LINCOLN.- Artist Leighton Pierce uses film, video and sound to create transformative experiences for museum visitors. His new installation, "Agency of Time," opens Aug. 12 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Sheldon Museum of Art, with the artist presenting a brief gallery talk about his work at 5:30 p.m.

The exhibition, on view through Oct. 19, is free and a gallery guide is available for visitors.

Pierce created this site-specific installation for the Sheldon and engages viewers by creating an emotionally evocative experience. "The video loops (presented on constructed 3-D objects) are painterly, marginally abstract, gestural evocations of common objects and activities," Pierce said.

Through the use of rich, cascading imagery against the counterpoint of the sound track, Pierce's work encourages visitors to listen intently and to look inward.

Pierce has had retrospectives at Lincoln Center, the Cinematheque Francaise, Festival Nemo and Pompidou Center in Paris, and at the Lisboa Bienal of Contemporary Art. Pierce has received fellowships from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Camargo Foundation. He teaches and directs the Film and Video Production Program in the Department of Cinema and Comparative Literature at the University of Iowa.

He will give a formal lecture at 5:30p.m. Sept. 30 in Sheldon's Ethel S. Abbott Auditorium.

The Cooper Foundation's support of new technology at the Sheldon has made this exhibition possible. The Sheldon Art Association and Nebraska Arts Council have provided additional support for this installation. "Agency of Time" is a project of Creative Capital. Additional support for the project has been provided by the Iowa Arts Council and the University of Iowa Arts and Humanities Initiative.

Sheldon Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of more than 12,000 objects focusing on American art. The museum, 12th and R streets on the UNL City Campus, is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For information or to arrange a tour, call (402) 472-2461. Additional information is also available on the Sheldon Web site, www.sheldon.unl.edu.