Elaine Erne brings exhibit to Rowan Art Gallery

Philadelphia-based artist Elaine M. Erne brought her furry friends to the Rowan University art gallery last Monday. Graphite pencil drawings and lithographs of stuffed animals, mostly floppy-eared bunnies, are impaled by knitting needles and other household items. They are part of her series, “The Lives and Traumas of Stuffed Animals, and will be on display until November 14.

Erne uses our most treasured childhood friends in her work to represent innocence. The stuffed animals are seen by themselves in the drawings, maybe pinned to the wall, or shown fallen off of the bureau, lying carelessly on the floor.

The dangerous tools that are viewed as harming the stuffed animals represent the trauma caused by violence against children. Using countless strokes of graphite pencil, Erne creates a deep black hue surrounding the nearly pure white stuffed animals. By using such a large dark area, with only one light source, Erne develops the perception of isolation, cruelty and sadness.

“It’s related to past events in my life,” Erne said.

In doing so, she hopes to raise awareness about child abuse, but with a sense of humor. Some of the drawing’s names will make viewers smile, such as “Mr. Bunny Gets Screwed” and “Mr. Bunny Has a Spike in his Brain Waves.”

A few drawings are enormous in size. Erne said she gets shin splints from using the scaffolding in her house to create such large pieces. The tallest drawing is 96 inches and the smallest drawings are labeled “the postcard portrait series.”

During the reception, Erne also mentioned that she moves at her own pace and only works on one piece of art at a time. She admits that she had never gone to an art museum until college. Erne also said that she doesn’t follow up with the latest art trends, nor does she remember most art history that was taught in school.

“If you gave me an art history quiz, I’d probably fail it,” Erne said. “I have found that using humor, however dark, is an important part of dealing with past as well as present dilemmas.”

She reminds everyone that, “no stuffed animals were harmed,” and she works mainly out of her head.

Mary Salvante, newly appointed Gallery and Exhibitions Program Director of the Rowan University art gallery, says that this is the only gallery in the general area for professional artists. She hopes the gallery will not just attract students, but the community as well. The next exhibit will feature videos by a faculty member of the fine arts department. A group of sculptures, ceramics and installation exhibit will follow. The gallery tries to plan about a year ahead of time, and Salvante hopes to do more themes with a mixture of performing arts as well as visual arts.

Although under construction, you can visit Erne’s Web site at elainemerne.com.