KEVIN DEAN: EXTRA ORDINARY
OPENS MAY 8TH at ALFSTAD& CONTEMPORARY in SARASOTA
Paintings, Prints, Bits & Pieces from a Long Career
SARASOTA, FL, April XX, 2015 - Nearly a year after his death, Kevin Dean: Extra Ordinary, provides a glimpse into the multidimensional world of artist, writer, teacher, art historian, thinker and jokester Kevin Dean.
While not quite a retrospective – opening on May 8th and running through June 5th – Kevin Dean: Extra Ordinary is selections from Dean’s enormous and varied creative output, including a series beginning in the 1980s – some never shown before. The collection reveals the quick wit and dry sense of humor found in Dean’s paintings, sculptures, videos, installation pieces and more than a dozen prints that he created with Ringling College colleague Patrick Lindhardt.
Featured will be a 48-inch x 16-foot print of Dean’s largest installation, “The Last Supper,” from his Whitcomb Series. A smaller installation, reassembled by his son, Ian Dean, will also be featured.
“This show brings the work of Kevin Dean into public view so art lovers can start to appreciate this truly visionary artist,” says Sam Alfstad of Alfstad& Contemporary.
“During his lifetime Kevin created an ‘extra-ness’ that was unique,” says co-curator Laura K. Avery, Interim Director of Galleries & Exhibitions at Ringling College of Art and Design. “This exhibition is the beginning of making sure he is remembered in the future for who he was, what he made and how he influenced others with his passion for art and ideas.”
For almost three decades, Dean was not only a mainstay of the Sarasota arts community; he mentored thousands of students at Ringling College of Art and Design. One of them, his daughter Molly Dean, says, “His main lesson to me was don’t be passive. Always think. Think about the quality of the art, both visually and metaphorically.”
“Kevin was the ultimate teacher,” says Larry Thompson, Ringling College president. “He was so brilliant and he was able to convey knowledge in ways that would be the envy of any educator.”
Dean’s final show was in conjunction with his two children, Ian and Molly, All in the Family, at the Ice House in 2014, an exploration of the family dynamic of artistic families. Joining the Dean’s were three other Ringling professors, Mark Anderson, Patrick Lindhardt and Steve Strenk, and their artistic children.
Kevin Dean: Extra Ordinary is co-curated by Laura Avery and Tim Jaeger, with special thanks to Kay Kipling.
Opening Night Reception for Kevin Dean: Extra Ordinary is Friday, May 8, 5:30 – 8:30pm. Hors d’oeuvres, pastries and wine will be served at no charge.
Show Dates: May 9 – June 5, Daily: Tues – Sat, 11:00 – 5:00 at Alfstad& Contemporary.