Artwork copyright Barbara Noah. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Reverie, 1990

Barbara Noah
American (born 1949)

Location: Dayton High School, Dayton

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Artist Barbara Noah hand-colored and combined different photo images in Reverie as an exploration of dreams, memories, and the state of the mind. It is part of a body of artworks that investigate our reflex to see a face with human features, even in disconnected images. The artwork also invites a personal interpretation of its symbols. She notes that this piece "contains intentionally mysterious imagery: a tornado for 'hair' or thought, twisted and punctured metal for 'eyes' that are closed, sleeping, or dreaming, and the ring nebula as a mouth. The title Reverie can refer to dreams, daydreams, or to the original French, resver or rever, to wander or to be delirious. It is possible to interpret the piece and its mood a number of ways, from turbulent to pensive."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with .

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Seattle-based mixed-media artist Barbara Noah creates conceptual artworks, including photographs, sculptures and paintings. Noah has taught art at national colleges and universities, including Cornish College of the Arts and the University of Washington, both in Seattle. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Art from Mills College in Oakland, California and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Noah received the 2011 Twining Humber Award for lifetime artistic achievement.