Throughout a four-year period, artist Arden Cone crafted both sculptural and painted works to create her “Past is Prologue” collection.
The collection, consisting of Cone’s “Creosote Tears” sculpture series and her “Congressional Immunity” paintings, will be on display at Greenville Center for Creative Arts beginning Dec. 6.
Exploring her sculptural side
For Cone’s “Creosote Tears” works, she looked at the trauma of time by manipulating worn-out objects like tractor tires salvaged from her family’s farm.
“What I would do is take into account the materiality from which I was working and having that become part of the piece itself,” said Cone. “Some of the sculptural ones are more abstracted but at the same time they are actual objects.”
“Congressional Immunity” by Arden Cone. Photo provided by Arden ConeFinding inspiration in American history
For Cone’s paintings, she looked into documentary photography and found the trauma in American history.
“The first paintings I started have to do with a particular photograph of the aftermath of January 6th.” Cone said. “It shows a view out of one of the infiltration points where the rioters entered The Capitol (and) the view out looks onto the Supreme Court building. Flanking the sides of the window frame are these two bronze doors. I started looking into those doors and they had a lot of history. They depict the life of Christopher Columbus.”
“Trinket Dish (Jan. 7)” by Arden Cone. Photo provided by Arden Cone.By combining her “Congressional Immunity” series with her sculptures, Cone has created a collection that she hopes will allow viewers to look at the past in a nuanced light.
“The record of time and the historical record and how we remember that,” said Cone. “One of the pieces in the exhibition is made out of a tractor tire that has this worn, thin tube. The paintings are sort of similarly about the trauma accrued over time and they look at more from a political perspective on how the past is related to the now.”
“Past is Prologue” will run from Dec. 6 to Jan. 29, 2025, at the Greenville Center for Creative Arts. The museum will also host an opening reception Dec. 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. and an ArtTalk with Cone Jan. 14, 2025, from 6 to 7 p.m.
For more information, visit artcentergreenville.org.
Arden Cone accomplishments
Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center’s 2024 Active Archive Residency
Completed residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Pike School of Art, and Chautauqua Institute School of Fine Arts.
