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September Issue 2006
Pickens County Museum of Art & History in Pickens, SC, Features Exhibit on Birds and Works by Steven and Jeffrey Chapp
The Pickens County Cultural Commission invites you to two very special exhibitions at the Pickens County Museum of Art & History in Pickens, SC. Opening on Sept 9 will be: South Carolina Birds and Brothers in Art. Both exhibitions will continue through Nov. 11, 2006.
Dave Appleman
South Carolina Birds, curated by Wim Roefs of if ART International, brings together more than 80 art works by over 40 living South Carolina artists. Each work includes birds or engages in some way the concept of birds. Many of the most prominent names in South Carolina art are part of the exhibition, which tries to appeal to non-habitual art watchers and seasoned art aficionados alike. The birds provide easy access to the art and invite contemplation of their role in it and, subsequently, of the whole work of art.
Diane Kilgore Condon
Many of the birds in the exhibition are not necessarily native to South Carolina. What makes them South Carolina birds is that they are created by artists with ties to the state. "I didn't set out to create a show around birds," Roefs said. "I was looking for a theme that could connect the art of many South Carolina artists whose work I admire. And I wanted an exhibition that could appeal to a broad audience. At some stage I noticed that many artists in some fashion deal with birds or the concept of birds. Since a lot of people, art insiders and others alike, love birds, I figured the theme could work well for what I had in mind."
Edward Wimberly
Some artworks in the exhibition depict one or more birds in an unambiguous fashion. In other work, birds are part of a larger composition. There are also artworks with no birds at all, but rather deal conceptually with the idea of birds by utilizing eggs, nests, birdhouses or feathers. The artwork displayed in this exhibition range from sculpture to collage to painting, and cross a wide spectrum of artistic styles.
Utilizing both G1 and the Sealevel Galleries, this admirable roster of artists includes: Jason Amick, Dave Appleman, Aaron Baldwin, Amylynn M. Bills-Levi, Tarleton Blackwell, Carl Blair, Pamela J. Bowers, Bob Chance, Steven Chapp, Stephen Chesley, Claude Davis, Yvette Dede, Jeff Donovan, Tyrone Geter, Mac Arthur Goodwin, Tonya Gregg, Mana Hewitt, David J.P. Hooker, William G. Jackson, Diane Kilgore Condon, Janet Kozachek, Leigh Magar, Terrance McDow, Sheri Moore, Marcelo Novo, Janet Orselli, Colin Quashie, Rebecca Rhees, Edward Rice, Walt Simpson, Robert Spencer, Tom Stanley, William Thomas Thompson, H. Brown Thornton, Leo Twiggs, David Voros, Philip Whitley, Mike Williams, Edward Wimberly and Aggie Zed.
Roefs has organized this fascinating display of artwork in such a manner that it appeals to a wide variety of people and to a broad range of ages. Come and enjoy "South Carolina Birds: A Fine Arts Exhibition" at the Pickens County Museum and find yourself immersed in an eye-opening experience that challenges your own ideals concerning the aesthetics of art.
The exhibit, Brothers in Art, features prints and other media by Steven Chapp and ceramics by Jeffrey Chapp.
Now living in the Dacusville community, north of Easley, SC, Steven A. Chapp, in addition to being a practicing studio artist in the primary media of printmaking and drawing, is also a professional art educator, currently teaching at the School District of Greenville County's Sevier Middle School. After receiving a BS in Art Education from Appalachian State University and MFA in printmaking and drawing from Clemson University, Steven taught at Clemson University's Charles Daniel Center for Urban Studies in Genoa, Italy. He presently does independent workshops and creates his art at the Black Dog Press and Studio.
Steven A. Chapp
In reference to his work, Steven says, "I have always enjoyed making marks on a surface. Printmaking is one of the media in which I do this. It is my objective to create images that not only speak of marks but to have marks that speak for the image." He continues, "In my images the crow is a metaphor for humankind. My use of color, the darkness of the image, the composition and the subject matter of the crow often tell a story of mystery and turmoil."
Jeffrey A. Chapp
His brother, Jeffrey A. Chapp, a ceramic sculptor now residing in Newark, DE, has, since 1995, been a professor of art at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. He received an MFA in Fine Arts (Ceramics), from the University of Delaware, an MA in Creative Arts (Ceramics), from Purdue University and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Arts from Appalachian State University. His recent exhibits include Spaces: Interior and Exterior, at the Clay Studio in Philadelphia, and the 2004 and 2000 International Cone Box Show, where he received a purchase award. In 2004 his design was selected for the State of Delaware Governor's Award for the Arts.
In describing his sculpture, Jeffrey says, "My works comment on American culture, politics, and global events, while steadfastly retaining the identity of visually appealing objects. They are a personal and progressive testimony to what I take in of the world around me: a commemorative record of a place in time, an historical event, or a specific observation on contemporary life." He goes on, "I pay deliberate attention to surface detail, well-crafted modeling, and intimate scale, so my messages hit with a velvet glove. With duality as an ever-present theme, I find salt and pepper shakers an appropriate metaphor to explore issues like war and peace, right and wrong, and good and evil."
The Pickens County Museum of Art & History is funded in part by the Pickens County, members and friends of the museum and a grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information
check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Museum at
864/898-5963 or at (www.co.pickens.sc.us/culturalcommission).
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