Carolina Arts Unleashed

OK, we have a category, Not About Seagrove Pottery, now we also have a category, About Seagrove Pottery - officially. Yes, we’ve done a lot of entries about Seagrove, NC’s pottery community - whether it be about the North Carolina Pottery Center and its efforts to stay open in difficult financial times, or pottery events taking place in Seagrove, but now it officially has a category of it own - well, really two if you count the Not About Seagrove Pottery category as somehow it always seems to end up in those entries too.

Well, ever since Carolina Arts has been covering visual arts in Seagrove we have had a basic problem. It was not a problem adding the NC Pottery Center’s exhibits in our NC Institutional Gallery listings, but how could we fit the commercial potteries into the NC Commercial Gallery listings - there are over 100 in the area. That addition would take up almost two pages in the paper and with out some advertising return to offset that space - we just couldn’t afford it - especially now. This fact always bothered me. For awhile we did list a few potteries, but that was not fair to the rest.

Then, one day it hit me. You know like when the light bulb goes off over someone’s head in a cartoon. Why wasn’t I including the potteries on our website version of the paper - Carolina Arts Online? Really, why? I can’t say other than perhaps I subconsciously knew how much work that would be getting all that info together.

Well, each month I have a few free days where no deadline is hanging over my head - usually that means taking care of overdue yard work, but when the light bulb went off this month - it happened to be raining - everyday. Plus, surely a lot of this info was available on the internet - Seagrove does have several pottery organizations offering this info. So I started on my quest and something like 94 pottery listings later we now have most of the Seagrove area potteries included on our NC Commercial Gallery listings.

There are a few we couldn’t find info about, and I’m sure like all internet listings, some info has changed and even some potteries may have moved or closed, but updating this info will be up to the individual potteries. Just send us an e-mail with corrections at (info@carolinaarts.com).

There were also a few exceptions - there always are. There were some potteries listed as Seagrove potteries, but in reality they were located in cities almost 50 miles away. I didn’t include them. We have a policy of listing some locations near each other together - like Davidson and Cornelius, NC, in with Charlotte, NC, area galleries and Mt. Pleasant, Isle of Palms, and Sullivan’s Island in SC, together, but we have never combined areas almost 50 miles apart. If it’s just 10 - 20 miles well that’s close enough especially when listing a few under a different heading takes up more room. So that’s why we left some out that were included in some of these organization’s listings.

So, I hope you take advantage of these new listings and can now see how unique an area Seagrove really is as an arts destination. The city of Charleston, SC, has about 100 art galleries in the area, but we’d be comparing an apple with a single raisin - Seagrove doesn’t have a McDonalds or a Wal-Mart - imagine that. Really, imagine that and you’ll soon realize how nice an area this is. You can get your Mickey-D or big box fixes in Asheboro, NC, just 15 minutes away. What Seagrove has is potteries - lots of them and the NC Pottery Center. I’d say what more could you want, but living in a community even smaller than Seagrove, I won’t insult the people who live there. I’m not fond of driving 15 - 20 minutes away for just about everything, but I also like where I live and I know the people in Seagrove do too.

Now you’ll be able to see how a trip to Seagrove is like going to a big outdoor mall of pottery - with plenty of parking. The big difference is - all the pottery is made right there by local potters.

Home

In my continuing effort to bring you readers info about pottery events - not taking place in Seagrove, NC, we received a short e-mail which told us about a juried pottery exhibit taking place at the Rutherford County Visual Arts Center in Rutherfordton, NC. The e-mail came after our deadlines for both the paper and our website. I’m not including this as a reward for being late, but as an example.

The exhibit, Wheel and Coil and Slab, will be on view at the Arts Center from July 10 through Aug. 31, 2009. The Rutherford County Visual Arts Center is located at 173 N. Main Street in Rutherfordton. They are open Tue.-Sat., 10am-3pm and Fridays until 6:30pm. The Center can be contacted by calling 828/288-5009 or visit (www.rcvag.com).

That last paragraph was about all they sent. It makes me wonder if they are paying by the word for their e-mail or what. I know this is a juried show where they may not have even seen the entries yet, but they could say more. I went to their website - looked at the exhibit prospectus, even sent a return e-mail asking for more info, but received none yet as of this posting.

Since this is a juried show it would be nice to know who will be doing the jurying and if that juror was going to make any cash awards. I receive a lot of info about juried shows and usually they include more info about the juror than info about the exhibit.

There was an entry fee mentioned in the prospectus and a statement that all works entered will be for sale and can be taken by a buyer at any time during the exhibit (70/30 split) - if the artists wanted to they could travel to the Center to replace the work sold - with an unjuried work? So what’s the point of this being a juried show?

With what little I’ve learned about pottery I can tell that the title of the exhibit, Wheel and Coil and Slab, refers to different ways of making pottery, but nothing is offered about that in this e-mail - is there an educational component to this exhibit - I don’t know? Or is it just a clever reference to The Wizard of OZ phrase - Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh My?

This e-mail is an example of a lot of info we receive everyday at Carolina Arts - it says less than it should. You usually have more questions after reading.

So, as someone who might read that there will be a juried pottery exhibit offered in Rutherfordton, NC, during a 50 day period - why should I go see this show? If Cynthia Bringle was the juror, would that pique your interest? If the Best of Show award was $10,000 would that make you want to see that work? If the Center was going to be posting text panels describing various techniques used in making pottery along with live demonstrations - would that make you interested in visiting this exhibit?

As an editor of a visual arts newspaper this kind of e-mail just represents more work on my part. I have enough work to do already - I’m looking for the easy e-mail to process. This particular e-mail came after deadline and in this case will be set aside for the August issue - meaning that readers might not see it until 20 days after it has already started. Maybe too late for someone to go see it. This particular e-mail will get some publicity here, but not the kind I’m sure they wished it would get.

This juried show may be a wonderful exhibit - if so, it deserved a better and more timely press release, but then again I’ve seen many a show that didn’t stand up to the press release sent about it. So what’s an exhibit viewer to do. I know I make my decisions by what the press release says - even if at times the show doesn’t hold up to what was said. You always learn something, but I won’t travel on so little info. Do you?

The other point is - there are so many choices. I also received (after deadline) info about a pottery exhibit at the Crabtree Creek Art & Floral Gallery in Micaville, NC. They are presenting the exhibit, Imagery in Clay, featuring distinctive works by Ken Sedberry, on view from July 2 - 28, 2009. And, there’s a great pottery show at The Bascom in Highlands, NC. The exhibit, The Three Potters: Bringle, Hewitt and Stuempfle, is on view through July 11, 2009, This show features wheel-thrown and hand built work, some 30-40 pieces, by master artists Cynthia Bringle, Mark Hewitt and David Stuempfle.

A good press release can make the difference in why someone selects your exhibit to go see it above all others. That’s the lesson of the day.

But, if I was traveling all the way to Rutherfordton or Micaville, why not go visit Michael Kline Pottery in Bakersville, NC. But, you might want to give him a call first at (828-675-4097) he’s a busy guy. He’s also a blogger. And, if you go there you should stop by the gallery at the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC.

Boy, this is turning into an adventure. No matter where you go, there is always something else interesting near by, and that’s why you need Carolina Arts to let you know - just what that is, where it is, and when it’s taking place. Would you go to the opera without a program? Not me.

And, finally for the record. David Stuempfle is a Seagrove, NC, potter and Mark Hewitt is a board member of the NC Pottery Center in Seagrove. You just can’t mention pottery in North Carolina and not have this area show up. Well, at least it seems I can’t find a way not to find the Seagrove connection.

Home

By now, some of you would be going through your copy of the July 09 issue of Carolina Arts. I wish! Our printing company has us in a holding pattern waiting to have the pages stitched together. The paper has been printed, but not assembled, which means I’m not going to make my usual - delivered by the first Friday of the month for July. You can see July’s info on our website and pages of the paper - later today, while I’m waiting for my traveling orders. So, we hope you all have a great holiday weekend - although without your copy of Carolina Arts.

Home

Yesterday, after another sweltering trip to Charleston, SC, I returned home to check my e-mail. While sorting through the days’ list of junk, outlandish offers, jokes about our Governor (no name offered) and even a few directed for Carolina Arts - I found myself gazing at a few e-mails I leave on my incoming list as a reminder of things - things to do, people to get back with, e-mails that I shouldn’t forget about, and e-mails kept for legal reasons. That’s right, I have to occasionally deal with some people who are down right nuts, so I keep their e-mails.

Among those e-mails was the last one I received from Judith McGrath down in Kalamunda, Western Australia, near Perth. This one is saved as a good reminder and as I looked at it I wondered about what it would be like to be there right now. You see, while we’ve been going through 90+ temps for several weeks, thunder storms, and near 90 percent humidity, Australia is going through its winter season. I know - the grass is always greener…

McGrath was a contributor to Carolina Arts for almost ten years, until the economy hit the fan and we had to cut back on expenses (even small ones) and space in the paper, but I miss her words about the visual art community in her corner of the world and most of the time about the visual art community in general. Through her writing we learned that it is a small world and things are not that different - no matter where you are.

So, I sent her an e-mail and woke up this morning and found the following response about what has been going on with her. She’s been teaching an Art Appreciation class at the local Learning Centre in her area.

Here’s part of her e-mail:

Talk about great minds thinking alike! I was just on your site the other day and enjoyed reading your blog about the National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition in North Charleston. Also appreciated viewing the excellent pictures and deciding which ones I’d like to have in my own garden - when I’m rich and famous! I particularly liked the gentle flow of Pattie Firestone’s Thoughts Running Like a River, the contemplative aspect of Corrina Sephora Mensoff’s, Where I have come from, what will I leave behind?, and James Burnes’ Rich Sis which had me thinking of a retired race horse, worn out but still majestic. However, all were excellent presentations.

We have two similar sculptural exhibitions Down Under, both presented on the white sands of the beach, albeit each with a different ocean as a backdrop. One is on Bondi Beach along the Pacific Ocean near Sydney on the Eastern side of the continent, the other is held on Cottesloe Beach by the Indian Ocean near Perth in Western Australia. I always enjoy attending the latter and seeing families lounging on the sand, under the sun and in the company of monumental works of art in all manner of material. It reminds me that art should always be for the general public, not just the literati.

You may have noticed that I’ve been slack about posting reviews on my own site. My only excuse is that I’m finding precious little to write about when meandering through commercial galleries and local public venues. What I have found is how the rhetorical “there’s nothing new in art” has become the reality of “seen it all before”? As such I fear for the future of the visual arts due to the lack of inspirational and/or practical artistic education.

In my capacity as an art reviewer I have no problem with giving polite “corrective” criticism to aspiring artists who are happy to take it on board as they may benefit from it. However, I am not in the habit of writing “negative” reviews because, as an ex-art history lecturer, I am aware that anything written, be it positive or negative, is archived and available to future generations. My logic runs along the lines that if I name a practitioner in an article, whether I condemn or praise their work, it is proof that at one time, he or she existed as an “artist” therefore according them a place in future art history. With that in mind, I have banned myself from writing “bad” reviews, as there is already sufficient “equine manure” in print validating the artistic underachiever.

The ban became a real hurdle for me when viewing the latest exhibition of works by newly graduated art students. While walking through the exhibition the thought that if this is the “best” the schools have to offer had me fighting an urge to sit down and cry. The craft work was excellent while only a few sculptors considered their 3D constructions from all points of view. But it was the painting that brought tears to my eyes as they lacked an understanding of color usage and underlying compositional structure. It was so depressing I was sorely tempted to break my long held “ban on the bad” as I felt something had to be said publicly. And I would have overcome the temptation and ignore the show until I spotted one exhibit that was very familiar. I had seen something very much like it twenty-odd years ago in a different gallery. I knew who the artist was then, and I knew he was now a lecturer in the art school being represented by this student. As I stood in front of the work, I asked the gallery manager if teachers were exhibiting too. He knew what I saw, smiled enigmatically and shook his head.

There’s a saying in the art world in my town that goes; “Them that can, do. Them that can’t, teach.” It’s no wonder there is nothing new for me to say about art in my town. I do hope in your town, each year brings new and exciting aspects in the wonderful world of the visual arts.

Cheers

I’m hoping as the economy recovers and we get through this long summer, I’ll be able to offer McGrath’s writings again in Carolina Arts. You can still find the articles McGrath sent us archived on our website here, dating back to 2000.

Judith McGrath lives in Kalamunda, Western Australia, 25 minutes east of Perth. She received a BA in Fine Art and History from the University of Western Australia. McGrath lectured in Art History and Visual Literacy at various colleges around the Perth area, and was an art reviewer for The Sunday Times and The Western Review both published in the Perth area. McGrath is currently a freelance writer, reviewer for various art magazines in Australia and teaching. She also co-ordinates the web site Art Seen in Western Australia.

Home

Over the next two years, Center City Charlotte will be transformed by the development of the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus (formerly the Wachovia Cultural Campus), which will include an expanded Mint Museum of Art, an expanded Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts & Culture (formerly the Afro-American Cultural Center) and the new Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. What a boon for the visual arts in the Charlotte area and the Carolinas.

The Gantt Center will open later this year, the Bechtler Museum will open in Jan. 2010, and the Mint in the fall of 2010. I can hardly wait. But I guess I’ll have to.

To introduce the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and its collection to the public, an interim website has been launched at (www.bechtler.org). Created by MODE, a Charlotte-based branding and interactive agency, the site highlights artists in the collection, provides architectural information, describes museum offerings and gives visitors the opportunity to sign up for e-mail updates regarding programs, exhibitions, membership, facilities rental, volunteering and educational opportunities. The website will continue to expand in the months ahead.

While on the website look for the “Firebird” - a while back I came across a story about its restoration - this is really something.

But here’s some other info to get you interested.

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the only museum dedicated to the exhibition of mid 20th-century European modern art in the southeast, will open to the public on Jan. 2, 2010.

Construction of the museum’s distinct four-story, 36,500 square foot building in downtown Charlotte is nearing completion. Museum staff is slated to move into the facility this summer and the collection is scheduled to arrive in the fall. The building, designed by world renowned Swiss architect Mario Botta, is destined to become an iconic structure with its boldly cantilevered fourth floor exhibition gallery, soaring glass and steel atrium and terra cotta exterior.

The museum is named after the family of Andreas Bechtler, a Charlotte resident and native of Switzerland who assembled and inherited a collection of more than 1,400 artworks created by major figures of 20th-century modernism and donated it to the public trust. The Bechtler collection reflects most of the important art movements and schools from the 20th century with a deep holding of the School of Paris after World War II.

The collection is comprised of artworks by seminal figures such as Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miro, Jean Tinguely, Max Ernst, Andy Warhol, Le Corbusier, Sol Lewitt, Edgar Degas, Nicolas de Stael, Barbara Hepworth and Picasso. In many instances the holdings by a particular artist are across various media (painting, sculpture, drawing, prints and decorative arts). Some works in the collection are also accompanied by books, photographs and letters illustrating personal connections to the Bechtler family.

Only a handful of the artworks in the Bechtler collection have been on public view in the United States. Until now, the collection was privately held by the Bechtler family and has since been committed to the city of Charlotte.

From time to time as we get news we’ll keep you posted about this exciting project.

Home

The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC, is inviting the public to the “Prop Master Deconstruction Party,” on Saturday, July 18, 2009, from 2-5pm. The event is free with museum admission.

Take home a piece of exhibition history from the Prop Master: An Installation by Juan Logan and Susan Harbage Page. Museum goers can grab a box (or boxes) from the 10,000 that are the centerpiece of this critically acclaimed exhibition. Artists Juan Logan and Susan Harbage Page will be on hand to autograph boxes and encourage visitors to take home a symbol of Charleston’s past. Enjoy complimentary samples from Paolo’s Gelato (while supplies last).

The Gibbes Museum of Art is located at 135 Meeting Street in Charleston, for further information call 843/722-2706 or visit (www.gibbesmuseum.org).

Home

As I mentioned before on June 20, 2009, the weathermen were calling for 100+ degree temps in the Charleston, SC, area so I headed out to take digital images of this year’s crop of sculptures at the Riverfront Park, located at The Navy Yard at Noisette (former Charleston Naval Base) in North Charleston, on the Cooper River. The 4th Annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition will be on view through Mar. 25 - 2010, but no better time than the present to check it out. Really?

I guess by the way some of us talk every year we tend to forget that it gets hot here in South Carolina during the summer and projections of 100+ degrees the day before summer starts is no big deal - life goes on - you just wear less clothes. Besides I was at least smart enough to go in the morning when the temp was just 85 degrees.

Here’s a commercial announcement from the City of North Charleston: Organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique exhibition offers established and emerging artists the opportunity to display their thought provoking, extraordinary sculptures throughout the stunning, picturesque Riverfront Park. Set on the banks of the gorgeous Cooper River, visitors enjoy ten acres of walking paths, a fishing pier, an oversized sandbox and children’s play fountain and the new Naval Base Memorial. A magnificent contemporary Performance Pavilion and expansive lawn provide a wonderful outdoor setting for small and large-scale events. Future park additions include a pedestrian bridge across Noisette Creek to the Hunley Submarine Museum. The historic site is centered in the Noisette District, the largest urban redevelopment project ever undertaken in the United States.

The 2009 National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition juror was David Furchgott, President and Founder of International Arts and Artists, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally through exhibitions, programs and services to artists, arts institutions, and the public. For over 16 years, he was the Executive Director of the International Sculpture Center, which he developed to become the largest organization for sculpture with 15,000 members in over 70 countries. It was there that he began and published Sculpture magazine. Previously, he was with the South Carolina Arts Commission, the Gibbes Museum of Art and a consultant to the Spoleto Festival USA.

So here are the sculptures in this year’s exhibition:

Big Water Bottle Basket, steel, enamel by Jonathan Brilliant of Charleston, SC

Rich Sis, steel, wood by James Burnes of Santa Fe, NM

Boxes in a Box, aluminum by Samuel Burns of Chattanooga, TN

Orion’s Pyramid, steel by Stephen Chilingirian or Zirconia, NC

Cathedral Arch, steel by Bob Doster of Lancaster, SC

Thoughts Running Like a River, aluminum by Pattie Firestone of Chevy Chase, MD

Suffering Passes, Having Suffered Never Passes; In Living, Loss and Rebirth Enfold One Another, oak by James Fuhrman of Glenmoore, PA

Wave Form #5, reclaimed dock boards by Gary Gresko of Oriental, NC

Ollie’s Buoy, steel and concrete by Roger Halligan of Chattanooga, TN

Personal Space, steel by Hanna Jubran of Grimesland, NC

Where I have come from, what will I leave behind?, steel and cast iron by Corrina Sephora Mensoff of Atlanta, GA

Triangle Tango, steel by Bob Turan of Earlton, NY

Ker-Plunk, steel by Adam Walls of Red Springs, NC

The results of the competition for the 2009 National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition are as follows:
Best in Show went to James Fuhrman for Suffering Passes, Having Suffered Never Passes; In Living, Loss and Rebirth Enfold One Another; 2nd Place was given to Roger Halligan for Ollie’s Buoy; 3 Honorable Mentions went to Jonathan Brilliant for Water Bottle Basket, Corrina Sephora Mensoff for Where I have come from, What will I leave behind?, and Bob Turan for Triangle Tango.

See images from the 2008 exhibit and 2007 exhibit. There are also a few sculptures still in the park from previous exhibits.

We don’t have many contemporary public sculptures on display in the greater Charleston area, in fact there are next to none on display in the City of Charleston, which is amazing for such an arts city. So, besides this exhibit in North Charleston and the 19 works on display in Azalea Park in Summerville, SC, part of the permanent outdoor collection donated by the Sculpture in the South organization, you won’t find many sculptures here.

This display in Riverfront Park seems a little thin in that it is a large park and most of the sculptures in this year’s exhibit are small or it might be better to say - they are not monumental. I’m not complaining, in fact I’m amazed that the City of North Charleston has mounted their fourth sculpture exhibit. It’s a major effort for the artists, the City, and the Cultural Arts Department. After all, this park is to be used by people - it’s not a museum. And, there were a good number of people using the park the morning I went there - some also taking photos of the sculptures. But, always wanting more of a good thing - I’d like to see bigger sculptures, more of them, and more sculptures by different artists (there is a group of artists who seemed to have had works in all four exhibits).

But here’s the catch - I don’t have any money to give North Charleston to expand their efforts, and arts money is in short supply these days. So, it’s hard to expect more - even when you want it.

In conclusion - the City of North Charleston is doing a great job with this program - better than their so-called artsy cousin Charleston. Hopefully more sculpture lovers from Charleston and elsewhere will go visit this exhibit and park. And, hopefully these  summer temps won’t last forever. But you can take it if I can - I’m a transplanted Yankee.

For further info or details about the next sculpture competition contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843/745-1087 or at (www.northcharleston.org).

Home

What do you do when the weathermen are calling for 100+ degree temps in the Charleston, SC, area? Why you jump in your car and travel to North Charleston, SC, to photograph an outdoor sculpture exhibit and then head to downtown Charleston to check out the big Piccolo Spoleto exhibit, Contemporary Charleston 2009: Revelation of Process, featuring works by Dorothy Netherland, Jonathan Brilliant, Ben Timpson, Karin Olah and Ishmael, on view at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park. Surely, you didn’t think I was going to cut grass or rake leaves.

More about the outdoor sculpture exhibit in another blog.

I purposely put off seeing the exhibition as City Gallery at Waterfront Park as I knew it would get a lot of chatter during the festivals by local and regional media, but after the Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto Festivals were over - coverage would drop off a cliff. But, the show is still on view through July 26, 2009. People still have a month to go see it, but most of the media will have moved on to today’s news. They have all been there and done that.

I’ve read a lot of those pre-event articles and reviews, but didn’t absorb much. I was waiting to see it for myself. I do agree that this is one of the best exhibits that I have seen at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park. Was it the best Piccolo Spoleto exhibit ever? I wouldn’t go that far, but it would be in the top five - maybe number two or three.

Would I crown Erin Glaze - King of Curators? She did a good job, but I’d have to see a few more shows under her hand before I could come close to saying that. But, it was a heck of a first time. This space has gone through a lot of gallery directors, gallery coordinators - whatever the title is from day to day. There’s no telling who will be in charge next year. Well, I know - Ellen Dressler Moryl is in charge and next year she may decide to feature one of her friends. You just never know. So, I’m not letting this show change my mind about the direction of this gallery space and what the future will bring. I always have hope, but I’m also a realist.

But, I, like others, would like to see Glaze do a few more exhibits - on her own. She added some touches to this exhibit which really helped the viewers get a grip on the process of creating art - in the artist’s own words and actions. Austin Nelson, who created the video clips - shown in a loop at the gallery near each artist’s works  really gave those who took the time to view them an insight into these artists’ world  - the process of creation. Also, there were small stations which also showed more details of how these artists work or where they come from - their influences and backgrounds, or in some cases - the world they were focused on. Beyond an exhibit catalog, these two elements added much to this exhibition.

So, on to the works.

When I entered the gallery I turned directly to the left - avoiding the  70,000 pound gorilla in the room. These were works by Ben Timpson. The first works were small boxes, mounted on the wall, with a framed round magnifying glass - which you were to look through. What you saw was a small image backlit by white light - like a peep show. These unusual images were made up of parts of other objects - some from plants, bugs - whatever. I found these interesting works of art. But once these same type of images were blown up to a much larger scale - presented like a painting - they lost some appeal. But that’s just me. Others enjoyed these works as much as I did the smaller boxes.

This was the first time I’ve seen any work by this artist, so it would be hard to make much of a judgement on whether I liked it or not overall. I liked the small boxes and the fact that some were placed really low - maybe for better viewing by children or to make adults think the effort of bending down would reveal something naughty. Anytime you make the audience work for their supper it’s a good thing.

I next moved upstairs where I knew I would find Karin Olah’s works. I must declare up front that I’m a big fan of Olah’s work, Linda and I own one of her works, and I even put one of her images on the cover of Carolina Art’s May 2009 issue - one of our last color covers for awhile. I hope it’s not too long before we get back to color covers. So, I’m already sold on Olah’s work. But, she never fails to amaze me and show me she has places to go that I have not seen.  I  look forward to a long journey following her work.

And, it was apparent many others wanted to take that journey too. Olah had an entire wall of smaller - very nicely priced works - mostly sold. She by far has sold the most works during this exhibit. Now, that is not the purpose of these lofty exhibitions at non-profit gallery spaces, but most of the time - even at major museums - the works on display by living (contemporary) artists can be purchased, if they are not on loan by a previous buyer. So, although no one is keeping score - I like the fact that many others enjoy my taste in art and Olah’s work. She also sold some of her larger works too and I must say this is another good sign that the economy is getting better - even if at a snail’s pace.

As an added touch for this exhibit, Olah also used some of her same graphic techniques on the walls of the gallery to link some of her works together. I liked the effect, having known the work and knowing this is not usual. Others may not have seen it the same way, but I must say that when this same technique was used to blend Olah’s work together with the other artist sharing the upstairs space (Ishmael), the linkage seemed to be a train wreck to me - especially when that linkage went into one of Olah’s works. Again, just my personal feeling, but they could be feelings over another subject altogether.

The artist Ishmael’s roots are in street graffiti. I am not a fan of street graffiti at all - especially when it is done on other people’s private property. Olah and I have had discussions about this subject - on opposite ends of the subject, but I hope we respect each other’s points of view. She’s a fan and I’m not, so it’s hard to say if my feelings about the mingling of her art with his doesn’t stem from my views on graffiti. I hope I’m being objective.

Now all that aside, I liked Ishmael’s works in this exhibition. I have no problem with the technique of graffiti or style - as long as it ends up on materials owned by the artists. Hey, I don’t care for billboards either. But, I always have to wonder how this artist would feel if some of his street friends came into the gallery space and did their thing on his works - would he feel honored or violated? My guess is - publicly honored - no big deal - part of the process, but privately a little violated - especially during his big moment - especially if it had happened to one of the works that had sold and the buyers no longer like the “tagged” work.

So, I’d like to see more of Ishmael’s work - on canvas, board, even gallery walls, but not out on the streets. He’s got too much talent to see it white washed away by citizen groups cleaning up the streets.

Next, I walked downstairs - again avoiding the gorilla, and checked out Dorothy Netherland’s works. I’ve seen her work before in many places and I like what she is doing. Although Netherland was born in the 60’s, I wouldn’t think of her as living in the same time period as I did, born a decade earlier, but her work focuses on that time period when I was growing up. By the time she was 10 years old it was the 70’s and America had changed a lot. So, when I look at her imagery I see my past as a child - I’m one of the little boys with the cowboy hat and silver six-shooters.

These were the golden years, the last days of innocence for America. When I went trick-or-treating, “without” my parents, I didn’t have to worry about people putting razor blades in the apples they gave me or riding my bike several neighborhoods over and staying out late after dark. I wasn’t going to be killed in a drive-by shooting. These were Good Times or Happy Days or were those just TV shows? Of course there was duck and cover drills in school; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy; and eventually Vietnam. But we could watch reruns of I Love Lucy and Leave it to Beaver and think it was all innocent.

This is not a world or time period you see many artists today focused on which in itself can be shocking. Some of the imagery if looked at under today’s standards of “you better be careful” might suggest another world. Are images of an older man hugging or carrying a young girl innocent or something else? It makes you think of how did we get from there to where we are now in just a short span of time? Does the picture really tell the story?

Damm you artists - stop making us think and question. You’re going to ruin my childhood memories. But then there is always TVLand . A few episodes of I Love Lucy can take you away.

Before I move on to that gorilla, I heard someone say my name and I looked up and saw Mary Gilkerson, who was also viewing this exhibit with her daughter. Gilkerson used to write art reviews for us - way back when - and now writes art reviews for freetimes in Columbia, SC. And, I learned that she will probably be doing a review of this show on her blog, SCARTblog. So, you can look for a much more insightful review of this show on her blog.

So, finally we have the installation piece by Jonathan Brilliant, made of 70,000 wooden coffee stirrers, the same kind used at Starbucks, which takes up the entire middle space of the gallery from downstairs to the upstairs’ railings. None of the sticks are glued together - they are all woven and held in place by tension. One child could get lose from a parent and the whole thing could come crashing down. Now, that’s art on the edge.

I never did see a title for this work, and other installation works he has done are named after the space they were made in, so I guess this will be known as the City Gallery at Waterfront Park 2009 piece.

People should come to this exhibition just to see this work alone and the rest of the art will be the gravy. It’s an amazing act of art, patience, and faith. What if he couldn’t finish it in time? What if it fell apart before the show opened? What if some child did run into it at the opening? Then what do you have but a pile of sticks? I’ve seen site-specific works that were just a pile of sticks and it was not so impressive - not hardly.

I’ve always had a hard time dealing with site-specific art in that it is all just temporary, but a work like this - beyond photographs, the artists walks away with nothing but a pile of sticks. On the bright side - those 70,000 coffee stirrers can maybe live on in the creation of another installation. A painter can’t recover the paint on their canvas to use in another painting. At least I don’t think they can.

I’ve seen a lot of wonderful site-specific art throughout the years, but I always saw them as a loss - as we couldn’t keep them around for others to see - generation after generation - just pictures or written words. It’s not the same as seeing them in place, but then I guess that’s the point of it all.

I’ve seen other works by Brilliant before in fringe exhibits during Piccolo Spoleto, but this is by far the largest. According to the exhibit catalog it may be his largest work to date. And, I don’t care how many photographs are taken of the work - they will never do justice to seeing the work up close - in 3D (no special glasses needed). So go see this exhibit.

I had another 60’s flashback looking at Brilliant’s piece. My older brother and I used to make exploding projectiles out of popcycle sticks - woven together. We could throw them around the house and not break anything as the minute they touched anything solid they would explode. For a moment, just a moment - an image of a little boy (let’s say a boy in a red cowboy hat and silver six-shooters blazing away) running head first into Brilliant’s work gave me this super special effects movie in my head of the City Gallery at Waterfront Park exploding and coffee stirrers flying hundreds of feet in the air in all directions. I wonder if Brilliant has nightmares about that or secretly thinks of being that child. After all, he made it.

Well, if for some unimaginable reason you should miss seeing this exhibition, the Redux Contemporary Art Center in Charleston, SC, will be presenting the exhibit, Past Presence, featuring works by  Karin Olah, Jonathan Brilliant, Kevin Hoth, Dorothy Netherland, Seth Curcio, Jarod Charzewski and Tim Hussey, from July 24 through Aug. 16, 2009. It seems strange that another institution in Charleston would program such a show featuring three of the five artists in this show so soon, but it may have been a replacement show for some exhibit that had to be cancelled. Or perhaps it’s to remind folks that these artists started out first at Redux. Either way - there’s more good art to see this summer.

The City Gallery at Waterfront Park is also offering a series of lectures in conjunction with the exhibit including: On June 27, 2009, from 2-5pm - Karin Olah Lecture & Demonstration - Using fabric, Olah works in a manner that mimics the flow of paint from a brush. Intricately cut, placed, and pasted textiles are combined with gouache, acrylic, and graphite to create collage paintings that are deep in color and texture. Part 1: Informal Talk & Short Demo. Part 2: Community Collaboration. Olah will provide materials and instructions for a fabric collage painting. Everyone is invited to contribute and paint on this piece. Attendees may bring in their own fabric scraps for the collage painting! Part 3: Donate to Olah’s fabric collection by bringing in solid or striped clean, natural fiber scraps (no patterns, please). Your scrap may be part of a future collage painting! One-of-a-kind “Art-Scrap Cards” will also be sold at this event only! Take home a Karin Olah original for only $12! On July 11, 2009, Time TBA - Lecture by Dorothy Netherland. On July 18, 2009, Time TBA - Lecture by Jonathan Brilliant. These programs are free and open to the public. For further info call the City Gallery at Waterfront Park at 843/958-6484.

And, remember if you are coming from out of town to see either of these exhibits, check out some of the commercial art galleries in Charleston. There’s a lot to see in a wide variety of styles. You can find days and times gallery spaces are open at Carolina Arts Online under our Gallery Listings pages.

Home

Even with the best of intentions on my part, once again many of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival visual art offerings have slipped away before I could get by to see them. Even some of the exhibits I did get to see are over before I could post a blog about them. I have always said that the Spoleto and Piccolo Festivals were not designed to fit my schedule. I have to have my June issue turned into the printer before the festivals even start and then once they have started I’m delivering papers and then preparing for the July issue. It’s just not a good time for me to get out and see all that is being offered. This blog helps some, but not enough. But, I did get to see some and a few will still be on display for some time to come.

This year I did not get to visit the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibit 2009 but once and that was not a long visit at that. I got reports about what was going on from various sources, but that’s not the same as being there and getting a first hand impression from artists and visitors. Sixteen days sounds like a lot of time, but it’s not. I have always said that this show is the marathon of all visual art events and that the artists who go through it in South Carolina’s “what next?” weather challenges are the toughest folks around. Not to mention putting up with the viewing public’s repetitive questions. It can also be a roller-coaster ride of emotions - watching your neighboring artist make sales while you don’t; making sales while others don’t and not being able to feel good about it or at least brag about it; wondering what else you could have done with these 16 days; and promising yourself this is the last year you’ll do this. But, in the end it all turns out all right and most return - year after year. And, they end up meeting some wonderful new customers and a lot of old customers who are now friends - that return year after year.

If you want a little taste of what it’s like being one of the 100 + artists down in Marion Square Park in Charleston, SC, during this exhibition visit Amelia “Mimi” Whaley’s blog. You can review her 16-day journal of being there.

While delivering the June issue I did get by to see the exhibit, From Quilts in the Attic to Quilts on the Wall: Exploring Textile Art by African Americans, on view at 10 Storehouse Row at The Navy Yard at Noisette (on the former Charleston Naval Base) in North Charleston, SC. This exhibit ended on June 7, 2009, like many of the Piccolo Spoleto exhibits. This exhibit was also part of North Charleston Arts Festival which took place early in May. The artists in this exhibit explore and depict their African heritage through quilting - some traditional, some non-traditional. Here’s a few images of some of the quilts.

Sophia Rising by Torreah Washington

Sacred Letters by Dorothy Montgomery

Here’s a little commentary for the folks developing The Navy Yard at Noisette. If they don’t do something about the main roads there - people will never come there and I’m going to stop coming and tell people not to go there. Paving over those roads is long overdue.

I also got to see the exhibit, BREAKING OUT, a Piccolo Spoleto art exhibition for adults with intellectual disabilities, sponsored by the Hulsey Law Group and presented at Charleston City Hall at 80 Broad Street in downtown Charleston. At the four corners of the law to be exact. This show also ended June 7, 2009.

The exhibit was coordinated by: Special Olympics of South Carolina, City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs, VSA Arts of South Carolina and SC Arts Commission. It provided an opportunity for artists with intellectual disabilities to speak using the vocabulary of art. The artists communicate through their paintings and pottery and in so doing break down the walls raised by their disabilities. But the location of this exhibit wasn’t going to break down the walls of competition for viewing exhibits during these busy Festivals. The lobby at City Hall is not made for exhibitions and people don’t expect to find exhibits there and other than the Spoleto Festival’s opening ceremony - nothing else happens in that part of the city - as far as Festival events go. This show could have been placed at the Charleston Visitor Center.

Without knowing the particulars of this exhibition most viewers might not know these people were not your average artist guild novice, folk artists or visionary artists, but considering their disabilities, the works can take on an exceptional quality.

Although there were people (I don’t want to use the word artist) here from Beaufort, SC, and Spartanburg, SC, it would be nice if this was an exhibit which was the result of a statewide competition among adults creating works with intellectual disabilities. That would add an extra level of accomplishment for the participants.

Some might ask why is this work being presented at these major art festivals? Well, creating something is a powerful action. The arts are used by many, other than artists, for expression, therapy (physical and mental), and for relaxation. Why shouldn’t that side of the arts be seen at an arts festival?

It also should be noted that beyond the exhibit’s main sponsor many contributions were made by some of Charleston’s commercial art businesses and commercial art galleries. These people contribute to a lot of non-profit efforts, but when it comes time to think about who should receive public funding or public help in tough times, these same folks are left out of the picture. It’s not all about making money for these folks - it’s about being part of the greater art community and community in general. It’s time they should get some credit for that.

And, Mayor Joseph Riley (Charleston’s Mayor), you better do something about your streets too. Stop saying it’s the SC Highway Department’s duty to keep your city’s streets decent.

Well, although I couldn’t draw any visitors to these exhibits, by reviewing them before they were over, beyond our pre-coverage of these events in Carolina Arts and on our website Carolina Arts Online, we have given them a little recognition and life in cyber space. That’s the best we could do this year.

Home

The doors of the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC, were kept open due to the efforts of many last year, but - and I hate to be the one to tell you this - the Center is not yet saved, and the cavalry in the form of the NC Arts Council, a.k.a. the State of North Carolina - is nowhere in sight.

The State of North Carolina is not in the same shape it was a few years back when the plan to take over operations of the Pottery Center was first hatched. And, it may be several years before the State gets back to where it was before the bottom dropped out. So, Plan B is in effect - fundraising to keep the doors open.

There are still a few who would like to see the doors of the Pottery Center closed. For what reason - I can’t understand. From the perspective of someone who lives in South Carolina, we would love to have such a facility for any part of the arts here.

So here’s a press release about the fundraiser.

The North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC, has planned an exciting, educational and free day for the public on Saturday, June 20, 2009, from 10am-4pm. Visitors from near and far, young and old are invited to spend the day at the Center to be entertained and educated about the history, heritage and ongoing tradition of pottery making in North Carolina, one of the state’s most well-loved and treasured art forms.

The “Pots from the Attic” Fundraiser runs all day and features a collection of over 200 highly unique pieces. Shapes and sizes vary from crocks to candle holders to sugar bowls and Rebecca pitchers as well as marked souvenir pots from the past tourist trade. A majority of pots were donated from the collection of Dr. Everette James. NCPC board member, Pam Owens from Jugtown commented, “I know I speak for the whole NCPC Board in expressing our gratitude to Everette James for the donation of his historic, and well known pottery collection from the Saint James Place Museum in Roberson, NC. There are many wonderful study pieces in the “Pots from the Attic” Fundraiser. We look forward to a full and interesting day of events on June 20.”

Mark Hewitt, accomplished Pittsboro, NC, potter and VP of the NCPC describes the collection like this. “In many ways pots are like people, we give them human associations by describing their feet, bellies, necks, and lips. Pots, like people, are also fragile. Over the course of a lifetime, we all get chipped and banged about, but carry on, somehow tougher for our experiences. Likewise the pots in this sale have been slightly damaged, but they still retain their core beauty, somehow made more real by their flaws. The pots in the sale have been well-loved. There are examples of all types of North Carolina pottery, from utilitarian to art ware, small pieces and large. The sale includes many hidden treasures, rare stamps, and familiar gems.”  The range of pots includes those from Cole Pottery in Sanford, Jugtown, Ben Owen-Master Potter and North State among many others. This is a great opportunity to begin or add to an existing collection in a very affordable way.  All pots are priced to sell.

There will also be live Celtic Music inside the main building from 1:30 - 3:30pm with Michael Mahan and Will McCanless.

In tandem, a reception and book signing of The Living Tradition: North Carolina Potters Speak takes place from 2-4pm. The recently released book includes intimate interviews with 23 of North Carolina’s most distinguished potters. With illuminating interviews conducted by Michelle Francis and Charles “Terry” Zug III, resplendent photography by Rob Amberg, editing by Denny Hubbard Mecham, and publishing by Goosepen Studio & Press, this is the culmination of a documentary project by the North Carolina Pottery Center to promote and preserve North Carolina’s unique pottery making history. The funding for this distinctive project was made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museums and Library Sciences, a national organization. Featured artists from the book attending the reception include; Ben Owen III, Pam and Vernon Owens, Hal and Eleanor Pugh, Caroleen Sanders, Mark Hewitt and interviewer Terry Zug. Refreshments will be served. All proceeds from The Living Tradition and the “Pots from the Attic” Fundraiser directly benefit the North Carolina Pottery Center. Sample pages can be viewed at (www.NCPotteryCenter.com).

A full day can easily be spent at the Center with individuals and families free this Saturday to take in the significance of the permanent historical section, beginning with the Native American pottery exhibit and artifacts, through the tools and functional pots of the agricultural era, to the movement toward art pottery and to the more contemporary pots of today. Two large display cases hold samples of approximately 85% of the local Seagrove community potters. The Center rotates exhibits every 3 to 4 months and the current exhibit is Dan Finch and the Dan Finch Studio Potters on view through Aug. 1, 2009. Visitors are welcome to pack a picnic lunch to enjoy on the outdoor tables underneath the grove of 100-year-old oak trees, and wander the charming rural grounds. Here one can explore the outside groundhog kiln and double chambered wood-firing kiln designed and built by potters Ruggles and Rankin (also featured in The Living Traditions book) during a teaching event.

Day-long demonstrations are held on Saturdays in the Center’s Educational Building by local potter Chad Brown. He is a 5th generation potter; his great-great grandfather was William Henry Chriscoe, a portion of whose original log cabin pottery studio now resides in the Smithsonian Museum. Brown is an up-and-coming potter to watch on the Seagrove scene, having worked as a journeyman potter for numerous studios and assisting many local potters with their wood firings. His decision to pursue his own pottery full-time this year was rewarded last month when he received the “The Award of Excellence” at The Arts in the Park show in Blowing Rock, NC. Sid Luck of Luck’s Ware, coordinator of the 2008-09 TAPS (Traditional Arts Program for Students) said, “I was most fortunate to have Chad as an assistant in the TAPS program this year. He is an excellent potter, has a great rapport with students and is very dependable.” TAPS is an afterschool collaboration between the NC Arts Council, the NC Pottery Center, and Seagrove Elementary School. Its purpose is to provide public school students with the knowledge and practices of the Seagrove traditional pottery culture. Mark Hewitt remarked, “Chad Brown has quietly established his presence as one of the most talented younger potters in Seagrove. We all enjoy Chad’s humor and good nature, and know how much he contributes to the NCPC with his patient, insightful demonstrations and his warm, generous personality. His beautiful pots reflect who he is.”

Opened in 1998 in Seagrove, the NCPC mission is to promote public awareness of North Carolina’s remarkable pottery heritage. The Center welcomes and informs visitors to the Seagrove area, enriching their experience through exhibitions and educational programs, and promoting potters working today across the state. The NCPC is a private nonprofit entity, funded primarily through memberships, grants, admissions, and appropriations. The Center’s hours are Tue.-Sat., 10am to 4pm, Admission (excluding free special events) is $2 - adults, $1 - students 9th through 12th grades, Free - children through 8th grade, free - NCPC members. Handicap accessible. Groups and tours welcomed. For further information and details call 336/873-8430, e-mail (to ncpc@atomic.net) or visit (www.NCPotteryCenter.com).

Home