Jan. 9, 2022
Contact: Sara Diedrich, 573-882-3243, diedrichs@missouri.edu
“BlockBlock” by Joe Dino features a wide range of materials including oil paint, house paint and even recycled drywall. Dino often uses nontraditional materials he finds at hardware stores or in recycling bins.
For the third consecutive year, Joe Dino is participating in the Undergraduate Juried Exhibition sponsored by the University of Missouri School of Visual Studies. The MU junior, who is studying painting, is especially proud to be selected for this year’s display because of the talent of his peers.
“This undergrad class is an insanely talented group of people,” Dino said. “Just being accepted around those people is awesome.”
Dino is among more than 30 students in MU’s School of Visual Studies whose artwork is now on display at the George Caleb Bingham Gallery in the Fine Arts Building on the MU campus. The juried exhibition, which features a wide range of student work, including paintings, sculptures, photographs and ceramics, is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, through Feb. 17. A virtual reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 10.
Catherine Armbrust, director of the Bingham Gallery, said the exhibition has been held each year for more than a decade and gives young artists the experience of being in a public-facing show.
“It is a professional opportunity for students to photograph and submit work on a deadline, and then prepare their work for public presentations,” she said.
Among the artwork on display is Dino’s piece entitled “BlockBlock,” 23-by-23-inch mixed media painting on wood panel that includes a wide range of both traditional and unconventional materials, such as oil paint, house paint and even drywall. The unique blend of materials creates a strong textural component to the piece, inspired heavily by Dino’s interest in building erosion.
Much of Dino’s work focuses on the texture created by a medium. He draws inspiration from the textures found on walls, specifically in buildings suffering from erosion.
In addition to the breadth of talent in the Mizzou art program, Dino’s also enjoys the community created by the professors and students.
“The professorship is amazing, and no one feels unapproachable,” Dino said. “It feels very much like family.”
Collaborating with a community has led to a significant change in Dino’s work since coming to Mizzou.
“We as humans get so trapped in our own bubbles,” Dino said “If you’re by yourself all the time you’re going to start repeating. Having a community around you and other opinions is very important.”
Included in the visual studies family is a talented group of alumni, many of which remain connected to Mizzou. That includes MU alumni Simon Tatum, a sculptor and this year’s guest juror in the undergraduate exhibition.
“My years within the Mizzou SVS undergraduate program were very important to me and helped shape me into the visual artist I am today,” Tatum said. “I am honored to be a juror for this exhibition and am excited to see how the program continues to evolve.”
