Above the Fold Exhibition
Viaduct Gallery, Des Moines Social Club
Des Moines, IA
Above the Fold; an interactive exhibit and event series featuring artists, instructors, and performers from across the United States and Australia curated by Jami Milne.
Historically this phrase has been used most literally to signify that which made the cut — the content so newsworthy that it received prominent positioning on the top half of the newspaper. The term is also now used figuratively, to describe more than just that upper fold of the paper, but also giving meaning to that content located near the top of an email or web page — the information you see before you begin to scroll down.
While this should serve as a straightforward, hierarchical, organization system, it gets messy when applied elsewhere. When applied to life, for instance, what holds top position?
The 12 pieces chosen for this month’s exhibit, opening Thursday, October 8 at 7pm at Viaduct Gallery, all describe the fold in various ways. Literally — anatomic folds in bat wings, fallen birds and origami paper. Figuratively, shedding light on works of art once published with less priority now rebroadcast in new ways, hopeful and helpless Syrian refugee heartache, and collaborative spins on self-portraits — artistic autobiographies from the fold of the waist up.
The phrase above the fold will never cease to exist as long as we continue our examination of what we prioritize. That being said, how happy are you with your headlines? Make them worth reading. Every column inch.
