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New Harmony Gallery hosts Philip Campbell exhibition, "Childish, Emotionally Insecure and Grandiose"

July 8, 2019

The New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art's latest exhibition, Childish, Emotionally Insecure and Grandiose by Philip Campbell, will be on display Saturday, July 6 through Friday, August 16. A reception for the artist will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 13 in conjunction with the opening weekend for New Harmony Theatre's Always...Patsy Cline

Childish, Emotionally Insecure and Grandiose features Philip Campbell of Indianapolis, a longtime member of the Indianapolis art scene. Since graduating from the Herron School of Art and being featured in his first exhibition at the Ruschman Gallery in 1990, Campbell has remained active in the community while enjoying success in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. In addition to exhibiting and creating his own body of work, Campbell has been instrumental in providing opportunities to other artists, including opening the Murphy Arts Center in 1999 in Indianapolis. 

In 2017, Campbell received the DeHaan Artist of Distinction Award. This award allowed him to create an exploratory body of textiles that used the process of quilting to reimagine the idea of security blankets in relation to the perils of contemporary society. These blankets included protective elements such as RF blocking and bulletproof materials. Childish, Emotionally Insecure and Grandiose features a further exploration in the form of blanket forts that will be set up in the gallery space utilizing quilts Campbell Made from business casual clothing. 

"This is the story of a childish, emotionally insecure and grandiose man who hates his job and hates the business casual clothes he has to wear," said Campell. "Having been drained of his high and legitimate ambition to win the battle of life, he cuts all of his clothes apart, sews the pieces together in to blankets and makes a fort so he can escape back to the security of his childhood."

This activity is made possible, in part, with support from the Efroymson Family Fund, the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. 

The New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art is an outreach partner of the University of Southern Indiana. The gallery is located at 506 Main Street in New Harmony, Indiana. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call 812-682-3156 or go to usi.edu/nhgallery

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