Thinking Inside the Box

Yellow Springs author and artist, Kathy Verner Moulton has been invited to participate in a mixed media exhibition, "Inside the Box," at the Expriencenter at the Dayton Art Institute. Kathy's 3-D collage, entitled "Inside Thinking Outside," is tied to her children's story, "Six Small Rabbits," in which the rabbits decide to explore the world. The opening reception will be held from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on April 28 in conjunction with a “family day." The exhibit will run through April 7, 2013. Kathy is a member of the Village Artisans cooperative of Yellow Springs.

According to the Dayton Art Institute, "INSIDE THE BOX is an exhibition that explores creative expression and problem solving using that simple container we call a box. Although boxes are primarily functional, throughout history artists have elevated the box from something ordinary and mundane to something beautiful.

"With that premise as the basis for the exhibition, INSIDE THE BOX will demonstrate the beauty of the box as seen through the eyes of artists from various cultures as represented in the museum’s permanent collection. The exhibition will also include the creative work of 25 area artists who take a simple box and respond to the question: What would you do with an empty box to change it from ordinary to extraordinary?"

"When I first spoke to Arlene Branick after receiving the invitation," said Kathy, "I asked her how she knew my art. I was assuming me saw my show at the Fifth/Third Bank Building in Dayton. She said she had seen my work in the Yellow Springs Artist Studio Tour brochure and that she had followed the link to my website www.kavooom.com. She noticed my children's illustrations and thought I would be a good fit for the show.

"My piece for the "Inside the Box" Show is tied to my children's story 'Six small Rabbits.' The rabbits in my story decide to explore the world and to stretch themselves beyond their normal activities. The box in my piece becomes a rabbit's burrow. I covered the outside of the box with a layer of dirt made of cork. The top has a grassy garden and a little picket fence. An easel and some paintings are standing in this garden. Inside is a beautiful home, with a pebble floor and of course carrot wallpaper. Sitting in the front room is a very comfortable stuffed chair and lying next to it, open, is a copy of 'Six small Rabbits.'In the background you can just catch sight of the rabbits' bedroom with a tree poster bed, a lamp table with a top hat waiting for some magic to happen, and a guitar case in the corner. Returning to the front room, you find a ladder leading to the ceiling, which is covered with clouds. Perched on top this ladder is Rabbit number 1. His elbow is outside of the burrow and his chin is resting in his paw. He is holding a paintbrush and thinking about what adventure is next. He is 'Inside Thinking Outside.'

"Each bit of my piece was handmade by me. The rabbit was sewn from a pattern of my own. The chair was also designed and sewn by me. I drew the wallpaper on my computer and printed it out on watercolor textured paper to give it that wallpaper look. The pebble floor was glued together piece by piece. I built the ladder and created the tufts of grass. The little book is an exact copy of my real sized book printed very small. The bedroom beyond the archway was painted on my computer, the bed, the table and the lamp all created on separate layers and fit into place."

Access more information on the Experiencenter and the exhibit at :

http://www.daytonartinstitute.org/learn/youth-family-programs/experiencenter