BRATTLEBORO \u2014 In his detailed sculptures, ceramics and drawings currently on view at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) \u2013 including a six-foot-tall roasted chicken \u2013 artist Jude Griebel explores the relationships between humans and the animals we consume.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, April 11, at 5:30 p.m., Griebel and BMAC Director of Exhibitions Sarah Freeman will discuss Griebel\u2019s work and his BMAC exhibition, \u201cElegy for the Consumed.\u201d Admission is free. Advance registration is recommended, but walk-ins are welcome. Register at brattleboromuseum.org<\/a> or call 802-257-0124 x101.<\/p>\n Griebel grew up on a farm in western Canada and today divides his time between New York City and Calgary, Alberta. In his artwork, Griebel blends uncanny humor with pathos, drawing on anthropomorphism and decorative arts traditions in an attempt to reconcile our emotional connections to animals with systems of consumption, according to BMAC. His figures, grotesque yet empathetic, challenge viewers to consider the lives and agency of the creatures we often reduce to ingredients.<\/p>\n Griebel\u2019s BMAC exhibition includes works from his \u201cRevenants\u201d series, in which commonly consumed species appear animated and self-possessed, stepping away from the table and demanding recognition. Porcelain sculptures Griebel created during a residency at Kohler Co. reference European dinnerware traditions while highlighting the realities of industrial farming and consumption.<\/p>\n \u201cThe works in \u2018Elegy for the Consumed\u2019 generate myriad questions surrounding lives that often remain hidden from us even as they impact us on an individual, daily basis,\u201d Griebel said in a statement. \u201cWhile the work does not condemn meat eating, it imagines a system that prioritizes transparency, dignity, and reverence regarding the species that sustain us.\u201d<\/p>\n Griebel\u2019s work has been supported by residencies at Pioneer Works, the International Studio & Curatorial Program, and Yaddo. He has received major grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Canada Council for the Arts, Calgary Arts Development, and the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation.<\/span><\/p>\n