The latest work by Amy Archambault ’08, studio supervisor and lecturer in the visual arts department at the College of the Holy Cross, will be on display now through April 3, 2014, at 17 Cox in Beverly, Mass.
Archambault's site specific installation is part obstacle course, part habitrail and part modular home. As both a lacrosse coach and a studio supervisor, Archambault is interested in combining the human drive for athleticism and artistic expression and her installations encourage others to do the same. The installation, titled “Live-work,” turns 17 Cox into an arena for both spectatorship and participation. Visitors can choose to either observe her bright, colorful constructions as sculpture or take off their shoes and participate in the various obstacles. Multiple pathways through the gallery are designed for different levels of engagement and Archambault includes demonstration videos of her performances. Visitors are encouraged to “work out” in the gallery during the exhibition, and can even submit their scores in a time trial during the March 6 reception. This installation at 17 Cox is funded in part by the 2013 Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowship Grant in Sculpture/Installation.
“‘Live-work,’ is largely inspired by fitness culture and its interaction with the physical properties of structural design. It invites the viewer to become both a spectator and a participant. I am interested in the way that a space, inclusive of its constructed interior, has the ability to direct one's mobility within,” says Archambault. “The imprint for movement is in place. ‘Live-work’ is the first installation of its kind that encourages participation. That being said, the work has generated tremendous feedback and internal response about process, construction and relationship to our fitness hungry culture.”
Archambault received her M.F.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011 and B.A. in studio art and psychology from Holy Cross in 2008. She was recently featured in a group exhibition of alumnae artist in the Cantor Art Gallery at Holy Cross and had a solo exhibition at the Mill Gallery in Hartford, Conn. In 2011, she was awarded the Christopher Leland Lyon Memorial Scholarship from the University of Pennsylvania, and most recently, was featured in Pulse Magazine for its "Up & Coming Local Artists" feature in Central Massachusetts (April 2012).
At the College she is currently teaching a mixed media painting class and is co-director and head coach for the Nor'easter Lacrosse Club in Connecticut. Archambault lives and works in North Chelmsford, Mass.
Founded in 2010, 17 Cox presents experimental and underrepresented visual ideas through its gallery, library and residence.
Related Information
- 17 Cox studio
- The Beverly Citizen, Feb. 4: 'Live-work' on display at 17 Cox
