All Things Electoral at Susan Hensel Design

In times of trial, isolation can lead to fragmented information and feelings of hopelessness. Communities gain strength and support by gathering together and considering issues as a group. In All Things Electoral, at Susan Hensel Design, artists nationwide responded to the call for visual reflection on the upcoming presidential race. The result is a powerful collection of work that explores past, present and future elections, with much focus on the current presidential campaign.

Susan Hensel moved to Minneapolis five months ago from Lansing, Mich., and this is the first show at her gallery on Cedar Avenue in South Minneapolis. The timing is perfect for a political show. An activist and collector of curious objects for art projects, Hensel got her hands on an actual voting booth from Florida. For this installation, viewers are invited to "vote" with the very same butterfly ballots used in the notorious 2000 election debacle—hanging chads and all.

Hensel also includes two handmade books in the show, which she crafted in the early 1990s during the Gulf War. One is created from lovely handmade red paper, with pop-up cutouts of a hopeful prayer and graphics from the early days of digital design—a crafty and sleek combination. "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" is a piece that combines Xeroxed images produced by her 10-year-old son and his friend during the Gulf War. The innocence of the images, combined with their chaotic structure and gritty black and white reproduction, makes for a tingling portrait of a mother's distress. Having come of age during the Vietnam War, Hensel hoped her child might be spared such atrocities. But during the 90s, she realized that a new generation could become "cannon fodder" for another senseless war.

Margery Coffee, a peace activist from Nebraska, exhibits similar maternal malaise. In "Michael Goes to War," a sculpture she created when her son enlisted in the armed services, Coffee uses red paint splotches over toys to juxtapose everyday life with that of military combat.

Other artists offer verbal commentary. Seamus Leonard of St. Paul has created a "wall book," featuring a trail of language and illustration that runs from one side of the gallery to another. Local artist Liz Dodson's video piece "Tango: Dancing on the Twisted, Tainted and Tampered Waves" compares the graceful dancing of a couple to the clumsiness of U.S. foreign policy. By including a video image of oily, polluted water, Dodson asks viewers to consider the motivations for the Iraq War.

Tim Fort of Inver Grove Heights uses narrative video. In "Chain Reaction," Fort’s kinetic sculpture is a metaphor for U.S. military action throughout the world. His gadgets are clever, humorous and hypnotic. Colored blocks crash upon one another to spell out "Afghanistan," and popsicle sticks explode like bombs. Though a physical installation would be even more powerful, his unique work limits each piece to one-time-only art experiments.

Illinois' Karen Hanmer inscribes definitions over the text of the Patriot Act in her book "Patriot's Alphabet," questioning the validity of this contentious document that threatens many Constitutional rights and personal freedoms. "Decision 2000" gives rise to the anxious conjecture of Election Day four years ago. Here a mannequin wears a crown of cards, showing how minds whirled with possibility that day. From the "Royal Flush" crown, another strip of cards hangs down, looking like a roll of toilet paper. Hensel said it reminds her of "the giant flush of the presidency down the toilet in 2000."

A display of political cartoons from 1942 ironically highlights some of the same things going on today: blackouts of public information, war contracts and profits, and of course, oil negotiations.

Local painter Jane Evershed's expressionistic piece "republican convention 2004" is her artistic, emotional reaction to what she witnessed. Red, white and blue are dominant colors and the central figure brandishes a weapon, ready to fight. Far from the bright, tropical landscapes for which Evershed is known, this character sits in a deserted wasteland. Evershed has created a lonely warrior, representing how many feel toward the current administration.

Fortunately, Hensel's collaborative show unites many voices in a cacophonous chorus. Her aim is to involve anyone interested in art, and to use art as a tool for raising social consciousness. Here, voter participation is the focus. You can even vote at www.susanhenseldesign.com. Whatever your political preference, this show is an excellent precursor to the election on Nov. 2.

All Things Electoral may be viewed Fri. Oct. 22 from 1 to 4 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 23, from 7 to 9 p.m., and by generous appointment. Susan Hensel Gallery is located at 3441 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-722-2324.