Distilled, is an exhibition of non-objective abstract paintings by Jennifer Combe. She is an artist, mother, and associate professor of art at The University of Montana. Combe’s research and artistic work explore cultural constructs around gender and mothering, ability, and schooling,

“Drawing from autobiography, I locate the essence of an experience and then distill my understanding of that experience into simplified, often geometric, forms. This process helps deconstruct cultural paradigms that complicate interpretation and meaning—ultimately how we perceive ourselves. Working in the studio involves a form of meditation and contemplative translation of experiences and anxieties through the direct process of applying paint or fabric to various surfaces such as glass, panel, linen, or paper. Non-objective abstraction allows an ambient space for the ambiguities of memory and the tumult of emotion to be freely realized. Often working in multiples, I process experiences in singular works and then rejoin the simplified forms to make a complex, yet fleeting whole. My hope is to claim control over the ambiguities of experience and emotion, if even for a moment.”—Jennifer Combe

Combe’s work has been exhibited at The Missoula Art Museum, Holter Museum of Art, the Gift Shop exhibition space at The Henry Art Gallery in Seattle, and The Washington State Center for Performing Arts. She is Associate Professor of Art at University of Montana, Missoula, her educational work has been featured in The Journal of Social Theory in Art Education, The Journal of the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement, The Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education, and Visual Arts Research. She has lectured at The National Art Education Association in New York, Chicago, San Diego, Dallas/Fort Worth and New Orleans. Including international lectures on mothering and art education in Florence, Italy for The Motherhood Initiative on Research and Community Involvement. She received an MiT from The Evergreen State College, an MFA from The Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a BA from The Evergreen State College. She also studied at Pontifical Xavierian University in Bogota, Colombia. I currently live in Montana with my family.

Schedule of Related Events:

Lecture by Jennifer Combe on June 11, 2021 at 5:30pm
Reception to Follow

Virtual Discussion via Facebook Live July 20, 2021 at 6:00pm

Join exhibiting artist Jennifer Combe, and Curator of Exhibitions and Collections, Nicole Maria Evans for a virtual online discussion about the artist, her work and her exhibition.

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This exhibition is curated by Nicole Maria Evans, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art. Exhibitions presented by The Square are supported in part by the Montana Arts Council a state agency funded by the State of Montana, Humanities Montana, National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor, and National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding is provided by museum members and the citizens of Cascade County, and generous support from Davidson Family Foundation, First Interstate Bank, and D.A. Davidson.