THE COLLEGE OF WOOSTER ART MUSEUM PROMISE Promise included works existing somewhere near, if not quite within, the categories of sculpture, drawing and painting. The titles for these pieces—fortune; ruin; virtue; desire; economy and plenty—might be allegorical allusions to the practice of art. My visual sources included a Philadelphia carpenter’s manual, a lithograph published by Currier & Ives, and a popular quilt pattern book. In fortune, an image of a wood ladder leans against a square of leaf-patterned wallpaper. A scattering of painted wood signs—describing character traits such as industry, honesty and perseverance—surrounds the ladder. These traits are conceived as a foundation for reaching the manifest rewards of riches, long-life and influence. ruin is made of a pile of concrete rubble covered in 23K gold leaf. Against a background of brightly colored wallpaper panels, the painted words of muse conjure the goddesses of artistic inspiration. MICHAEL MERCIL Related articles and writings Clarke, Laura. “Two Ohioans Display Talent . . .” Wooster College VOICE (1 November 2001) p. 11. Zurko, Kitty McManus, What’s in a Promise? (exhibition brochure) 2001. Wooster, OH. College of Wooster Art Museum. ARTWORK Read More