Dan Wahl: Don't Doubt Your Horses


FREE: open to the public
DATE
January 23 — April 18
TIME
10:00 AM — 4:00 PM
WHERE
Goodenow Gallery

Dan Wahl

Opening Reception: Thursday, January 23 | 5 - 7 pm

 

Born from a desire to understand the equine body structure, the 400 Horses Project (2015) evolved from a drawing exercise into the practice of acceptance. While Wahl set out to create 400 horse drawings from January 1st to December 31st, after a few months it became clear that if the project was completed, Wahl would have to accept all the horses.  Wahl states that this began raising essential questions about standards and aesthetics: What is “bad art”? What drawings would artists hide in their sketchbooks? Wahl adds that “the focus shifted from the act of drawing to the act of liking, which necessitated a deeper appreciation for the horses in order to let them be who they are.  The phrase ‘Don’t Doubt Your Horses’ emerged along with more adventuresome horses who, without the mantra, might have never come into being.”

Visitors to this exhibition will be encouraged to draw horses of their own and add to the gallery space, with each new drawing growing the exhibition strengthening a positive feedback loop that would encourage more people to draw. 

Dan Wahl is an artist and writer from the prairie land of southwest Minnesota.