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April Issue 2005
Charleston City Gallery in Charleston, SC, Offers Works by Thomas A. Bennett
The City Gallery at the Dock Street Theatre in Charleston, SC, will present an exhibit entitled, The Thomas A. Bennett Collection, featuring mixed media works by National Audubon Society artist, Thomas A. Bennett, from Apr. 22 through May 17, 2005.
Bennett, a native of Central Florida, began his lifelong passion for wildlife art while growing up on his grandparents' cattle ranch. The rural landscape brought the young boy into contact with many different types of wildlife. These early observations and encounters influenced the artist's later work. Bennett's first commission, a scene of snowy egrets and cypress trees, came during high school from one of his own teachers. Today, Bennett resides in Duplin County, NC, near the coast. He is the artist-in-residence at the North Carolina Museum of Natural History, where his collection in progress, Wildlife of the Carolinas and the Southeast, documents native wildlife in a style reminiscent of John James Audubon.
Bennett comments on his work, "I am working to create an unparalleled series of natural history portraits that capture the energy of our beautiful and wild heritage. I began with species that had gone extinct. The loss of these unique species is to me unbelievable - the Carolina Parakeet was our only native parrot species. People do not realize how fragile our environment is. You cannot lose too many links before ecosystems suffer irreparable damage."
The City Gallery at the Dock Street Theatre, established by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs in 1978, is located in the historic Dock Street Theatre. The gallery mission is to exhibit the work of visual artists from the tri-county area, especially those engaged in serious contemporary and experimental work. Artists interested in applying for the 2006 exhibitions should contact the OCA no later than Oct. 31, 2005.
For further info check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the OCA at 843/724-7305 or at (www.ci.charleston.sc.us/oca.html).
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