This month only! Live and in person! Normand and McKee will wow you with their joint exhibit in the Harrison Gallery. It’s quite a show. More than a typical art display, “Circus Circus” is a transportative high dive into the sensational. Kipp Normand and Johnny McKee have created an immersively playful environment that contextualizes the full spectrum of the spectacle.

“Circus Circus” is busy in a thrilling way. The eye bounces around the gallery with excitement, just as it would in a compelling performance, with something new to discover around every corner. It’s no surprise that these two experienced artists and curators have assembled a show that is perfectly full, with a tantalizing array of colors that are deep, rather than bright; a variety of mediums, from found object sculptures to digital prints; and floor to ceiling display, with hanging pennants, signage, and a precariously stacked sculpture of chairs.

The High Flyers, Johnny McKee. Acrylic on canvas, 72 x 72.

Both cheeky and mysterious, “Circus Circus” strikes the balance between danger, delight, and humor. Pieces like “The High Flyers,” from McKee appear as ghostly pop art, while a series of cyanotype photographs from Normand shows us the ghosts themselves. Although many of the works showcase performers, it is less from the perspective of the dazzled spectator than from a seasoned participant. Photographs featured throughout the exhibit are archival and bring humanity to the circus, grounding the phenomenon of big bands and lion tamers as well as the abstract works included in the show.

Boomtown. Kipp Normand. Collage, 15 x 11.

The exhibit also draws from local history. The small town of Peru, Indiana, known as the “Circus Capital of the World,” is where the Peru Amateur Circus has been in operation each summer for the last 60 years. “The Young Americans,” “Thoughts and Prayers,” and “High Castings” all utilize photographs from Peru’s circus in the 1960s. The city’s relationship with the circus is much older, though. Many traveling circus groups wintered in and around Peru in the 1800s, where family generations of circus members still perform.

Circus City. McKee. Digital print, 31 x 29.

The circus, which has seen a decline in popularity in recent decades, is preserved by Normand and McKee in its humanity, absurdity, and fantastic glory. “Circus Circus” by Johnny McKee and Kipp Normand will be on display in the Harrison Gallery for the month of July. The exhibit can be viewed by appointment and in our online gallery, where all pieces are available for purchase.

The Wild West Show. Kipp Normand. 23 x 13.