Don Lambert: Lawn Jobs

This exhibit continues Don Lambert’s investigation of visual phoneme, employed as a comment on both cultural and social perceptions. The title is a reference to yard work, as well as to the slang term for driving a car through someone’s lawn. The artist began playing with striping patterns in his own yard as a way of combating the boredom of his weekly domestic chores. This eventually led to an investigation into the origins of the American lawn, its aesthetics, and the effects this formal landscape has on our social and environmental interactions. The project spread into the studio where he has utilized artificial turf as a primary material. The work has developed into a more focused exploration of decoration and patterning as they relate to both domesticity and the ideals of Middle America.