Penn State Altoona presents works of Kristen Letts Kovak

Monday, August 20, 2012 - 441 hits

ALTOONA — An exhibition of work by Kristen Letts Kovak will be on display in the Sheetz Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts September 6 - October 14, 2012. A reception will be held 3 - 5 p.m., Thursday, September 6, 2012, in the Titelman Study of the Center.

Kovak lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she teaches art at Carnegie Mellon and Seton Hill Universities. She received her MFA in Studio Art from the Maryland Institute College of Art and her BA from Mercyhurst College. Her work explores naturalistic representation and the links between aesthetic investigation and functional observation. Kovak has exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the east coast and mid-west. Most recently, she had solo exhibitions at the Maryland Institute College of Art and the Arts Club of Washington. Her work was also featured in a five museum tour including the Wildling Art Museum in Los Olivos, CA, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

Kovak states, “In this series, I attempt to interrupt the objects’ original meanings. I physically alter broken and abandoned materials to create new forms that are alienated from their original purpose. Instead of concentrating on their symbolic or functional histories, I focus on how my perception of the objects physically changes over a period of time. By emphasizing evolving visual and perceptual qualities, I attempt to mask and then recode the objects’ meanings. Their new function is to be observed.”

The galleries are open Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and before and during all performances. For further information, call the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts at 814-949-5452.