Everett Community College is a perfect place for an exhibition of painter Jack Gunter’s epic multi-media installation “Secrets of the Mount Vernon Culture.”
The Camano Island artist is a former science teacher, after all.
“This thing involves all the disciplines rolled into one,” Gunter said. “I think the students at Everett will like it. It’s got archaeology, whimsy, movies and a great dose of balderdash.”
The EvCC’s Russell Day Gallery wasn’t quite large enough to house all of the irreverent, zany faux artifacts from Gunter’s original installation for the Bumbershoot arts celebration in 2000 at the Seattle Center.
“We couldn’t make the baseball park or hockey arena fit,” he said. What did make it into the gallery is an ancient stadium with a retractable roof, paintings of nearly naked women playing hockey and vases that comment on politicians, trickle-down economics and all kids of weird stuff.
Since its public unveiling 16 years ago, “Secrets” also has been displayed at the Whatcom Museum of History and Art in Bellingham, the Skagit County Historical Museum in La Conner and, of course, at Gunter’s gallery on Camano.
The installation is equal parts scientific parody and social commentary.
“I think America is afraid to look at itself,” Gunter said. “And that couldn’t be more true today.”
The “Secrets” were “discovered, uncovered, documented and prepared for exhibition” by Gunter, whose back story is that Mount Vernon (yes, the seat of government in our neighboring county) was once (30,000 years ago?) the neolithic cultural epicenter of the world. That is until a spreading glacier swallowed it up.
As my friend Peter Kelly wrote 15 years ago in the Skagit Valley Herald, “Gunter and the show are one; the exhibit is a chunk of Gunter’s wild mind, turned inside out and set under soft lighting.”
The 140-page catalog for the exhibit includes detailed explanations of each object. “Watch out, legitimate history!” Gunter has said about the show.
Get the gallery’s copy of the catalog to refer to as you tour the exhibit, watch the videos and have fun. That’s what Gunter really wants.
If you go
“Secrets of the Mount Vernon Culture” is displayed through Oct. 14 in the Russell Day Gallery, Parks Student Union, Everett Community College, 2000 Tower St.
Until the gallery gets some volunteer student help to expand its hours, the free exhibit is open to the public 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, and noon to 4:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday. Email gallery director Greg Kammer at gkammer@everettcc.edu to find out if the exhibit hours have changed.
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