Feature Articles

December Issue 2002

Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro, NC, Features Eagerly Anticipated Biennial

In Greensboro, NC, Art on Paper 2002, the Weatherspoon Art Museum's eagerly anticipated national survey of works on paper, will be on view through Jan. 19, 2003. This installation will mark the 37th anniversary of the exhibition. As always, the exhibition presents a wide and intriguing cross-section of contemporary art on paper, ranging from carefully rendered landscapes, both real and imagined, to obsessive abstractions and works inspired by comics and other facets of popular culture.

Roy Nydorf

Co-curators of the exhibition, Weatherspoon director, Nancy Doll, and curator of exhibitions, Ron Platt, have selected works by 93 emerging and established artists from across the country, including a strong representation of 30 artists who are based in NC. Of the latter, 17 are members of the UNC-G Department of Art (including part-time and emeritus faculty members). Triad-area artists include Roy Nydorf (Oak Ridge); Carol Cole, E. Faye Collins, Elliott Hundley and Morgan Woolverton (Greensboro); and Chris Flory (Winston-Salem).

Other North Carolina artists represented are Lyde Zavaleta (Chapel Hill); Nancy Baker, Gail Peter Bordon, and Michael Salter (Raleigh); and Lisa Morton (Rougemont). Also included are recent graduates from the UNC-G Master of Fine Arts degree program: Jeff Gannon, Joshua Rickards, Melissa Ball (now on the faculty), and Jane South. South, who now resides in Brooklyn, NY, will return to UNC-G to install her work and conduct a three-day residency working with students in the undergraduate art program.

Stas Orlovski

The inclusion this year of a number of large-scale works has necessitated an expansion of the exhibition beyond the Museum's Gallery 7, and additional works will be shown in Gallery 6. A twenty-four-page catalogue with complete checklist will accompany the exhibition.

Jockum Nordström

Without a doubt, the success of each Art on Paper exhibition is due to the continued generosity of its corporate partner, xpedx (formerly Dillard Paper Company). Their support, through The Dillard Fund, has enabled the Weatherspoon to purchase select works from each exhibition. These are included in the museum's Dillard Collection of Art on Paper, which now comprises more than 500 works by artists including Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, Brice Marden, Lan Pittman, Lee Mullican, Tom Knechtel, and Kay Rosen.

An Introduction for Art On Paper 2002

by Co-Curators Nancy Doll And Ron Platt

The challenge in introducing Art on Paper 2002 - this venerable exhibition's thirty-seventh presentation at the Weatherspoon - is finding something new to say about the medium. Luckily for us, the opportunity to assemble and present a substantial cross-section of recent art on, or of, paper far outweighs the risk of sounding repetitive. Certainly, the ninety-three artists represented in this year's exhibition show no lack of inspiration or innovation.

There can be great value in some things remaining constant. Each Art on Paper exhibition allows the museum's curatorial staff to canvass the range of current practice in the medium. It enables us to show the work of artists whose work we have long admired, and also to be introduced to new artists, one of the most satisfying aspects of the curatorial process. And, thanks to the continuing generosity of xpedx and The Dillard Fund, we have the extraordinary opportunity to acquire works from each exhibition for the museum's collection. We hope that, for viewers, Art on Paper is a mini-course in the subject. The exhibition is not a "drawing" show in the strict sense of the word; rather, it encompasses traditional drawing in pencil, ink, and other materials; watercolor, gouache, and acrylic on paper; collage; unique printmaking and photography; and even sculpture made primarily of paper.

What is the state of contemporary practice in art on paper? A resoundingly healthy one. If anything, the number of artists making primary works on paper seems to be expanding, as is the diversity and ingenuity they bring to the medium. Many continue to privilege the touch of material on support and the selective framing of an image (in the broadest sense of the word) that lies somewhere between thought and feeling. Others take advantage of properties and processes that technology and new materials offer.

Solomon Huerta

Some artists continue in the tradition of using fine, carefully rendered marks to represent an image (such as Salomon Huerta and Ann Faison) or to develop a pure abstraction (Gloria Ortiz-Hernandez and John Morris). Repetitive, if not obsessive, mark making is another prevalent avenue of exploration (for example, Nancy Riegelman's breath drawings).

Joyce Pensato -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Euan Macdonald

A very marked influence of comics, advertisements, and other aspects of media culture can be seen across the spectrum of recent contemporary art (as in the work of Kathe Burkhardt or Joyce Pensato's Bart-Mickey). At the same time, many an artist still turn to the imagination to portray dream-like scenes or parallel worlds (Euan Macdonald and Amy Cutler).

Kunié Sugiura

Artists increasingly are using computers, new printmaking techniques, and digital photography for their creative and expressive possibilities (for example, Sally Elesby's computer drawing and Kevin Jones' computer-generated photograph). While these new technologies make it possible to edition prints and photographs in increasingly large numbers without sacrificing quality, many artists choose to make unique works within these reproductive mediums. Their choice in doing so (James Welling, Kunié Sugiura, and Vera Latter) reinforces a persistent desire to put hand and eye directly to work, without intervention or manipulation.

Contemporary "drawing" practice has decidedly expanded any prior definition of the medium. Art on paper has come off the wall (as in the work of Jane South and Fiona Banner) and, in some cases, functions without applied marks or materials (Jim Hodges' "color wheel of pure pigmented paper). And, just as photographs have been enlarged to compete with the heroics of large-scale painting, drawing more and more has assumed its place in that arena, further reinforcing its autonomy and legitimacy as a contemporary art form.

As co-curators, we hope that viewers wilt savor the range of work they see and rest assured in the knowledge that future Art on Paper exhibitions will face no dearth of works that intrigue, compel, and bring great visual satisfaction.

Also on exhibit at Witherspoon are the exhibitions: Lorna Simpson: Easy to Remember (on view until December 15, 2002); Cathy de Monchaux: Falk Visiting Artist (on view through Jan. 26, 2003); and The Cone Family Legacy: Selected Gifts to the Weatherspoon Art Museum (on view until February 16, 2003).

Several related events include a gallery talk on Dec. 4 at noon and a public tour of the exhibition on Dec. 8 at 2pm.

For more information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, call the museum at 336/334-5110 or on the web at (www.weatherspoon.uncg.edu).

Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer 427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: info@carolinaarts.com
Subscriptions are available for $18 a year.

Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc.
Copyright© 2002 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2002 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.