Gerri Johnson-McMillan’s installation, “Medusae (the jellies)” will be at the Harbor Village Gallery from July23 to August 24, 2008. The opening reception is on Friday, July 25 from 5 – 7 pm.
Welcome to the deep ocean, where colored free forms of life float above you like spirits from another world. When entering the “room” Johnson-McMillan has created to view the Medusae, a scientific name for most jellyfish, you meander among her transparent and luminous forms hovering above you. Inspired by a snorkeling trip in the Sea of Cortez, Johnson-McMillan departed from her well known and equally intriguing fish bone vessels or baskets. After witnessing a school of jellyfish so dense she couldn’t swim through for fear of getting stung, she pondered how something so beautiful could be so painful. Johnson- McMillian’s Medusas (the jellies) offer an imaginary swim through the jellies with out getting stung.
Inspired from nature, Johnson-McMillan has enjoyed the fiber arts since her youth and took her first basketry class at age 25. Today the ocean and what lies beneath is her inspiration. Well known for her intricate Fishbone Vessels, which will also be on display adjacent to the Jellyfish instillation, she weaves a second life back into the fish she and her husband have caught by combining bones and fishing line into small basket-like creations.
She has pieces in the permanent collections of the Long Beach Museum of Art as well as the Museum of Ventura County. Since 1999 Gerri has been an Artist-in-Residence at Studio Channel Islands Art Center in Camarillo, CA and in 2005 was President of SCIART. She was instrumental in developing the Fiber Art Studio at the Center.
The Harbor Village Gallery is the second Gallery operated by the Buenaventura Art Association which is operating in its third year of business. This will be the Harbor Village Gallery’s first instillation.
The Harbor Village Gallery is located at 1591 Spinnaker Dr. Suite 117C in the Ventura Harbor Village. Hours: Mon, Wed and Thurs 12 – 5pm and Fri thru Sun 11am -6pm. For more information, call the gallery at 805-644-2750 or visit the website at www.harborvillagegallery.com