Spiral Galaxy
Heather McGill, American, born 1954
2014
Fiberglass, urethane foam, lacquer, and acrylic
Overall: 31 3/4 × 48 in. (80.6 × 121.9 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Mrs. Harvey P. Hood W'18 Fund
2015.27
Geography
Place Made: United States, North America
Period
21st century
Object Name
Sculpture
Research Area
Sculpture
Not on view
Label
Inspired by the aesthetics of the automotive industry, Heather McGill drafts her work by hand, with a computer, as well as with laser technology, creating fastidiously composed and precise sculptural works that appear mass produced. McGill created Spiral Galaxy for her exhibition as an artist-in-residence at Dartmouth in winter 2015. She fills in each of the circumscribed ovals, and the lines composing them, with vibrating pink, red, and neon hues. As she explains, "Spiral Galaxy derives its shape from historical schemata mapping the night sky. We live in a spiral galaxy called the Milky Way, characterized by clusters of stars, gas, and dust that radiate outward from the center. . . . My desire was to orchestrate a changing perceptual experience relative to time and space." From the 2021 exhibition Drawing Lines, curated by Jessica Hong, Associate Curator of Global Contemporary Art
Exhibition History
Artist-in-Residence: Heather McGill, Dear Things, Sweet Things, Jaffe-Friede Gallery, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 13 to March 10, 2015.
Drawing Lines, Dorothy and Churchill P. Lathrop Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth, Hanoever, New Hampshire, July 10, 2021–September 4, 2022.
Publication History
Heather McGill, Dear Things, Sweet Things, Artist-in-Residence, Winter 2015, Hanover, New Hampshire: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 2015, no page numbers, illustrated.
Provenance
Miller Yezerski Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts; sold to present collection, 2015.
This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.
We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu