Turning something ordinary into something beautiful is the meaning of EC’s show “Lead Into Gold” in the Art Gallery.

The theme, “Lead Into Gold,” images of alchemy in contemporary art, was described by art gallery director/curator Susanna Meiers.

“It is a metaphor of transformation, changing the base matter of the person, to process into something gold,” Meiers said.

Alchemy means a medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of base metals into gold.

It also means a power or process of transforming something common into something special.

Creativity will amaze patrons

The gallery is filled with metaphors of paintings, pictures and sculptures of many artists. The works of Sarah Perry will amaze the patrons who go in the gallery, with the ingenious ways she uses animal bones. Her work shows the beginning and the end of life, which is called “Darwin’s Portal.”

“She takes something we consider as dead, like the bones,” Monica Fredericks, liberal arts major, said, “and she turns it into a metamorphosis; turns it into something that’s actually beautiful.”

Fredericks said that Perry’s work is like a rebirth; going from the core of humanity like ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

“Darwin’s Portal” is made of little bones that Perry has collected; the hand is a replica of Perry’s hand.

“You can see that the hand, in a way, is the entrance of the universe,” Meiers said. “Symbolically it is a window to which we see things.”

With Fredericks’ own interpretation of the “Darwin’s Portal,” she said that Perry is trying to say something spiritual and she is trying to bring science and spirituality together.

“Maybe they aren’t so different,” Fredericks said. “By the look of it, it looks like the hand has been crucified, so maybe they aren’t so different, maybe they can come together.”

The one thing that had caught Frederick’s attention was a replica of the constellation named “Time and Again.” Fredericks said that she thought it was just a photograph, but she was wrong.

“I went over to it and I was really surprised that it was also something that Sarah Perry has done with bone dust.” Fredericks said. “So obviously, she fooled my eye again.”

Fredericks said she agrees with the theme of the show. She said that alchemy is a process that we think of with magicians when refining something or making something and discovering ourselves.

As one goes inside the gallery, it is not hard to notice an artwork which sort of looks like a dreamcatcher, but once again, Perry fools everyone.

“I actually thought it was an architectural piece that was iron,” Fredericks said. “I was really surprised to come up and see what it really was.”

Fredericks said that it looked Asian or Indian-American, but it wasn’t.

“The reason it looked architectural for me is because it looked very decorative,” Fredericks said. “Decorative types for home; it was my first thought.”

Another work that Frederick has also noticed is the work of Larry Vigon. The work that is shown in the gallery is a narrative input of his dream that was also painted.

“It’s kind of interesting because it’s a journal,” Fredericks said. “The days of his life where he wrote in his journal and then he put his artwork into his interpretation of his dream.”

Fredericks also said it’s a picture of his day. She said by being able to read what he wrote in his journal along with the pictures, helps to understand what he was thinking.

Many students visit the gallery because it is part of their assigned work for certain courses. Students like Michael Bathauer, a fire tech major, also looks at Larry Vigon’s journals and artwork.

“A guy fighting against his past,” Bathauer said while looking at one of Vigon’s works, where a man is struggling with a snake. “The snake is coming from behind him,” Bathauer said, “so he is fighting against his past.”

Works might relate to religion

Another artwork in the gallery is by Sandra Elsdon-Vigon. It is stated in the study guide that the gallery provides, Elsdon-Vigon works in clays, with masks and figures.

“Maybe it has something to do with the person’s religion,” Bathauer said. “I don’t know if it’s exactly religion but I know some cultures and snakes are a big part of it.”

Bathauer also said that maybe the mask has something to do with using their brain before they talk.

A woman carrying a huge burden on her back is on a painting called “Lay My Burden Down” by Nancy Mozur, which is her personal visions of mystery and humor, utilizing gouache on paper.

Bathauer said that the titled painting of “Lay My Burden Down” is about a woman who is slowly trying to move on with her life.

Besides the artworks of Perry, Elsdon-Vigon, Vigon and Mozur, there are several other artists such as Craig Anterim, Randall Von Bloomber, Bianca Daalder, Cindy Kolodziejski, Evona Lynae, Rena Small, Harrison Storms, and Mark Edward Wilson, who are the artists that show the artistic types of alchemy.

Their works show the transformation of something ordinary into something beautiful and meaningful.

“When you look into a dictionary and look for the meaning of alchemy, you’ll find the definition of what the art here is all about.” Fredericks said.