In Between: Contemporary Artists Working in Two and Three Dimensions Featuring Dennis Lee Mitchell

February 28, 2024 – January 25, 2025
at Racine Art Museum

Dennis Lee Mitchell
Westwater, 2023
Smoke on paper
Courtesy of Dennis Lee Mitchell and Zolla / Lieberman Gallery
Photography: Studio Image, Courtesy of the Artist

Possibly for ease of categorizing, artists tend to be classified by the materials they primarily use or the types of work most often created—a ceramic sculptor, a jeweler, a painter. Yet, it is not uncommon for artists to shift between media within their creative process—some may favor certain materials but flex between two- and three-dimensional work, while others may create drawings as sketches for objects or as stand-alone works. There are no strict rules that govern the extent or articulation of these changes in working methods.

In Between showcases artists via multiple works made of different materials and/or pieces that reflect a fluency between two and three dimensions, including wearables. Rooted in RAM’s collection, the exhibition specifically highlights the work of Dennis Lee Mitchell, a Virginia-based artist who once favored clay, but for some time has been creating large-scale “smoke drawings” with an acetylene torch.

Further examples include Barbara Brandel, who constructed hand-woven tapestry wall works and wearable garments; Dale Chihuly, who created large-scale drawings and prints with shapes and colors that echo and extend the context of his sculptural glass work; Carol Eckert, who creates drawings that plot out the thread colors used to craft her fiber works; and Russell T. Gordon, who is known for paintings and prints, but also constructed ceramic wall pieces.

More About the Exhibition

Gallery Guide (PDF)

Press Room

Artists in the Exhibition

Dan Adams, Renie Breskin Adams, Garry Knox Bennett, Jamie Bennett, Frank Boyden, Barbara Brandel, Dale Chihuly, Tom Coleman, Ramón Puig Cuyàs, Randall Darwall, Richard DeVore, Eddie Dominguez, Robert Ebendorf, Carol Eckert, Elsa Freund, Terri Gelenian-Wood, Russell T. Gordon, Walter Samuel Haatoum Hamady, Margaret Ponce Israel, Diane Itter, Michael John Jerry, Janice Lowry, Maggie Maggio, Karen Thuesen Massaro, John McQueen, Dennis Lee Mitchell, Matt Nolen, Masako Onodera, Kevin Blythe Sampson, Jane Sauer, Joyce Scott, Barbara Lee Smith, Christina Y. Smith, Toshiko Takaezu, James L. Tanner, Cynthia Toops, Peter Voulkos, and Ann Wolff