GRAND HALL MURAL PROJECT UNVEILING: CARRIE GILLEN
October 4, 2024, 5-8pm

Join the Foundry Art Centre for the unveiling of the fourth annual Grand Hall Mural Project, featuring Joyful Distortions, a three-part mural by St. Louis artist Carrie Gillen.

An output of color and form confined within folds of fabric and layers of sheetrock, Gillen’s abstract compositions draw from diverse sources, creating worlds where anything is possible. Each piece is a section of a larger story – the capturing of motion and energy into a single, solidified moment, evoking a sensory experience of familiar materials presented in innovative contexts.

The Grand Hall Mural Project, begun in 2021, is an exhibition program featuring original, commissioned work by professional artists installed in the Foundry Art Centre’s Grand Hall. As with all of the Foundry’s arts and exhibitions programs, the project places a special emphasis on the extraordinary talent of our region’s artists.

Carrie Gillen is a St. Louis-based painter and sculptor. She received her B.A. from Loyola University in New Orleans, and her MFA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Her current body of work focuses on materiality, abstraction, and nuanced color relationships. She uses fabric and other materials to create dynamic wall sculptures. These novel substrates amplify tension in the form and further abstract the painted compositions within.

Gillen exhibits her work locally and nationally, including recent solo exhibitions in New York City, NY, and Milwaukee, WI. She is the recipient of the Jose Jimenez Public Art Award and the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis Artist Support Grant. She is currently a studio member at Intersect STL a non-profit studio, gallery, and classroom supporting the south side neighborhoods of St. Louis.

Please join the Foundry for the unveiling of Joyous Distortions on Friday, October 4th, from 5-8pm. Live music by West End Junction, art activities, and more will be available throughout the evening as part of the Foundry’s First Friday programming. For more information, please visit foundryartcentre.org or email Jessica Mannisi, director of exhibitions, at jmannisi@foundryartcentre.org.

About the Foundry Art Centre
As a vibrant home to the arts, the Foundry Art Centre raises awareness and appreciation of the arts throughout the region. Alive with activity, the Centre’s programming reinforces the importance of the arts and helps ensure that arts and culture remain vital. Artists, patrons, young people and the community at large continually find new ways to interact at this unique facility.