Over the last three years, Amber Kempthorn has drawn, written, directed, and produced four animations that visually translate British Composer Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes into familiar scenes from the Northeast Ohio region. Created in collaboration with the Akron production studio, Red Point Digital, Ordinary Magic: A Sunday in the Cuyahoga Valley is supported in part by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Ordinary Magic’s premiere screening will take place on October 15th, 2022, at E.J. Thomas Hall in Akron with live accompaniment of Britten’s Four Sea Interludes by the Akron Symphony Orchestra as part of their Pastoral Symphony concert. Opening October 7th, 2022, Bonfoey’s accompanying exhibition, (With)drawing, will include an extensive selection of Kempthorn’s hundreds of meticulously rendered drawings, revealing the process behind the production.
The exhibition title, (With)drawing, is multi-layered; inspired by the 16th c. term “withdrawing room,” which describes a place in the home where occupants withdrew for privacy, the title also refers to the choice of drawing as vernacular. As Kempthorn responds to the world through artmaking by withdrawing to her studio, with Ordinary Magic she has also translated Britten’s music through drawing.
The creation of Ordinary Magic has been generative to Kempthorn’s practice. As the artist states, “while the animation’s narrative is told through my visual vocabulary,
I’ve had to approach my practice in an entirely new way; from considering how things move and interact with one another, to visually capturing the beauty of Britten’s compelling music.” With this exhibition, Bonfoey Gallery showcases the tremendous amount of time, energy, and talent that went into creating this new work.
(With)drawing will be shown at Bonfoey Gallery from October 7th through November 5th. Join us for an opening reception with the artist on Friday, October 7th from 5:00 – 8:00pm. For more information about the exhibition and opening reception, please visit www.bonfoey.com or contact Bonfoey Gallery at (216) 621-0178 or [email protected].
Tickets for the premiere of Ordinary Magic: A Sunday in the Cuyahoga Valley are available for purchase at www.akronsymphony.org.
Read more about Kempthorn’s animation in Doug Utter’s article, “Amber Kempthorn: (Extra)Ordinary Magic.”
