Reality takes a back seat to imagination and innovation with the works of Ryan Herberholz and Christian Frontera exhibiting at the Crary Art Gallery located at 511 Market Street in Warren, PA from August 3rd through September 8th. Ryan Herberholz’s exhibition, “Apocalypse Reverie” explores human actions and interactions in the throes of adverse circumstances. Christian Frontera’s display, “Candor,” is inspired by the curious chaos of the Dadaism style of art.
Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Ryan Herberholz’s exhibition, depicts images that ignite the imagination as to where humanity stands as a society, where that society may end up, and obstacles that stand in the way of human progress and achievement. Ryan cites uneven wealth distribution and resource allocation as circumstances that limit human potential. Additionally, the increasing prospect of civil unrest and climate change are realities that inspire images of potential future calamities. Ryan’s goal as a visual artist is to, “provoke thought rather than to advocate for any specific changes that should be made.” He believes, “this contemporary moment is a pivotal one where creative solutions as to how we can live in better equilibrium with our natural environment are vitally important.”
Ryan describes his work as ‘speculative fiction’. The framework is inspired by authors that include Octavia Butler and Kurt Vonnegut. Although realism is a component in Ryan’s work, it deviates into many fantastical possibilities. His goal is to leave the work vague enough to allow the viewer to imagine their unique interpretation.
Warren native Christian Frontera’s journey toward art that has taken a variety of paths. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in interior design from Mercyhurst University, he discovered the work wasn’t what he thought it would be. It was very technical, strict, and numbers-oriented. When he realized interior design wasn’t for him, he went to trade school for carpentry to build his own designs. He soon realized that wasn’t going to work out either and he left trade school feeling discouraged. He began to study art history on his own and watched artists’ videos online. The style of Dadaism caught his attention because it is an artform where anything goes and there are no rules. He was inspired by artists who were making art that didn’t necessarily make sense. At this uncertain time in his life, this type of art had a comforting effect. Christian is comfortable with things that disregard logic and isn’t grounded in rules and structure.
Christian enjoys the opportunities, relationships, and friendships art has brought into his life. He enjoys seeing the emotion his work evokes in people. The message Christian intends to convey through his art is that things don’t have to be perfect, it’s ok to have setbacks, and it’s ok for things to be vague, uncomfortable, and messy. Good things come out of bad things, and it’s ok to not know what’s going on.
Both artists will attend the opening beginning on August 3rd from 5pm-7pm. Christian will give an artist talk at 6pm, and both artists will be available to answer questions about their work. If you cannot make the opening reception, the Crary Art Gallery is open to visitors Fridays and Saturdays 12pm – 6pm and Sundays 12pm – 4pm during exhibitions. Admission is always free!
The Crary Art Gallery is a non-profit private art museum located at the corner of Market Street and 6th Avenue in historic downtown Warren, PA. Its mission is to educate, entertain and extend the importance of visual arts. In addition to displaying its permanent collection, temporary exhibitions are held every other month throughout the year, beginning in February. Hours of operation are Fridays and Saturdays from 12 to 6 and Sundays from 12 to 4. Admission is always free.
For more information, visit craryartgallery.org
