Jeff Morin - Truth, White Noise, and The Vote
A man with significant arts community influence presents works of concern for his nation’s future
On Friday, November 15th, 5-9pm a show of political art will debut for the public at Grove Gallery in Walker’s Point. Consisting of three series of monoprints (one-of-a-kind single-edition prints), these painterly compositions ask timely dark questions of truth and democracy. Morin mixes visual elements such as the human figure, words, and patterns to draw attention to the concept of truth and its growing irrelevance in political and social discourse.
Within the past six years, Morin’s monoprints have developed tattoo-inspired designs and the presence of the phrases he has noticed as becoming more prevalent in conversations. These words often gain or change in context as they become central to larger community dialogues. Each piece in the show responds to a larger democratic concern such as the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade or the January 6th Insurrection in Washington D.C.
Because his work will be on display in the days after the election Morin knows viewers will feel confronted by a whole gallery of repeating figures and a multitude of popular expressions. He suggests “Let the words sink in and think about your relationship to them. How negotiable is truth, how important is your vote, and how influential is white noise?”
Jeff Morin is a writer, artist and educator. Originally from Madawaska, Maine, Morin’s BFA degree is from Tyler School of Art at Temple University. His MA and MFA degrees are from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Morin has remained active as an artist throughout his career in higher education, exhibiting since 1983 with works in roughly 140 public collections from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to The Smithsonian and Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and the Jack Ginsberg Artists’ Book Collection in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has also been an active graphic designer with clients ranging from the University of Georgia to the U.S. Women’s Rowing Team. His career outside of higher education started with the St. John Valley Times (Maine), Ardsley Advertising (New York) and the National Geographic Society (Washington, D.C.). He is active in the Milwaukee community through the Greater Milwaukee Committee and nationally through the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design as a Board of Directors member and treasurer. Morin currently serves as the president of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.
OPENING NIGHT: Friday, November 15, 2024, 5-9 PM
CLOSING: Saturday, December 28, 2024, 12-4 PM
OPEN HOURS: Saturdays, 12-4 PM
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