In an exhibit titled “It’s Not What It Is,” one might expect a little confusion. For Grinnell artist Joe Tuggle Lacina, that’s exactly the point.
Tuggle Lacina debuted his exhibition at the Stewart Gallery in the Grinnell Arts Center on September 7. The Arts Center held an opening reception for Tuggle Lacina’s exhibition, which he attended with his wife, son and parents.
The exhibition includes 28 unique works, nearly all of them mixed media. On the left gallery wall, Tuggle Lacina’s three large paintings — “Vitality Damage,” “Mixing Up the Perfect Purple” and “Turtles” — align neatly. A large collage of work scatters the right wall, and in the middle of the gallery sits a human-sized sculpture, splattered with bright paint. “It’s sort of like two shows happening at once,” said Tuggle Lacina.
Five different works in the…
