The Harriet Sanderson Art Exhibit: Limbus

I found out about this exhibition through the spokanearts.org website. I scrolled through the different dates and galleries and found one that was at a convenient time and place and captured my interest. At the Jundt Art museum in Gonzaga University, Harriet Sanderson's exhibit titled Limbus was being shown. Harriet Sanderson was born in Lebanon, IN and currently lives in Seattle, WA. In 1973 she attended Purdue University in Lafayette, IN and got a BS in entomology. Fifteen years later, in 1988, she attended the University of Washington and got a BFA in printmaking and turned that into a MFA in printmaking in 1990. When she was three years old she was diagnosed with polio and she is no longer able to use her right arm. Still, she plugged ahead and even came up with a physically easier printmaking process for her master thesis.

Much of her art uses disability linked items like canes and hospital beds. Many of her works are put together in such a way that each item supports another, i.e. the cane supports the chair leg while at the same time, the chair holds the cane. In the pamphlet that was given out at the exhibit it says that "arranging and rearranging furniture in a sort of Zen-like rock balancing exercise" helps to confront her disability. Because of the nature of the materials used in her art pieces they are not permanent. Often, the materials, like a cane or pillow, will settle into a more comfortable position. Also, since many of her materials are basic and are possibly hospital issued, the items are bland in color, browns, grays, light blues, and blacks. There are no pops of color like red and purple, but very subdued hues.