Ross Hilgers will debut 21 new pieces of art at in his upcoming exhibition, "Transcendental Orbit: The Uncharted Travels of a Heart Shaped Object." The collection is all hand-built sculptural forms made of clay and wood.
Work on the show started a year and a half ago. Hilgers said the main challenges were the sheer number of pieces and the emotional and intellectual obstacles the theme created for him.
As an art professor, he has been teaching ceramics classes at Concordia since 1998 as well as 2-D foundations. His experience as a sculptor informs his teaching because of his close ties to clay as a medium.
“One thing that has remained constant is clay or the ceramic material. The versatility of clay is what gives me confidence that I can speak through the visual art object,” he said. “It's incredibly challenging but when it works, it's magical.”
Hilgers frequently exhibits his work in the Fargo-Moorhead area, often working with the Rourke Art Museum and the Plains Art Museum. He said this upcoming show is slightly different from his others because all the pieces were built around a single theme. He hasn’t developed a theme like that for many years.
"Transcendental Orbit" explores the space that exists between what we perceive as real and what we perceive as unreal.
“This searched me out. It came for me. I didn’t really want to make this work, but it became obvious at a certain point that the work had to be made,” Hilgers said. “Eventually I gave myself over to the process, realizing that it was the only thing I could do to give some clarity to this idea which was riddled with uncertainty.”
He shared that his work is influenced by a mix of contemporary and 20th-century sculptors who focus on a strong connection to the materials they use.
Hilgers is looking forward to sharing his art with people, with the potential for communication and the opportunity to connect with someone through a visual medium.
“After the work is finished, I give it to the audience. What they take from it has a lot to do with what they give to it,” he said.
The exhibition will be open starting Nov. 29 and will close Jan. 19. The Rourke is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.