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February 1, 2025 -
James M. Boyle Gallery
Serena Perrone’s (American, b. 1979) series A Volcano Pilgrim in Exchange for Fire forges a connection across time and place through her visual response to the disappearance of poet and University of Wyoming professor Craig Arnold in Japan in April 2009. Upon hearing that the acclaimed poet had been researching volcanoes and had not returned after a day’s hike, Perrone became quickly engrossed in the story and ultimately unsuccessful search for Arnold. The two artists –Arnold and Perrone– are intertwined by a fascination with volcanoes and the mythologies surrounding them.
Perrone’s work evokes a sensitivity to the volcano as a symbol of upheaval and transition. The work transcends mere documentation to become a meditation on place as both physical reality and poetic metaphor. The 20 prints are poetic in their communication of volcanic imagery paired with passages from Arnold’s blog Volcano Pilgrim, documenting his trip to Japan. Arnold’s texts, excerpted to reflect Perrone’s own feelings and emotional state at the time of creation, haunt the volcanic clouds. As part of the larger exhibition, Sympoiesis: Co-Creating Sense of Place, Perrone’s work A Volcano Pilgrim in Exchange for Fire is a posthumous collaboration between the living artist, deceased poet Craig Arnold, and the metaphorical and physical volcano.
This exhibition features an accompanying audio tour. Listen to a reading of Arnold’s blog posts by Dean of the Honors College, Associate Professor of English, and friend of Craig Arnold, Peter Parolin: YourAudioTour.com. To learn more about the artist, visit Serena Perrone's website.
Images: Serena Perrone (American, b.1979), March 21, 2009 (left) and April 9, 2009 (right) from A Volcano Pilgrim in Exchange for Fire series, monotype, silkscreen, letterpress, gouache on Rives paper, 11 x 15 inches, Patricia R. Guthrie Special Exhibitions Gallery Endowment, 2011.10.6 and .13
Funded through the generosity of the Susan Moldenhauer FUNd for Contemporary Art, the Patricia R. Guthrie Special Exhibitions Gallery Endowment, WE Soda, and By Western Hands.
