contemplate the signifcance of material presence—revealing complexities in the connections between animals, people, the elements, the body and the imagination.
A Chicago-based artist, writer, and educator, Beachy's sculptures, interventions and installations have been exhibited throughout Chicago and beyond, most recently traveling to Worpswede and Hamburg, Germany. Her writing has been published with the literary journal Puerto del Sol as well as various art catalogues and small publications. In addition to training in taxidermy
preparation with the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, she holds an MFA in Studio Arts and an MA in Art History from the University of Illinois, Chicago. Born in 1982, Beachy grew up in Denver, Colorado.
For more information visit rebecca-beachy.com
Rebecca Beachy’s work presents the accumulation of reformed and tended animal and nature-sourced material, collected among many walks and through many acquaintances over many years. rough poetic examination of the relationship between material and representation, Beachy’s work questions what makes up the essence of matter and objects, addressing the material roots of
language and symbolic forms. By pulling objects from the context of lived experience, she asks the viewer to contemplate the signifcance of material presence—revealing complexities in the connections between animals, people, the elements, the body and the imagination.
A Chicago-based artist, writer, and educator, Beachy's sculptures, interventions and installations have been exhibited throughout Chicago and beyond, most recently traveling to Worpswede and Hamburg, Germany. Her writing has been published with the literary journal Puerto del Sol as well as various art catalogues and small publications. In addition to training in taxidermy
preparation with the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, she holds an MFA in Studio Arts and an MA in Art History from the University of Illinois, Chicago. Born in 1982, Beachy grew up in Denver, Colorado.
For more information visit rebecca-beachy.com