The gallery opening of AU alumna Morgan Binkerd of the Class of 2020 will take place next Friday, February 13 from 5 p.m. at Wilson Gallery. Binkerd, who graduated with a degree in English, a minor in writing, and a cognate in visual storytelling, is now a painter and a blog writer with a studio at the Harrison Center in downtown Indianapolis. Her collection, titled “Vessel”, features the majority of her work over the past two to three years.
“‘Vessel’ as a title encompasses the way that each painting has a very specific palpable energy to it,” Binkerd said, “They each contain an essence, feeling or exploration that felt very specific to my internal world at the time.”
Her paintings are earthy-themed, with the textures and dark colors simulating nature and the life and death cycles that are found within it. Her methodology and intentions also resemble an affinity and curiosity for the world of paint; she builds layers of paint on her paintings over time, repeating a cycle of creation and destruction, as she collects discarded or unused art materials even from other painters. She notes how her collection showcases the significant transition in her work, from working with references of landscapes and objects found in nature to using her own imagination as a reference. Another point of significance laid within her paintings is her journey with a major injury that threatened her ability to paint in the past year and a half.
Most adults in this age relate to the question, “What are you going to do with that?”, especially those whose dreams are artistically inclined or unconventional from careers that are considered “practical” in society. Binkerd remembers how the instinctual choices she made at AU contributed to where she is now and is grateful that this question did not deter her from following her passion, which had eventually continued her pursuit of painting beyond college.
“I have attended residencies every summer since 2021,” she said, “ I wouldn’t be the artist I am today without these places that nurture and challenge artists.”
With the cold climate in the world today that seeks to cripple the liberal arts, she notes a growing interest in paintings as seen by the art professors here at AU. She hopes that students are finding their own way to still explore interests and cultivate their own passions in the midst of the artistic drought. Supporting the arts is supporting healthy, functioning communities and bringing thought and vibrancy to life, so go and support Morgan Binkerd by checking out her gallery opening.