In 1970 New York artist Ed McGowin legally changed his name 12 times in 18 months to create eleven additional artistic personas.
The Fredonia Technology Incubator (FTI) will exhibit a 1972 portfolio of 26 screen prints, which documents the name changes and demonstrates the artistic skills and concepts of nine personas.
The exhibition is on display from Oct. 8 through 30. The incubator is located at 214 Central Ave. in Dunkirk, and gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The FTI parking lot is accessible from Washington Street.
McGowin will speak about the “Name Change” project at a Visiting Artist Program lecture, Thursday, Oct. 15, 8:30 p.m. in McEwen Hall Room 209 on the Fredonia campus. McGowin will also discuss his commissioned work and other professional practices topics in the second presentation of Fredonia Technology Incubator’s Art and Business Luncheon Series on Friday Oct. 16 at noon. Lunch will be provided. Space is limited, and interested persons should register by email at incubator@fredonia.edu, by telephone 716-680-6009, or on the FTI website, https://www.fredonia.edu/incubator/.
The exhibition and lectures are free and open to the public.
McGowin’s work encompasses a wide array of mediums and disciplines including painting, printmaking, drawing, photography, sculpture (pedestal and public), video and installation. The impetus for the “Name Change” project was McGowin’s frustration with the art world’s tendency to categorize and pigeonhole young artists in order to fit them neatly into a system that serves the market at the expense of creative development. He does not believe that artwork should “develop as a linear chain-link model with each creation leading logically to the next” but rather “a three-dimensional sphere getting larger over time.” Although McGowin legally changed his name back to McGowin in 1971, he continues to create works for all 12 names.
For additional information about the Fredonia Technology Incubator, email incubator@fredonia.edu or call 716-680-6009. For more information about the “Name Change” exhibition or to schedule a group tour, contact Marion Art Gallery Director Barbara Räcker at 716-673-4897 or email her at Barbara.racker@fredonia.edu.
