The Harrison Center for the Arts is proud to present “The Dubious Luxury of Ordinary Men,” new work by Philip Campbell opening Friday, May 6 with an artist reception from 6 to 10pm. Campbell has been an integral part of the Indianapolis art scene for more than 25 years as an exhibiting artist and a driving force behind several of Indy’s best known studio centers including the Faris Building, the Murphy Art Center and the Indy Indie Artist Colony. Campbell made news last year with his groundbreaking exhibit, “My Catfish Friend,” the centerpiece of which was a 22.5 by 11.5 foot hand-carved installation that was displayed locally at IMOCA and in Grand Rapids, MI at ArtPrize. 

As in “My Catfish Friend”, Campbell’s new work incorporates allegorical characters into the pieces to tell real stories. He describes himself “as a painter, not a sculptor or woodworker” who does his underpainting in wood “with a chisel to add depth, shape and texture that you can touch.” Campbell, an Arts Council Creative Renewal Fellow and recipient of a NUVO Cultural Leadership Award, has had worked exhibited throughout the United States and is collected around the world.

The opening reception will take place as part of the Harrison Center’s May First Friday artist reception and open studio night. The work hangs through May 27.

Image: Rising From the Fire, acrylic on hand carved mahogany, Philip Campbell, 2016

With support from: the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis, the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, Christel DeHaan Family Foundation, Allen Whitehill Clowes Foundation, the Indianapolis Foundation, Sun King Brewery, and Amy McAdams Design.

Member, IDADA (Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association),www.idada.org