Krasl Art Center presents Sculpture in the Direct Method
Krasl Art Center presents
Sculpture in the Direct Method
On View: May 16 – August 9, 2026
Krasl Art Center presents Sculpture in the Direct Method, a group exhibition featuring Ajene Cetawayo Williams, Isaac Duncan III, Albert LaVergne, and Richard Hunt. On view from May 16 through August 9, 2026, the exhibition brings together two generations of artists to explore how material, form, and process shape contemporary and modern Black sculpture.
Spanning generations of artistic practice, Sculpture in the Direct Method explores how artists engage abstraction, representation, and material process as interconnected and evolving strategies. The featured artists employ a range of visual languages, from gestural and improvisational approaches to more structured and symbolic forms, reflecting the breadth of contemporary and modern Black artistic practice.
At the center of the exhibition is the direct method of metal sculpture, in which materials are cut, bent, and welded together to build form. This process allows for immediacy and revision, positioning material as an active and responsive element in the development of each work. Rather than adhering to predetermined outcomes, artists working in this way often allow form to emerge through interaction with their materials.
Within this framework, abstraction operates as a critical language. Across Black sculptural traditions, abstraction has been used to engage complex histories and lived experiences. In this exhibition, abstraction and representation move fluidly, offering multiple ways of approaching identity and cultural expression.
Sculpture in the Direct Method highlights the diversity of approaches and relationships within Black art, emphasizing how artists use material, form, and process to explore and reimagine social, cultural, and aesthetic landscapes.
Other exhibition related events:
PUBLIC PREVIEW PARTY
Friday, May 15, 2026
6 - 8 PM
ARTIST IN DIALOGUE: Isaac Duncan III and Ajene Cetawayo Williams
Saturday, May 16, 2026
12 PM
COFFEE WITH THE CURATOR
Thursday, May 21, 2026
12 - 1 PM
CLASS OFFERINGS: ART AND LABOR
Ages 13+
(5) Tuesdays, 6 - 7:30 PM
May 26 - June 23
Instructors Tami Fauver and
Meli Bandera
Based on the book Art and Labor by Ellen Boris and supplemental readings about Richard Hunt.
For more information regarding the exhibitions, visit www.krasl.org
EXHIBITION SPONSORS: Boulevard Inn & Bistro, 98.3 The Coast, Silver Beach Pizza, The John Devries Insurance Agency, Sven Erickson and Christopher Florian, and Visit Southwest Michigan
About Krasl Art Center:
Krasl Art Center provides southwest Michigan residents and visitors the opportunity to experience contemporary art exhibitions, new artist projects, and creative events, as well as art classes, camps, guest artist workshops, and community-wide programs. The center opened in 1980. Indoors, it houses galleries, art-making studios, and a gift shop. Outdoors it celebrates public art through sculpture placements on its campus and throughout the community. Krasl Art Center's mission is to inspire meaningful change and strengthen community through the visual arts. To learn more, visit krasl.org.
