Individual milestones: Tonight five artists will show at Gallery 1.2.5 - just don't call them a group

The five artists bringing their work together tonight at Gallery 1.2.5 might be considered a group, just don't call them one.

Rochelle Steffen cleaned her pieces at Gallery 1.2.5 on Wednesday. She makes prints on synthetic materials and is also showing photos of snakes.

Instead, try calling them by their names: Nathan Pierce, Rochelle Steffen, Jonathan Seyer, Ashley Sites and Jim "Woody" Woodward.

"I just want to be Nathan Pierce. That's who I am," Pierce said, taking a short break from hanging his pieces at the gallery Wednesday.

Sometimes when artists band together like this, they want to be called by a name, something that identifies their mission, like Cape Girardeau's own Modest Living Artists.

But when Steffen and Pierce, both art students at Southeast Missouri State University, decided to enlist a few other artists for a group show, they knew one thing they didn't want was a name for the group.

Nathan Pierce with his sculpture "In The Water" at Gallery 1.2.5. His pieces blend wood, metal and other materials.

"Our names will be the name," Steffen said. "We're the important factors, not the overall entity."

Pierce and Steffen contacted some acquaintances from the university art program and Woodward, who Pierce works with, and a show was born. Nearly 60 pieces make up tonight's exhibition. Most of it will be on public display for the first time: Steffen's prints on synthetic "plexi" materials (think Plexiglass) and photographs of snakes; Pierce's sculptures that blend wood, metal and other materials; Seyer's altered digital photography mixed with poetry; Sites' colorful fiber pieces; and Woodward's painstakingly handcrafted ink pens.

Out of the five artists featured at Gallery 1.2.5 tonight, Steffen is the only one with significant experience showing her work to the public. The rest, besides Woodward, are students who have mainly presented their art in a classroom or university setting.

Woodward is a respiratory therapist and part-time custom woodworker who has made custom furniture and ink pens for years. He admits that he does feel a bit like the odd man out, with his ornate-yet-functional pens displayed next to art made for purely aesthetic purposes, but he jumped at the chance to be a part of the show.

Ashley Sites at Gallery 125 on Wednesday.

Woody Woodruff positioned his pieces at the gallery on Wednesday. His ornate yet functional ink pens are part of the show at Gallery 1.2.5.

"All I've ever had is one-on-one input," said Woodward, excited about showing his work to crowds of people. "I do have some apprehension about how it will be perceived."

But Woodward's work is there for a reason -- the metals and woods used in his intricate pens complement the mixed sculpture of Pierce. Pierce's abstract sculpture, meanwhile, complements the abstract work of the other three artists. As for the snake photos, they stand on their own. Steffen shot them at the St. Louis Zoo.

One looks as if it's ready for a meal.

"He looks like he's ready to eat your face off, but he's yawning," Steffen said.

Pierce knows there's plenty of variety in this show, and he knows some of it may not seem to go with the rest. But that's the beauty of a group show -- those who choose to view it have to see it all. Pierce said his view of this group is open-ended -- diversity is important, as is quality.

"This is such a new thing for us, and we want to make everybody feel welcome."

For just about everyone besides Steffen tonight's exhibition is a milestone of sorts, their first experience showing much of their work in a public gallery. The experience will be welcome, Sites said.

"You get nervous ... but I guess now I'm kind of content with my work, so if people think one way or the other, I don't mind," said Sites, whose showing experience is derived from having pieces at Garden Gallery and the now-closed Fountain Street Gallery, along with university shows.

As for the group that isn't a group, they'll probably do more shows in the future, though the lineup may change to allow others to put their talents on display.

msanders@semissourian.com

Jonathan Seyer posed in front of some of his work Wednesday at Gallery 1.2.5, altered digital photography mixed with poetry.

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