Our days are infiltrated with machines: assembly lines, bulldozers, the corporate machine. Technology has also influenced the pop and conceptual art movements. These days, plenty of art is made by machines. In some cases, machines are art! But the exhibit, Set to Manual, at the Girls Club Gallery (117 NE 2 St., Fort Lauderdale) brings back the hands-on approach. All artwork on display requires real live human tinkering! From hand-painted animation to hand-altered 16mm film, each piece of art is developed, refined and customized by artists. Nancy Spero uses various sized typewriters to put her signature hand-printing texts on paper. While some of her room-size narratives express outrage towards female oppression, other works explore different themes, like the mythologization of heroines. Also on display will be freewheeling collages (that swell) by Gean Moreno, and from Yui Kugimiya, a video program that imbue her paintings with movement. Other notable artists include Vija Celmins, Cornelia Smith, and Kiki Smith, as well as South Floridas Rosemarie Chiarlone, Pepe Mar, and Jen Stark. The free exhibit runs until September 30, 2010. Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. from Wednesday to Friday. Call 954-828-9151, or visit girlsclubcollection.org.
Wednesdays-Fridays, 1 p.m. Starts: Nov. 18. Continues through Sept. 30, 2009