CDFAC Gallery displays first exhibit of year
The Christel DeHaan Fine Art Center Gallery recently opened its first exhibit of the school year with a display from ceramic artist Dana Chapman Tupa. “Memoirs in Clay: Reflections of Comfort” was displayed Aug. 29-Sept. 23 and featured 18 pieces of art. According to Chapman Tupa, Donna Adams, University of Indianapolis associate professor of art and design, made the arrangements to have her artwork shown at the university.
Dana Chapman Tupa displays her "Towering Seven Beaches Revisited - Earthware, Glass, & Copper." Her artwork was inspired from her diverse life experiences. Photo by Alexander Beauford.
“Donna Adams came to Jacksonville University as a visiting artist,” Chapman Tupa said. “She saw the ‘Highway Wilds’ quilt on display and inquired about the artwork. Donna believed the work would be important for everyone at UIndy to see.”
Chapman Tupa is currently associate professor of art in ceramics at Jacksonville University and is serving as chairperson for the Division of Visual Arts.
Her artwork has been displayed in numerous states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
She has never had an exhibit in the Midwest area and said she chose UIndy to display her artwork because her studio in Northwest Tennessee is close to Indianapolis.
“Since I typically exhibit in the South, I was excited to bring the work to Indianapolis,” she said. “I looked forward to touring the campus, and I have nothing but great things to say about the gallery director, curator and assistants. The experience has been a pleasure all around.”
According to Chapman Tupa, she has many sources of inspiration for her work.
“As a sculptor, I associate object with memory and my work is about recording memory and people’s experiences.”
Another inspiration for the artist is her grandmother, Joyce Clayton. She said that she and her grandmother used to go into her grandmother’s sewing room to cut up old quilts and tell stories. Looking back, Chapman Tupa said some her greatest moments were being with her grandma in the sewing room. Clayton was even the inspiration for one of the quilts, “Six Drawer Fancy.”
“When she would sew, I liked to look at antique buttons, and she would tell me stories in the sewing room,” Chapman Tupa said. “‘Six Drawer Fancy’ was a quilt to commemorate those memories. Even though I have a little electric sewing machine, I still sew on the old treadle machine she gave me.”
When designing the quilts in the “Memoirs in Clay: Reflections of Comfort” exhibit, Chapman Tupa said she did not limit herself to one method of building or style of glazing. Some of the materials she used included glass, pinch pots and coils.
“It is important to me that each piece has an identity and is slightly different than the next. That is the way it occurs in nature and that is the way I prefer to work,” she said.
Senior psychology major Lindsay Wiggs was one of the many visitors at the “Memoirs In Clay: Reflections of Comfort” exhibit. She said that her favorite piece was the “November, Rain, Southwestern Style.”
“I think the piece is really beautiful. You can definitely see the vision in the work,” Wiggs said.
The artwork ranges from $300 to $6,000, and as of The Reflector presstime, Chapman Tupa had sold one quilt—“The Highway Wilds.”
“This is the first time I have exhibited in Indianapolis, so sales would be great.”
Those interested in purchasing artwork can contact Katherine Fries at 317-788-3253.
