Dioramas in Dialogue

New works by Marilyn Banner, Cynthia Sparrenberger, Ellen Anthony, Patricia O’Maille, Claudia Renfro, and Phyllis Famiglietti

Essay by Paul D’Agostino

Fantastical fabulations, dynamic figurations, delightful pastiches, soulful characterizations, material curiosities, narrative insinuations, and atmospheric theatrics of secret histories and escapist mysteries abound in Dioramas in Dialogue, a group showcase for Outsider Art Fair, presented by M. David & Co. Gallery, featuring new artworks by six contemporary artists: Marilyn Banner, Cynthia Sparrenberger, Ellen Anthony, Patricia O’Maille, Claudia Renfro, and Phyllis Famiglietti. Presenting their works in three collaborative pairs, these artists tell obliquely apparent yet distinctly compelling stories of joy and grief, life and loss, lessons learned and successes earned, and real-world struggles and dreamworld marvels.

For all six artists in Dioramas in Dialogue, striking notes of formal variance by satisfying material curiosities experimentally is a paramount part of the process. It’s a manner of moving things forward in their studio practices without unraveling connective threads, a way to maintain consistency while reveling in the throes of creating something fresh. This entails working in a range of media, abstract formalities, and presentational modes – all crucial not merely for practical purposes, but insofar as it serves as a prolific source of inspiration as well. Such an approach is iterative yet not repetitive, and one that demonstrates imaginative freedom, creative determination, and expressive continuity in equal measure. These artists’ practices are as rooted in confidence and intention as they are in experimentation and impulse – the traits that stoke the burn that fuels the churn. For this group of seasoned makers, their common creative recipe is tried and true: Know what you’re cooking. Never cook it the same way twice. Remix ingredients and methods. And remember there’s always a novel way to cook it up – or something new to cook altogether.

Marilyn Banner & Cynthia Sparrenberger

Marilyn Banner on Kafka, by Cynthia Sparrenberger

Kafka is a rabbit with human qualities: upright, forward-leaning, an active figure marching or striding, perhaps to music, gesturing with attitude. A being with attitude. The artist’s use of material shows a freedom, a looseness, but also clarity of intention and awareness of the body. There is a feeling of rhythm, a sense of the artist’s hand. This rabbit conveys something upbeat and firm, determined, focused – striding a bit wildly, but energetically and focused. There’s a hint of sadness, too, mixed with resolve, determination, and confidence: ‘I’m here! I know where I'm going.’

Cynthia Sparrenberger on 121, by Marilyn Banner

There’s a sense of ancestry in the work of Marilyn Banner. It’s a sort of palimpsest quality, ancient and archaeological. There’s a sense of the work’s effortless emanation from the material it rests upon. Secrets whispered, scrawled, illegible. A red thread of ink, sewn through a teddy bear that’s been stuffed in a mildewed chest for a hundred years.

Ellen Anthony & Patricia O’Maille

Ellen Anthony on The Impossible Chair, by Patricia O’Maille

All my life, I’ve sat

in the almost chair,

waiting for your arrival.

When suddenly:

Whoosh!

Stare.

“Tell me, Who Are You?”

Patricia O’Maille on Arc of One, by Ellen Anthony

The horse has broken out of the fencings and mud,

and breached the stables.

His flotilla enters the current too swift and cold but

his feet do not wobble, not much.

His forward gaze sees it all, holds it all.

He believes his voyage is heading home.

To silver-blue grasses, violet-red clovers,

and the warmest golden sun.

Claudia Renfro & Phyllis Famiglietti

Claudia Renfro on Louis Bazerman and the Magical Machine, by Phyllis Famiglietti

Phyllis Famiglietti’s playful, almost flying assemblage of found objects is sophisticated, whimsical, and wonderful. One gets a sense of the delight of being a child again. It brings to mind so many words, objects, and characteristics: fun, alive, intentional, mechanical, bright, intimate, vintage, shoemaker, wire, wood, childhood, toys, animals, crazy, fantasy, fantastic, flight. Oh, the places we go!

Phyllis Famiglietti on Night Circus, by Claudia Renfro

When I look at Night Circus by Claudia Renfro, I see gender fluidness, juggling, spinning balls, wheels, and crazy shoes and feet. I see sexy, playful, otherworldly fantasy, a blend of human and beast in a divine-like night circus atmosphere. Renfro’s piece reminds me of Calder’s Cirque Calder, but with an interesting unearthly twist. Claudia’s embroidery technique is remarkable.