‘Play,’ a major exhibition, set to open at Helen Day

The exhibition “Play” opens on Friday, Jan. 16, at the Helen Day Art Center, 90 Pond St., Stowe, and will run through April 4.

“Play” is one of the Helen Day’s major exhibitions of the year, taking up three rooms in the gallery, with additional projects outside. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 5.

The show examines play as an action, or as an inherent part of being human. Play embraces both the impulsive and the resourceful creative process.

For instance, a playhouse made from commonplace ingredients alongside modified or reimagined games reveal the result of invention, experimentation and risk-taking. The simple presence of these objects poignantly shows how human it is to play.

Artists enlist the viewer as collaborator by presenting participatory, interactive works, and some pieces will evolve and change over the course of the show.

Several artists in the show will also involve the larger community in creating projects.

Perhaps most importantly, the show asks gallery visitors to play as they interact with the show. The goal is to give visitors a more complex understanding of how play shapes the lives of artists and of society as a whole.

As they duck through a small door to enter the gallery, visitors will be asked metaphorically to briefly enter the space as children, regardless of their actual age. A tire swing hangs from the gallery ceiling, and a toy spacecraft spins on an axis. A brightly colored basketball backboard with a crocheted net hangs nearly to the floor. A large touch-screen device that looks like a giant iPhone allows visitors to create colorful mosaics.

In another part of the gallery, visitors can use their hands to create virtual graffiti projected on a wall. In an adjoining room, a playhouse created as a collaboration among hundreds of local children invites exploration. A time-lapse video shows the creation of this project.

The artists include the Champlain College Sandbox Team, John Douglas, Abraham Ferraro, Hillerbrand+Magsamen, Tara McConnell, Maria Molteni and Randy Reiger.

The show is curated by Matt Neckers. Sponsors include the James E. Robison Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Stowe Today, Stowe Reporter, Vermont Arts Council, and Xpress Copy & Print.

Information: Rachel Moore, 253-8358, hdacexhibits@helenday.com.