November 7 — December 13, 2020

Red Dirt Studio 4051 34th St., Mt. Rainier, MD 20712

Visiting Opportunities:

Gallery Hours: Fridays 3—6pm  And by appointment: 202.641.4248

Opening Reception—In Person—November 7, Saturday 3-6pm

Opening Reception—Zoom—November 8, Sunday 3-4pm

Artist Talk—Zoom—Gayle Friedman & Susan Main, VisArts Curatorial Consultant, Artist, Founder/Director of Cultivate—November 12, Thursday 7-8pm

We’re programming Covid-conscious events requiring registration to limit attendance to safe numbers. For all event information, please go to: https://gaylefriedmanart.com/dangerous-playground-exhibit

Gayle Friedman’s exhibition, The Dangerous Playground, is an immersive pastel-colored wonderland of bandsaw blades that evokes playful energy in the face of a hazardous world.

Her use of materials makes the danger she encounters in the world tangible. Sharp bandsaw blades threaten to attack, but by handling them with care, Friedman turns them into mischievous and even humorous objects.

In her sculptural works (Jumbo Adventure and Leapfrog), she uses repurposed materials: saw blades, scrap wood and leftover house paint to address her ethical concerns about extracting resources from the earth to put into her art. In the video, Lucidly Dreaming the Playground, she reminds us that truly engaging in the world requires both surrender and intention. Only then can we dream ourselves awake.

All are invited to explore The Dangerous Playground and experience the tension between peril and delight.