Down to Earth
If You Go
Matter Matters Opening
Friday, July 28, 5–7 p.m.
ArtWorks V2 Gallery
929 E McMillan St.
Artist talk at 5:30 p.m.
Registration requested but not required.
Exhibition continues through Sept. 15.
Hundreds of colorful straws assembled into an abstract arrangement. Fifty pool noodles arranged on a wall to create a dynamic sculpture. Artist Amelia Key elevates and transforms ordinary objects into beautiful creations by composing collections of everyday ephemera into artworks.
“My work delves into themes of transformation, potential, and wonder,” Key said. “I am fascinated by the interplay between chaos and order, our innate desire for control, the pursuit of resolution, and the tendency to overcomplicate our thoughts.”
Over the last month, ArtWorks has welcomed this innovative artist and a group of artists, ages 16 – 24, into the gallery as part of its master class program that gives learning artists a chance to study the materials and methods of professional artists to inform the creation of their own unique works of art. The works are available for sale during the exhibition, with proceeds going directly to the artists.
Key and the group of artists worked hard to create a meaningful dialogue about plastic, waste, the environment, and the intricate relationship between materials and concepts. Materials used in the works on view came from a variety of sources, including the Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub, LaSoupe, SIGHT Eyecare and Eyewear in Wyoming, and individual donations.
“As I navigate the world and seek a sense of belonging, I explore connections and relationships between disparate objects – both literal and aesthetic,” Key says. “Through the exploration of color and repetition, these objects transcend their original purpose, transforming the mundane into something magical.”
Key hails from Dothan, Alabama, and holds a B.A. in art from Belhaven University. Her artistic journey has taken her across the Southeast, exhibiting her work in prestigious venues such as the Arkansas Arts Center (now the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts) in Little Rock, the Wiregrass Museum of Art in Dothan for the 2018 Wiregrass Biennial, and the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson for the 2019 Mississippi Invitational. Key's passion for her craft led her to pursue graduate studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where she received a TAMU-CC Sage Fellowship and was selected as one of the Mid-South Sculpture Alliance's 2022 Dianne Komminsk Scholarship recipients. She created a captivating public art installation featuring 16 suspended sculptures for the TAMU-CC Performing Arts Center. Currently, Amelia is preparing to complete her MFA at the University of Oklahoma in Fall 2023.
The ArtWorks V² Gallery focuses on emerging artists. Inspired by ArtWorks’ apprentice program, learning artists have the chance to take part in a master class program to study the tools and techniques of lead artists and create their own individual works of art to exhibit. This gallery is made possible through the generosity of V², also known as Vandell Verdona, a collaboration between longtime ArtWorks supporters Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell and Ron Houck and David Nebel.