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Sherri Cornett
Stories, Events, Exhibitions and a Panel
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www.sherricornett.com
The books I have read, the scents I have smelled, the adventures I have taken, and the people with whom I have gathered, collectively, influence who I am and are bound together in my memories. These histories and stories are lodged in my body – muscle memory, cellular memory, generational memory – and in my numerous journals, photo albums, and letters. I have become the librarian for, the keeper of, my family archives, a wealth of material documenting ancestral lives back to the 1800s. Too infrequently, I get lost in reading and imagining the stories between the lines of a short letter, the inscription on the back of a photo. My mind thrives on stories. I often create vignettes/scenarios about travelers passing me in the airport or on the street. This summer gave me a more constructive outlet for such imagining. I had the immense pleasure of interviewing artists with studios at Arc Gallery in San Francisco, learning about their personal histories, narratives and their motivations and then condensing those dialogues into articles for the gallery newsletter (Joshua Coffey article, J.L. King article, Denise Tarantino article, and Amy Ahlstrom article). And, there are the conversational circles I facilitate, such as Conversations Among Women which were part of my Ancestresses & Wise Women series - times for sharing our stories, our experiences, the lessons we have learned, memories of our hardships and triumphs. These moments create their own histories, allow us to discover commonalities, our differences,  deepen our compassion and strengthen our communities. They feed my soul and my hope.
Events:
Green Drinks and Studio Open House
Wednesday, September 27, 2017, 5-7 p.m.
Free and Open to the Public

Green Drinks is a monthly, informal gathering of environmentally-minded locals hosted by Northern Plains Resource Council and, this month, my Sherri Cornett Art Studio and High Plains Architects, in our building at 2720 Minnesota Avenue, Billings. Join us for good drinks and conversation with great people! Invite your family and friends! And have a look at the sales on some of my work - new sculptures are in process and I need room in my studio!
Upcoming Exhibitions:.
“A Series of Fragments of Moments” 
Arc Gallery San Francisco
OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, November 11th, 7-9PM
EXHIBITION DATES:  November 11 - December 9, 2017
 
Curated by my partner at Gutfreund Cornett Art Karen Gutfreund, this exhibition includes the first of my "What [(Is It) About My] Memory" installation elements along with works by Shannon Amidon, Sally Edelstein, Karen Gutfreund, Penny McElroy, Michelle Nye, Priscilla Otani, Sibylle Peretti  and  David Weinberg. A Series of Fragments of Moments offers a provocative exploration into the fragility of memory and explores ideas about passing time, narration, marking history and perception.

What [(Is It) About My] Memory? What about my memory? What memory?
 
While my mother was being diagnosed with frontal-temporal dementia and she was losing her own stories, my innate curiosity about memories, how the brain stores them and loses them, escalated. The neurologists and memory specialists fed me with new terminology, theories, suggestions for activities that preserve brain function, images and . . . more questions.   How do we influence each other’s memories?  How does telling our stories alter our memories? What is shared, collective, societal memory?   I decided to use my personal history as my laboratory, as the creative resource for work about memory.  And, then, develop ways to weave in other people’s memories and ways to explore those memory preservation activities with others.  The beginning manifestations of all of this are the soma or neural cell body wall sculptures that are symbolic of particular groupings of memories in my own life. Wire dendrites and axons radiate out and hold tags upon which are written individual memories – my own, ones I have gathered from family and friends and, with the exhibition, those added by visitors.  This project will continue to grow, with larger installations and more somas and more memory cards, in future venues.
Beyond Borders: Stories of im/Migration
Curated by Gutfreund Cornett Art
Santa Clara University
January 8, 2018 to April 7, 2018
Online Gallery
Info Page
 

Migrations of humanity, whether instigated by war, conflict, persecution, poverty or climate change, transport peoples from the known, their homes, families and communities, to the unknown. Beyond Borders: Stories of im/Migration explores the personal and observed narratives surrounding the struggles of flight, the immigration process, asylum, assimilation, deportation, threats of violence and the perception of being “other” within the American culture. Despite the complex assortment of legal, social, emotional and physical challenges, increasing numbers still trade these risks for the chance of safer, better lives for themselves and their families. Beyond Borders acknowledges the dignity, dreams and sacrifices of these people and reflects on where we are going, individually and as community.

Gutfreund Cornett Art believes art can transcend language barriers, strengthen understanding, stimulate greater compassion between displaced people and the communities that receive them, move us to action and advocacy and create visions for a new, more inclusive society.

​Throughout this exhibition, Santa Clara University will host interactive events aligned with campus-wide initiatives and programs aimed at engaging local communities.

Our International Community of Participating Artists: 
Tessie Barrera-Scharaga, Carlos Cartagena, Rolando Chicas, Kathryn Clark,  Judy Gelles, Aram Han -Sifuentes, Taraneh Hemami, Diane Kahlo, Sana Krusoe, Erin McKeown/Stephen Brackett/Shawn King, Delilah Montoya Julio Cesar Morales, Gala Narezo/Shamina de Gonzaga/Chantal Fischzang, Priscilla Otani, Judith Quax, Zahava Sherez,  Yu-Wen Wu, Doerte Weber, and  Shannon Wright

Panel: 
Open Doors: Alternative Models for Engaging Communities
Montana Art Gallery Director's Association Annual Meeting
October 12, 2017
Panelists:
Sherri Cornett, Curator, Artist and Partner,
Gutfreund Cornett Art, Billings
Becky Garland, President, Board of Directors,
Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild, Lincoln
Dede Taylor, Founding Partner, Mountain Time Arts, Bozeman

I will be discussing the community engaging strategies, programs, success and lessons learned from Flow, which I directed at MSUBillings, January 28 - March 18, 2016. The exhibition of art and installations set the framework and jumping off point for community conversations and events around water issues, rights and usage during multiple events.  Viewers, participants, artists, river users, students from K-12 and both colleges, environmental non-profits, and civic leaders were encouraged to think outside their own understanding and establish a more comprehensive and informed perspective about how water affects our lives and livelihoods. 
"Flowing Streams" from my Grottoes series, purchased by and installed in the home of Bev and Sig Ross.
steel, fabric, wire, electrical cord, video screen, ribbon, 55 x 27 x 15 inches,, 2010
Awarded Best of Show, WCA San Diego Transformation Exhibition, March 1-April 30, 2011
Copyright © 2017 SHERRI CORNETT ART INC,  All rights reserved. 
Mailing address:
3222 LeeAnn Boulevard, Billings, MT 59102

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Sherri Cornett Art · 3222 LeeAnn Blvd · Billings, Mt 59102 · USA

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