Penned curated by Cynthia Connolly and Bill Thelen, Andrew Jeffery Wright & Wendy Yao

Penned is an exhibition of pen and/or marker drawings including photographs of the pens used to make them. The over one hundred drawings in this exhibition cover a broad range of pens from the generic ball point to the traditional rapid-o-graph and feather quill to the modern array of jell and artists’ pens.

This exhibition will travel to Ellipse Arts Center, Arlington, VA and was shown at Artscape in Baltimore, MD, July 2008.

Selection Committee, Cynthia Connolly, artist, photographer, Director, Ellipse Arts Center, Arlington, VA; Bill Thelen, artist, Director, Lump Gallery/Projects, Raleigh, NC; Andrew Jeffrey Wright, artist, co-founder, Space 1026, Philadelphia, PA; Wendy Yao, Owner/Director, Ooga Booga, Los Angeles, CA; Staff Members, Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, Baltimore, MD

In the project room: Eilmer a new work by David Colgiovanni.

In 1010 Eilmer the young Benedictine monk inspired by Abbas Ibn Firnas’ early manifesto climbed to the top of the Malmesbury Abbey with a set of handmade wings fashioned to resemble those of a jackdaw and jumped into the uplifting southwest wind becoming the first human to achieve a heavier-than-air human flight of about 200 yards. This unfortunately resulted in him crashing into a marsh and breaking both his legs. Eilmer was set to attempt the flight again with a newly made tail but due to his new popularity was later forbidden by his abbot to attempt the feat again fearing that he would take attention away from the church.

The work ‘A short manifesto for those who are unaware that it is possible to sail through the element of air. (Eilmer)’ a projected animation by David Colagiovanni places Eilmer in eternal flight upon the gallery walls away from the dangers of the abbot and far above the marshy meadows.

David Colagiovanni currently teaches New Media at Ohio University. He was awarded his MFA at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2005 and received his Bachelor’s of studio art from the University of Maine-Orono in 2002. His work has been exhibited nationally. He is a recipient of the United Arts Council Artist’s Grant (2007), the Figurative Sculpture Award (2004) from the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill and the Elizabeth Graves Foundation for the studio arts (2000). His recent exhibitions have included spaces such as Colby Sawyer University(New Hampshire), Branch Gallery(Durham) and Trisolini Gallery(Ohio).

Lump is located at 505 S. Blount St, Raleigh, NC. More information about our mission and exhibition programs can be found at lumpprojects.org.