WASHINGTON, PA (Sept. 19, 2016) - Regular guys are not often memorialized for their contributions to history, but Doug McGlumphy’s new art installation seeks to change that.
McGlumphy’s exhibition, “Regular Guy Monuments,” opens Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. with a reception and artist talk in Olin Fine Art Gallery. The show runs through Oct. 23.
This is an exhibit 10 years in the making. McGlumphy, an art instructor at Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) and the director of Olin Fine Art Gallery, found inspiration for the show’s towering monoliths during a family vacation to Washington, D.C. in 2006.
“We were visiting the many monuments and it occurred to me that all these structures to our famous heroes, presidents, and politicians were really created on the backs of hard-working, ordinary citizens,” he said. “The workmanship and the craftsmanship of those laborers and our current workers still is viable and is in need of being honored.”
McGlumphy’s work has always been architecturally influenced, and this show is no different. Repurposed and salvaged building material, such as windows, barn siding, and stone from McGlumphy’s family farm and the surrounding area make up the pieces in “Regular Guy Monuments.”
The art is a way of preserving architecture; in this case, that of McGlumphy’s rural life. He and his wife purchased the neglected farm in Stone Creek, Ohio in the 1990s. Then they embarked on a restoration process that included moving a nearly 200-year-old cabin to the property, and opening Hisrich Hills House bed and breakfast there.
McGlumphy’s artwork stands as a monument to the current disenfranchised mood of the American worker, and highlights their contributions to important, but often overlooked, ways of life.
“This is a way of honoring those regular, working-class folks with monuments made from materials from their houses, and their structures,” he said.
**All Olin Fine Art Gallery events and exhibitions are free and open to the public. The Gallery is open seven days a week from noon to 7 p.m. during exhibitions, and is closed during college breaks. The Gallery is in Olin Fine Arts Center at 285 East Wheeling Street, Washington, Pa. 15301.
About the Artist
Doug McGlumphy received his BA from Washington & Jefferson College, Washington, Pa. and his MFA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pa. He currently owns and operates Hisrich Hills House B&B and ArtFarm, Stone Creek, Ohio. McGlumphy also is an Art Instructor and Director of the Olin Art Gallery on the campus of W&J College.
About Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work. For more information about W&J, visit washjeff.dev, or call 888-W-AND-JAY.
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