Union Street Gallery exhibit showcases two sculptors

Hoosier artist Rob Millard-Mendez hopes his three-dimensional works appeal to more than seasoned art aficionados.

"If the kids leave happy and the carpenters leave impressed, then it's a good exhibition," he said. "A lot of the things I do are kind of toy-like and have a whimsical quality to them, and some of them have buttons you can press and things you can do so they can move in a toy-like way. And they have a craft to them that is totally solid."

The artist is exhibiting a series of works alongside Ann Arbor-based sculptor Howard Haarer at Chicago Heights' Union Street Gallery starting Wednesday.

Millard-Mendez, who resides in Evansville, received bachelor's and master's degrees at University of Massachusetts Lowell and University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, respectively. An assistant art professor at University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, Millard-Mendez' creations have been exhibited in galleries throughout the East Coast and Midwest over the course of the last 15-plus years.

Haarer is a retired lead sculptor who worked for General Motors. In the last near four decades, Haarer has exhibited throughout the Midwest as well as in galleries in Ohio, Tennessee and Florida.

Jessica Freudenberg-Segal, Union Street Gallery's director, is the curator of the joint exhibit. Both artists showcased their works in a group exhibit at the gallery last year.

More than two dozen sculptures will be shown in the show.

"We really wanted to feature sculptures in the area that's not typically shown," she said. "Both of their bodies of work are also playful and on the lighter side. The two really play off of each other really well."

Citing American folk art as an influence on his works, Millard-Mendez' contributions to the exhibit were created over the course of the last three years.

"The materials that he uses, for the most part, are bronze and the (sculptures) are relatively abstract," Millard-Mendez' said of Haarer's pieces. "I think the imagery that I use is probably more concrete and more recognizable most times. His work has a lot of resonant narrative in it, and I think that my work has a narrative approach in many ways."

The exhibit is slated to run at Union Street Gallery through Feb. 11.

Union Street Gallery is open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 12 p.,m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.