By Mary Lee Pappas / Star correspondent
Mississippi-born artist Ed McGowin, 71, legally changed his name 12 times from 1970 to 1972 to test his theory that an artist's career evolves on varied creative paths rather than a defined one.
Works by all of his artistic personas are on view in "Name Change," an exhibit at the Herron School of Art and Design. Silkscreens of the legal documents securing his name changes also are included in this show of sculptures, paintings, drawings and more.
"(It's) 40 years of work by 12 artists that was done by one person," McGowin says with a laugh. "Or, you could say a group show by one guy."
Although McGowin says the names he chose are not important, exhibition visitors will see works by Alva Isaiah Fost, Thorton Modestus Dossett, Nicholas Gregory Nazianzen and Lawrence Steven Orlean, among others.
"I don't try to disguise the fact that I'm Alva Fost or Thorton Dossett," he says. "I'm not trying to be different people or have different voices."
There is no performance aspect to McGowin's work. His artwork falls into various stylistic categories that get assigned to a persona.
His artists don't collaborate, but their works do overlap. "It would be confusing for you to go into my studio and pick out who all these different artists are," he says.
Some of the personas' distinct bodies of work have earned their own commercial notoriety, however. "I'm very proud that Harvard University bought a Thorton Dossett," McGowin said.
Conceptually weighty, McGowin's premise that all artists are creatively schizophrenic, that it's unnatural not to creatively experiment, is really rather simple and true. His theory essentially mocks artists who use a formula to create and then market their art, as if it were a brand, without wavering.
Name Change
» What: Works by Ed McGowin. » When: Through April 17. » Where: Herron School of Art and Design, 735 W. New York St.» Cost: Free. » Info: (317) 278-9423, www.herron.iupui.edu
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