‘Consorts’

Beautiful, homely, idiosyncratic and provocative. Those superlatives are among the many being used to describe a new exhibition at UC Santa Barbara by locally based artist Dane Goodman.

Featuring 192 works that all together span Goodman’s 40-year career, “Consorts” is open now through October 13 at the College of Creative Studies Gallery. An opening reception will be held Saturday, September 15, from 3-5 p.m. in the gallery. It is free and open to the public.

“Dane is a prominent and beloved figure in the Santa Barbara art scene,” said Dan Connally, CCS Gallery director and a lecturer in art at the college. “He has sustained a long and vibrant creative life against difficult odds and in the face of obstacles that almost all artists confront, and that achievement alone should recommend his work to undergrads.”

Presenting a rich sampling of his ongoing engagement with “low” imagery and “high” concepts, the show reflects both Goodman’s visual vernacular and the specialized discourse of contemporary art, according to Connally.

“For much of his career as an artist and curator he has explored the intersection of ‘high art’ ideas and ‘low art’ practices, a fascination part and parcel with his midwestern roots,” said Connally. “With an eye to formalism and a love of folk art, he makes work that is handsome, witty and often poignant.”

Providing an examination of cultural expectations, the breadth of work included in “Consorts” “offers surprises and satisfactions to anyone interested in ambitious art and joyful craft,” Connally noted, adding that the exhibition “eschews irony for something riskier and more compelling — something like recognition and delight.”

In addition to serving as a creative laboratory for both students and faculty, the CCS Gallery presents the work of professional artists at least twice each year. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, and weekends by appointment.