Mabee Art Gallery exhibition, ‘Organized Chaos,’ features artists Carl Sandburg professors

CANTON, Mo. — Culver-Stockton College’s Mabee Art Gallery has announced the opening of its exhibition, “Organized Chaos,” featuring the works of two dynamic contemporary artists, Lisa Walker and Nikki Ponce, both visiting professors from Carl Sandburg College.

The exhibition is on view through March 28.

Organized Chaos delves into the complexities of modern life, offering a striking visual dialogue between seemingly conflicting forces: order and disorder, precision and randomness and control and release. Both Walker and Ponce create artwork that bridges the boundaries between chaos and control.

In a press release, Jennifer Bock-Nelson, assistant professor of studio art and gallery director, said, “Both artists have unique approaches to their work, blending personal history, mythology and organic expression in powerful ways.”

Walker’s work is known for its bold exploration of materials, merging unconventional techniques with striking visual narratives. Her pieces invite the viewer to consider the tension between structure and spontaneity, offering a conversation on the controlled chaos inherent in the artist’s process. Walker is a Pprofessor, art program coordinator and gallery director with Carl Sandburg College.

Ponce’s mixed media works offer a glimpse into the layered, often tumultuous nature of human emotion and connection. Ponce’s art challenges the viewer to confront the complexities of lived experience, emphasizing the beauty found in moments of seeming disarray. Ponce works at Carl Sandburg College and is an art instructor.