'Bruce Conner Selections' at Sheldon Art Gallery July 5-Sept. 24

"Bruce Conner Selections," composed of 15 early 1970s lithographs by the acclaimed San Francisco-area artist, opens at Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery July 5 and continues through Sept. 24.

A 1956 graduate of the University of Nebraska, Conner has made a number of profound leaps in style and media in his 50-year career as an artist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Wichita, Kan., native became known for dark, sinister assemblages -- reflecting the consumerism and nuclear fears of the period -- made of scraps and scavenged goods often bound with wax and nylons.

After a hiatus, Conner then worked as an experimental filmmaker, producing 20 short films exploring dark themes of American culture. While Conner had developed ties with Hollywood, he quit the medium by the early 1970s. In the late 1970s, he created carefully crafted photographs of the San Francisco punk rock scene.

Throughout his career, Conner has created drawings inspired by a diversity of interests ranging from mysticism, psychedelia, Eastern philosophies and Existentialism. He has produced mandala, star and inkblot drawings that express an obsessive commitment to precision. The Sheldon exhibition, which focuses on one period of his drawings, will include both color and black and white prints from the permanent collection.

Now age 73, Conner -- an accomplished draftsman, photographer, filmmaker and sculptor -- can be viewed as an early conceptual and performance artist. In a 1990 interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said, "Being an artist is like being a medieval craftsman. You're expected to do one thing only, and while next year's model will be a bit different, it won't differ too much from the original prototype. But I couldn't conceive of restricting myself to one medium because the medium dictates how you see things."

"Bruce Conner Selections" will be open during the Sheldon's First Friday reception, 5 to 7 p.m. July 5, and it will be the subject of a Second Sunday gallery talk by Sheldon Director Janice Driesbach at 2 p.m. Sept. 10.

The Philip Johnson-designed Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery houses a permanent collection of more than 12,000 objects focusing on American art. The museum, at 12th and R streets on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free. For information or to arrange a tour, please call (402) 472-2461. Additional information is available at the Sheldon Web site, www.sheldon.unl.edu.

CONTACT: Tom White, Public Relations Manager, Sheldon Art Gallery, (402) 472-1197