30 (Thousand) Years, Holland Area Arts Council
Holland, MI
Three-Person, June 25 – August 8, 2026
Patricia Opel, Timothy Norris, Ari Norris: 30 (Thousand) years
Time, as a lens (no pun intended) in which to consider the work of this family of artists, is a direct connection to the curious title: 30 (Thousand) Years.
Reflection, whether it is defined as a mirrored image (mythology), a return of light or sound (physics) or the physical act of bending or folding back, references time.
How many years of Art? Art, as in making, viewing, considering, discussing, teaching, de-constructing, and on, within a 30,000-year span can we access? Certainly, if time allows, Phaidon’s, 30,000 Years of Art: The Story of Human Creativity Across Time and Space provides a rangy chronology for reference—and reflection.
How many years of parenting? Tim Norris and Patti Opel, the parents of 30-year-old Ari Norris can tell you, as most of us will, it is a lifetime. A life of art informs a life of nurturing. Curiosity leads to the availability of tools, teaching techniques, the provision of space and opportunity. Connections to colleagues, experiences in museums and in nature can lead to experimentation and collaboration. Time becomes circular, looping and folding as the act of creating becomes immersive. What better way to grow?
Ari notes the commonality here, between the three artists, of the monochromatic palette. We see this in the grayscale of Tim’s mixed media work, in the reflective surfaces of Patti’s silver-coated assemblages and, especially in the brilliant double ouroboros of Ari’s ductwork Spectacle of Spectacles.
It is important to consider that Tim and Patti worked in collaboration on large-scale paintings during their early years as artists which may in part, account for their unique relationship with Ari. A commitment to cooperation, rather than competition (so apparent in the art world) is required in collaborative endeavors such as art-making and parenting. So, commonality can be noticed and appreciated when we work well together.
Within such a rich tapestry of family life and art making, possibilities for inquiry and experimentation are endless. What are you interested in knowing? Mythology and the meaning of symbolism inherent in these ancient narratives. What do you know already? How to build, to dig, to excavate for evidence of the history of humanity. How can you expand your awareness? Through teaching, learning, experimenting and questioning in order to create something never seen before like a pair of giant spectacles. As we observe, we become the observed, perpetually watched and mirrored within the culture we are a part of.
We lean back to the past in order to make meaning of the present and move into an uncertain future. Art History is apparent everywhere in the work of all three artists and the time-warping experience of ordering that history can be seen in the gridded framework of Norris’ detailed arrangements of elemental matter, ancient-seeming objects evoking timeless rituals and the practical tools of the builders’ trade. Time becomes fragmentary.
Carl Jung discerned the symbolism inherent in ancient mythological narratives as explanatory notes on the human condition and our chaotic-seeming psychology. Reason over chaos is evidenced in Patti’s symmetry, harmony, rhythm and balance which, as principles of design, lead us into a more provocative figure-scape of the “collective unconscious” that includes the past and present simultaneously; a meet-up of the trans-historical and cross-cultural with everyday objects positioned to symbolize a familiar narrative.
Ari strips away these macrocosmic worlds and delivers that Spectacle of Spectacles as a stark reminder of time and vision. The past is clear in reference to the minimalist, Charlotte Posenenske, and therefore contrasts nicely with both Patti and Tim’s more traditional use of motif and materials. He challenges us with notions of the precious in art through the use of industrial material and leaving evidence of process. What is finished? What even does that mean to the artist?
As the snake eats his own tail, one question leads to the next ad finitum.
Norris, Opel and Norris each leave us with a sensation of time as it is memorized, planned for, portioned and merging—one work of art after another, a myriad of references, and our constant interaction as reflection.
Honore Lee
artist, educator
