Responding to the architectural idiosyncrasies of the space in which she works, Pepe creates site-specific installations that are a blend of sculptural and graphic elements. The artist entwines materials such as shoelaces or yarn -- in this case, nautical tow-line -- into networks that span the room while allowing for a visitor's comfortable passage. Contrary to what might be thought, it is the systematic precision of her handcraft that makes for a seemingly random accretion of solid forms, the shadows of which contribute to an atmosphere of perceptual play.
Sheila Pepe was born in Morristown, New Jersey, in 1959, and lives and works in New York. The artist has had recent exhibitions at the Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art, Lake Worth, Florida (2004); the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, California (2003); and The Weatherspoon Art Museum, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (2002). Her work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions including The Photogenic, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (2002); Verging on Real, Wave Hill, Bronx, New York (2001); and Greater New York, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, New York (2000). Pepe is represented by Susan Inglett, New York and Bernard Toale, Boston.
An illustrated catalogue will be published by the University Museum of Contemporary Art and will be available for purchase during the spring semester. The catalogue will include edited conversations between Ms. Pepe and Judy Pfaff, an artist whose site-specific installation Boa was presented at the University Museum of Contemporary Art in 1982 and who was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2004.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The University Museum of Contemporary Art, located on the lower level of the Fine Arts Center on President's Drive, is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 11 am to 4:30 pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5 pm. The Gallery is also open during evening performances at the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall. Parking is available on Haigis Mall, In front of the FAC, and across the street at the Robsham Visitors Center. Accessible parking is located on the North (pond) side of the FAC, just up the sidewalk from the Gallery. The University Museum of Contemporary Art is closed Mondays, holidays, and March 12 - 20 for Spring Recess.
