ART | Ashley Blalock's "Keeping Up Appearances" 

The Roz Steiner Art Gallery at Genesee Community College (1 College Road, Batavia) is kicking off this spring semester with a vibrant installation by California-based artist Ashley Blalock. The site-specific crochet illustration, "Keeping Up Appearances," will fill the space with a spiderweb of larger-than-life, ornate, red doilies. Blalock creates artwork and installations inspired by everyday artifacts from the domestic sphere, exploring themes of discomfort and the coping mechanisms used to provide solace from the stress and trauma of modern life. She utilizes the slow, methodical process of crotchet as an answer to a world increasingly comprised of virtual connections, quick transitions, planned obsolescence, and instant gratification.

An artist lecture will be held Thursday, January 28, at 12:30 p.m., followed by opening receptions from 1 to 2 p.m. and from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibition continues through February 24. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 343-0055 x6490, or visit genesee.edu/gallery.