849 Gallery at Kentucky College of Art + Design

The 849 Gallery is a 1,400 square foot exhibition project space that functions as an extension of KyCAD’s classroom.

Open to the public year-round, the 849 Gallery invites the community to engage with a diverse array of artwork, critical approaches, and exploratory installations – and to experience first-hand what it means to be a part of KyCAD.

The 849 Gallery exposes students to formal exhibitions and an array of alternative programming. Students also have several opportunities to exhibit in the Gallery, providing hands-on experience with curatorial and installation processes. KyCAD students engage with visiting artists and lecturers, enriching and expanding the College’s academic discourse and dialogue.

Below are some examples of the many thought-provoking exhibitions we have hosted in recent years.

CHARGE!

Artist:

Brian Ulrich

Brian Ulrich’s “Charge!” explores the peculiarities and complexities of our consumer-dominated culture. Some of Ulrich’s photographs that are gathered here have also appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Time Magazine, Mother Jones, Vice, Orion, and other prominent media outlets.

CINEMA OF DISTRACTION

Artist:

Christopher Ottinger

Christopher Ottinger’s “Cinema of Distraction” examines and reinterprets our intrinsic fascination with moving pictures, from the flickering shadows on the walls of ancient caves to the ever-present video imagery that spills out of our smartphones. In this special show, Ottinger finds new applications for a number of pre-cinematic devices and techniques.

DORADO

Artist:

René Treviño

René Treviño’s “Dorado” exhibition distills his prolific output of paintings, drawings and sculptural installations. In this specific collection, Treviño effectively blends ancient imagery with pseudo-patriotic art and pop-cultural symbols to offer his own commentary on 21st century America.

FRAGMENTED NATURAL

Artist:

Amy Hoagland

Amy Hoagland’s “Fragmented Natural” is a reaction to the physical transformation of the Earth’s landscape through human activity. In creating this body of work, Hoagland was experimenting with new technologies alongside craft processes to create 30 photogrammetry scans of melting Alaskan glaciers, constructing a permanent representation of what once was.

FRAGMENTS OF A GERMAN AMERICAN MIND

Artist:

Ron Schildknecht

In “Fragments of a German-American Mind,” Ron Schildknecht combines staged interviews with insightful documentary footage from actual German-American communities. In the process he creates vivid, shifting, and subjective portraits of both a fictional filmmaker and of a real place that are designed to be projected simultaneously all over the gallery space.

FUTURE FOLLIES

Artist:

Various

For a joint public exhibition (with generous underwriting support from Louisville Metro Government) the Warwick Foundation and the Kentucky College of Art + Design bring together the fanciful rural follies of Clay Lancaster’s imagination with the urban follies of KyCAD students and friends of the institution. While none of these fabulous architectural follies physically exists in the landscape, they nonetheless have the power to spark our dreams and hopes for the future, by reimagining the potential for ourselves and our surroundings.

FUTURE IS NOW

Artist:

Various

The “Future Is Now” is a summer mentorship program that matches individual JCPS high school students with a professional artist from the community. Each team works toward creating new pieces for a final group exhibition at the 849 Gallery. This partnership of Louisville Visual Art and KyCAD was made possible by the Kentucky Arts Council and Fund for the Arts.

LUNATION:: GEMINI LOOP

Artist:

Scz (pronounced “seize”)

Scz is a DJ, activist, artist, and one half of the teaching duo known as Rhythm Science Sound. Part art installation, part sound curation, “Lunation” is a live experience that features dazzling visuals, killer dance beats, calming teas, altar-building, and tarot readings.

LYRICAL RORSCHACH HACK ATTACK

Artist:

Matthew Walsh

Matthew Walsh is a writer, typographer, and illustrator whose work involves lettering, poetry, portraiture, illustration, and history. “LYRICAL RORSCHACH HACK ATTACK” contains more than 20 of his evocative posters, each exploring “the magical gap between words, the enchantment of stories, and the transformative power of the weird.”

MERTON AMONG US: THE LIVING LEGACY OF THOMAS MERTON

Artist:

Various

“Merton Among Us” is a celebration of the resonance of Thomas Merton on the creative and spiritual communities in Louisville and beyond. It features the following 14 artists/writers working in a variety of mediums: Dianne Aprile, Steve Armstrong, Owsley Brown III, Laura Lee Brown, Nana Lampton, Vallorie Henderson, Maureen Morehead, Carlos Gamez de Francisco, Paul M. Pearson, Diane Kahlo, the Rev. Al Shands, Joe McGee, Frederick Smock, and Thomas Pfannerstill.

ON THE SUBJECT OF KENTUCKY

Artist:

Various

“On The Subject Of Kentucky” is a fine art exhibition informed by issues and ideas inherent to the Bluegrass State. Employing a wide array of materials and processes, participating artists such as Jon Cherry, Laura Hagihara, Burt Barr and Ralph Steadman address different aspects of the same subject—the history, landscape and culture of Kentucky.

REFUSE

Artist:

Meg Hartwig

“Refuse” finds Meg Hartwig working through questions related to constructs of power. Throughout the installation, she uses the art-making and exhibition process as an active and urgent attempt to create a movable fulcrum that promotes social awareness.

SOLVE ET COAGULA

Artist:

Various

The “Solve et Coagula” exhibition concerns the power imbued into art objects and the deeper meanings generated through the process of mold-making and casting. Curated by Feral Fagiola, this show features work by such notable as Ed Hamilton, Joyce Ogden, Andrew Marsh, Gwen Yen Chiu, Richard Hunt, FATIMA, and more.