Capital City Arts Initiative 'Callosum' Exhibition at CCAI Courthouse Gallery

The Capital City Arts Initiative presents its exhibition, "Callosum", by LB Buchan at the CCAI Courthouse Gallery.

The exhibition will be in the gallery from July 9 – October 21, 2021. The Courthouse is located at 885 E Musser Street, Carson City.

The gallery is open Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm. CCAI will host a reception for the artist on Friday, July 9, 5 - 6:30pm; artist introduction 5:30pm.

LB describes the work:

“Many of my show and sculpture titles are often derived from scientific names of the things I'm currently exploring. 'Callosum' comes from corpus callosum, which is a large nerve tract connecting the right and left hemispheres of the brain, and allows communication between the two hemispheres.

"In Latin, it means ‘tough body’. To give you some context/background, this body of work based on anatomy is specifically about the manifestation of post-traumatic stress in the body. The same things seem to appear over and over- primarily lungs, diaphragm, and abdominal anatomy.

"This isn't consciously intentional - it is just how I work, whatever comes out is what comes out, but breath and breathing do seem to be a central focal point. Most of the pieces have a strong botanical or sea life flair to them, especially some of the larger ones I'm working on.

"I love anatomy of all kinds: plant, insect, mammal, and human alike. My work explores what can come of uniting various anatomical structures from different sources to create new pieces. The works are not meant to emulate one specific thing, but are often amalgams that can be interpreted multiple ways.

"The pieces evoke many different feelings. Some are serene, some playful, and others ominous, depending on how the individual forms interact to create a whole being. I enjoy creating pieces that walk the line between fantastic and realistic, causing the viewer to question not only what they are viewing, but also whether or not it might be real.

"I am interested in both preservation and the process of decay, so I am fascinated with taxidermy, biological specimens, skeletal forms, seed pods, as well as withered plant life. I use a careful combination of these to inform my work.”

LB shared, “I grew up outside Bozeman, MT, where the farms, ranches, wildlife and hunting culture sparked a deep interest in animals, food sources, and anatomy. The topic of my work developed out of the grief I experienced after losing my brother.

"I was always incredibly frustrated at the silence that formed when the topic of my brother came up, and how our society stigmatizes trauma and grief. Early on I noticed how avoidant people are in the face of difficult topics, and how closely related it is with people’s reactions to death and trauma they come into contact with elsewhere – including experiences in the natural world.

"My brother Mark was profoundly deaf, and we grew up speaking in American Sign Language. After he died, my world, which had been so vibrant with movement and visual language, became very still. It is no accident that I have pursued a path creating a visual language with my hands.”

LB completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2007 from Western Oregon University studying Sculpture and Printmaking. Now in Vancouver, Washington, they have since focused on making sculpture with wood investigating forms found in nature.

Chris Lanier, professor of digital art at Sierra Nevada University, wrote the exhibition essay for "Callosum" which CCAI will publish as a gallery handout and archive online.

Working in digital animation, web production, and comics, Lanier enjoys producing hybrid forms.

His animations have screened at Sundance, and he won the Grand Prize for Internet Animation at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. His art criticism essays have appeared in numerous online and print publications, including The Believer, Comics Journal, HiLobrow, Furtherfield, Rhizome, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Carlos Ramirez, a Western Nevada College Latino Leadership Academy student, provided a Spanish language translation of the show’s wall text.

CCAI is an artist-centered not-for-profit organization committed to community engagement in contemporary visual arts through exhibitions, illustrated talks, arts education programs, artist residencies, and online activities.

The Initiative is funded by the John and Grace Nauman Foundation, Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities, Kaplan Family Charitable Fund, U.S. Bank Foundation, Southwest Gas Corporation Foundation, Steele & Associates LLC, and CCAI sponsors and members.

The Governor’s Office of Economic Development provided additional support through its Nevada Pandemic Emergency Technical Support Grant for 2021.

For additional information, please visit CCAI’s website at www.ccainv.org.