University Communications and Marketing

Fables a central theme of 'Orangery' exhibit at MSUB's Northcutt Steele Gallery

Artist talk and exhibition reception Feb. 8 from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Contacts:

University Communications and Marketing, 657-2266

MSU BILLINGS NEWS SERVICES — The Northcutt Steele Gallery at Montana State University Billings features the artwork of current faculty member Randi O’Brien in her exhibition Orangery on display through Feb. 8, 2018.

O’Brien will discuss her work at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8 in LI148, the lecture hall next to the gallery. A catered reception for the artist will precede and follow the talk. The exhibition, talk, and reception are free and open to the public.

Orangery offers a collection of functional pottery, figurative ceramic sculptures, and a clay-animation digital video exploring O'Brien's ongoing interest in fables.

According to the artist: "The narrative intention of a fable is the moral fiber of my work. I cherish the cycles of yearning and atonement which reveal a character’s personal discovery. It is within this cycle that an audience can see a character’s ability to navigate her internal struggles. Orangery is about cultivating essentia; gardening, harvesting, and protecting the essence of oneself."

Randi O’Brien is a ceramic artist, historian, writer, and educator from the Rocky Mountains. O’Brien’s work is a reflection of her upbringing in Colorado and current life in Montana.  She received a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics and Master of Arts in Art History from the University of Montana and is currently Assistant Professor of Ceramics at MSUB.

O’Brien exhibits across the United States and globally; selected locations include: Kilkenny, Ireland; Valparaiso, Chile; Alberta, Canada; New York, Florida, Mississippi, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, and Oregon. She has curated numerous exhibitions and has presented her research on ceramics for the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, and the 2010 and 2011 National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference, and Ceramics Ireland’s International Ceramic Festival. Her research has been published in Ceramics Monthly and Ceramics Art and Perception: TECHNICAL, and Ceramics Ireland.

The Northcutt Steele Gallery is located on the first floor of the Liberal Arts building on the Montana State University Billings campus. The gallery is open Monday–Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. For more information visit www.msubillings.edu/gallery or www.facebook.com/northcuttsteelegallery.

For media inquiries and more images contact Leanne Gilbertson, Director of Northcutt Steele Gallery, leanne.gilbertson@msubillings.edu; (406) 657-2903.