September Issue 2000
Hodges Taylor Celebrates 20 Years in Uptown Charlotte, NC
Hodges Taylor Gallery in Charlotte, NC, will begin its 20th year of exhibitions on Sept. 8, continuing as Charlotte's oldest gallery strictly representing artists. They will be showing recent works by Robert Marsh and new paintings by Raymond Chorneau, on view Sept. 8 through Oct. 28. (More on the exhibits at the end of the article.)
Dorothy Hodges & Christi Taylor
The gallery, respected throughout the Southeast, started with a phone call.
Christie Taylor had managed a Charlotte gallery/frame shop and admired Dot Hodges as a patron in the community who avidly supported regional artists. Taylor called Hodges to pitch the idea of teaming up to promote selected Southeastern artists. Each brought a group of artists to the partnership and Hodges Taylor Art Consultants was born.
At the time, the region was largely ignored by national critics and media, and the few Charlotte galleries in business depended on framing to survive. So regional artists had to go out of the Southeast to get their work promoted. Hodges and Taylor recognized the value of artists working in the community and wanted to build an appreciation in Charlotte for their work.
The first venue was located in the Latta Arcade on South Tryon Street which quickly became a gallery when the partners realized that the office walls - albeit short walls - could handle a full season of small exhibitions. Featured artists included: Maud Gatewood, Robert Marsh, Paul Harcharik and William Dunlap.
Many of the same artists are now in national and international collections. Their work sold by the gallery hangs in dozens of major corporations throughout the Southeast and in many of the region's finest homes. And through various programs such as "Art Hounds" -which allows clients to pay on time - Hodges Taylor has helped new collectors to buy and appreciate art.
In 1983, Smith Helms Mulliss & Moore law firm began renovating the former Haverty Furniture Store at 227 North Tryon Street and offered storefront space to the gallery. That was home for 12 years. It was where the uptown "Gallery Crawls" hatched in coordination with Spirit Square. But five years ago the construction of the IJL Building forced the demolition of 227 North Tryon and Hodges Taylor found an interim location at 119 East Seventh Street before moving three years ago to Transamerica Square at 401 North Tryon Street. The partners are strong believers in Charlotte's center city and chose to remain uptown with each move.
"We chose to be uptown because we believe that art is soulful, expressive and is about self-discovery," Taylor said. "We believe art should be accessible to everyone. The center core draws all walks of life and reflects the soul of the city."
Their love of art and the firm belief that art enhances our lives remains the motivation behind the gallery. They are committed to artists being viewed as professionals and have taken risks to provide the public with controversial work, urging people to engage in creative expression with an open mind.
As well as offering a full season of exhibitions, Hodges Taylor Gallery has remained a community partner by cosponsoring the Habitat for Humanity Bird House Auction for 8 years; managing the outside sculpture at Transamerica Square; and curating the exhibitions at The Gallery at Carillon, sponsored by Shorenstein Companies, to name a few.
Over the years, the gallery has introduced the work of emerging artists. And after opening the current gallery space, Hodges Taylor expanded its offerings by adding a fine print room and photography room.
Long-time clients have been impressed with
the gallery's commitment to artists and clients.
"We feel that they have gone out of their way to act in our
best interest, even though it was not always in their best interest,"
said arts patron Peggy Culbertson.
Mary Douglas, Curator of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, remembers the arts landscape in the Charlotte region was dramatically different when Hodges and Taylor first began creating a market for professional artists.
"Hodges Taylor was one of the few places to see contemporary art in Charlotte in the 1980s," Douglas recalls. "This and the gallery's support of regional artists was very valuable to me then as an art student at UNC-Charlotte. I respect and admire them for their continued efforts to make art relevant in Charlotte."
Smith Helms attorney Doug Ey worked closely with Hodges Taylor Gallery on the most recent of the law firm's moves.
"An art gallery without pretenses is hard to find," Ey said. "Christie and Dot make art easy. They do it by gently deciphering what you like instead of telling you what you should like. They are very good at what they do because they understand both art and people."
Sept. 8 through Oct. 27, Hodges Taylor Gallery will present two solo exhibitions featuring works by Robert Marsh and Raymond Chorneau.
Robert Marsh
Hodges Taylor veteran artist, Robert Marsh brings a new body of work in Sept. with the exhibit, New Works on Paper.
Ever the printmaker, Marsh continues to work on paper, exploring everyday subjects with the energy and line of a master draughtsman. Marsh builds up the forms in layers upon layers of line and color. The resulting effect is one of solid geometric shapes with a smoldering power underlying the surface.
Concentrating on landscape in this group of paintings, the artist's vigorous line is present but the overall fell of the work is quieter. Shapes, which still have Marsh's characteristic under-standing of the underlying geometry and structure, are softer at the edges.
Raymond
Chorneau
Raymond Chorneau brings a new body of paintings
with the exhibit, Recent Paintings.
The new canvases are a continuation of Chorneau's explorations
in oil and wax. The matte finish of his work gives the viewer
the feeling of earth and clay. He works like an archaeologist,
excavating forms from the flat surface of the canvas and working
to uncover their mysteries. Chorneau describes the work as "a
pilgrimage through his own memories."
Chorneau was able to see the retrospective
of bay area painter, Wayne Thiebaud, while visiting his native
California and found new inspiration in the familiar work of an
artist who was an early influence on Chorneau. The artist says
he was spurred on by Thiebaud's paintings to challenge himself
and explore the abstraction which characterized his earlier work.
For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings
or call the gallery at 704/334-3799.
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