1878 Gallery
April 21- May 27, 2018
Opening Reception Saturday, April 21, 2018
6:00 – 9:00 PM
Artist talk at 6:30 PM
Chance Dunlap
Best Chance
Trained as a sculptor and painter, Chance Dunlap’s recent practice has focused on his passion for handmade fishing lures. Best Chance features a selection of Dunlap’s hand-crafted lures, along with examples of folk art lures from the artist’s personal collection. These works mirror Dunlap's own experience and interests as a fisherman, collector, and maker of lures. Created with the utilitarian and hopeful gesture of attracting something you can’t see from the surface, Dunlap’s tackle making possesses the formal qualities of form, texture, and color, while also harboring a relationship to place. In conjunction with the exhibition, visitors are invited to participate in an ongoing lure swap. Bring a lure and trade it for a selection of bait made by the artist.
Chance Dunlap was born and raised near Lubbock, TX, where big skies, cotton fields, and rural experiences have shaped his life and work. While in high school, his family moved to Sherman, TX, where, in the summer of 2003, he made his first sculpture in the backyard of his parents' house – deciding instantly to become a practicing artist. Dunlap completed his undergraduate work at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, just north of the Texas/Oklahoma border, and received an MFA in sculpture at the University of North Texas in Denton. His work continues to take clues from his rural roots, experiences, and personal interests. Dunlap is a proud member of the National Fishing Lure Collectors Club (NFLCC) and regularly attends trade shows to educate others on the subject. His work has been featured in exhibitions at the Tyler Museum of Art, the Bathhouse Cultural Center, Dallas, TX; and Fort Worth Community Arts Center. He is represented by Ro2 Art Gallery in Dallas, TX.
