LITTLE ROCK — While they might have similar first names, even similar backgrounds, artists Dustyn Bork of Batesville and Dusty Mitchell of Mountain View take a different approach to their art. Bork’s work is generally abstract, focusing on color, pattern and design. Mitchell often takes everyday items to create his art, which is usually full of symbolism.
Bork, 39, and Mitchell, 37, are among the 30 artists whose works are included in the 58th annual Delta Exhibition on display at the Arkansas Arts Center. Both artists have been in previous Delta shows, which include works by artists from Arkansas and surrounding states.
This year’s show is slightly different than those of the past. Guest juror Elizabeth K. Garvey of New York City, co-founder and owner of Garvey-Simon Art Access Inc., selected, in most cases, two works by each of the artists she juried into the show after viewing more than 1,000 works by 457 artists.
In her juror’s statement, Garvey, who is from Missouri — the “Show Me State” — said she wanted the artists “to show me who they were.”
“I wanted them to show me their distinct voice,” she said. “I wanted to see the relationship of one piece to the other, if they submitted three pieces (artists may submit up to three pieces to the annual show). Most often, I selected two works by all the artists I chose.
“Relationship between works was key. My aim was to validate the artists chosen by facilitating a broader presence and context for the work in this show.”
Bork said he thinks Garvey’s idea of selecting two pieces of work by most artists for the Delta “is a good idea.”
“It’s good to focus on the artist and the overall aesthetics of the work,” he said. “It’s often difficult to sense that from just one piece. This way, the viewer is able to get a better sense of the work and the artist’s statement.”
Bork titles his works in the show Structure no. 6 and Structure no. 10. Each is an acrylic on board.
“These are recent works. They are part of a larger series titled ‘Structure,’” he said.
“These works abstractly reference architecture and the built environment,” he said. “I am interested in building up the pictorial space through layering and color. The resulting surface has a contrast between flat and spatial, solid versus atmospheric, planar and textural. I draw in the traditional sense as preparatory works, but work more spontaneous and less literal in the process of the painting.
“I am a printmaker and a painter, so I conceive the work in layers. Much in the way you need to deconstruct an image separating the layers for different colors to produce a print, I like to take the image apart with more emphasis on individual segments or sections without the need to put it back together or reassemble it.
“It’s always an honor to be included in the Delta Exhibition. This is an excellent show, … highly selective. I am pleased to be a part of it.”
Bork, who is an assistant professor of art at Lyon College in Batesville, is a printmaker and a painter. He is married to Carly Dahl, executive director of the Batesville Area Arts Council.
Bork received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1999 and a Master of Fine Arts in printmaking from Indiana University at Bloomingdale in 2002.
Bork’s work was also includedin the 53rd annual Delta Exhibition.
Bork said he and Mitchell “have become close since I moved to Arkansas. We realized we have mutual friends in Toledo, [Ohio], where I taught before and have similar Michigan/Arkansas roots,” he said. “Dusty showed at Lyon a few years ago, and we enjoy getting together to talk art, music and all things Detroit.”
Mitchell, who teaches art at Mountain View Elementary School, also expressed his thoughts on Garvey’s idea of choosing two works by most artists for this year’s Delta Exhibition.
“I am pleased she chose two pieces,” Mitchell said. “It gives a better identity of everybody’s body of work. I think it was smart of her to do that. I appreciate listening to the feedback of the juror.”
Mitchell added that Garvey gave the artists several ideas on how to promote their art.
Mitchell titled his works in the show Home Sweet Home and You’re Welcome Mat.
At first glance, Home Sweet Home looks like an embroidery sampler. But upon closer inspection, the viewer discovers that the words “Home Sweet Home” are formed by flies on flypaper.
“I caught all those flies,” Mitchell said with a smile. “The idea for the piece came from my wife, Terina, who calls me a city boy. … She grew up on a farm in Big Flat. They had cows. … Fly strips were necessary. That memory just stuck with me.”
“The Home Sweet Home piece is supposed to work two ways. At first, it appears to be a comforting, welcoming wall decoration, similar to a traditional cross-stitching. On the other hand, it is very creepy because it is made out of flies, which makes you turn away as a viewer and gives you an uncomfortable feeling.
“Personally, it speaks to my wife’s childhood, growing up on a farm, and my introduction into that environment, where it was new to me that people were comfortable in that kind of environment. I also like the feeling of ‘white trash’ that the piece gives off. I like to make work about the South and the environment I live in, and this piece for me was a breakthrough into creating a work of art that communicated that kind of cultural atmosphere while still coming across as fine art.”
Mitchell said his second piece in the show is made from a simple rubber floor mat cut into the shape of the United States.
“The You’re Welcome Mat piece works two ways as well. On one hand, ‘You’re welcome’ could be considered in the same way as a traditional welcome mat reads — as in ‘you are welcome in this place at this time,’” Mitchell said.
“On the other hand, the ‘you’re welcome’ could read as more of a response (sarcastic perhaps) to someone hypothetically saying ‘thank you,’” he said. “In other words — to all those that we help around the world — ‘you’re welcome’; so rather than an inviting context, in this context, the ‘you’re welcome’ reads as more of a boastful, condescending statement, which is probably in line with many people’s view of our country.
“One other thing I like about this piece is that it relates as a welcome mat on a personal/domestic level, but it also speaks to a larger political/international level due to the recognizable shape of the mat as the U.S. outline.”
Mitchell said he was happy to be included in this year’s Delta Exhibition.
“It’s been a while,” he said. “It felt great to get in and be involved with the exhibition. It is an important exhibition for me because the regional feeling in the Southern art scene is where I feel like I belong as an artist with my current work, so getting into the show feels like the right place for me.”
Mitchell’s art has been included in two previous Delta exhibitions — the 50th and the 51st.
Mitchell received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro in 2001 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from the University of Michigan in 2004.
Mitchell said he and Bork met in 2011 and have been friends since then.
“We have a professional connection as artists/teachers, and we discovered shortly after we met that we have many of the same friends and acquaintances in the art world as well,” Mitchell said. “We grew up about 30 miles from each other in Michigan in the ’80s and didn’t cross paths until 2011 in the Batesville/Mountain View area. We are from the same place as kids, and we now are working artists and teachers in the same place as professionals.”
The 58th annual Delta Exhibition is on display in the Jeannette Edris Rockefeller and Townsend Wolf galleries at the Arkansas Arts Center, Ninth and Commerce streets in Little Rock. There is no admission charge. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. The gallery is closed Mondays and most holidays.
For more information, call (501) 372-4000 or visit the website arkansasartscenter.org.