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September Issue
2009
Davidson County
Community College in Lexington, NC, Features Works by Joshua Thomas
Harris
The
Davidson County Community College in Lexington, NC, is presenting
the exhibit, The Art of a Hero, to honor the memory of
Navy SEAL Josh Thomas Harris, on view through Dec. 11, 2009. The
exhibit is being offered on the first anniversary of when the
36-year-old Harris died executing a special military operation
in Afghanistan.
The pieces of art, on loan from his parents, Dr. Sam and Evelyn Harris, are compelling works that are as diverse in content and imagination as the artist himself. Harris - an artist, an athlete, and a patriot - expressed himself through paints, charcoals, woodcuts, sculptures, etchings and chalk.
While many of the exhibit pieces have hung in the Harris home, others are newly discovered original works that will be displayed for the first time. As Harris' mother continued to sort through his belongings, she found many pieces of art stored under his bed, in closets and in a horse barn that once doubled as his art studio.
The barn housed his Arabian horses that he grew up watching, riding and caring for on the family's farm. Two of the those horses are shown in an untitled charcoal drawing that captures the swift, precise and serious movements of the two geldings engaged in battle. Another work seems to depict an inside joke emanating from a teenage summer trip titled Big Trouble at the Lovell Beach House. Some of his favorite and most unusual subjects were human figures.
In addition to the artwork, the Harris family will share flags, quilts, and football mementos that further define a talented artist, courageous soldier, Renaissance man, and - above all - a hero.
Art was just one facet of Harris' fascinating life. After graduating from Lexington High School in 1990, he won a football scholarship to Davidson College. An injury ended his playing days, allowing him to spend more time in the art studio. Harris graduated from Davidson in 1994 with a degree in studio art. He worked toward a degree in architecture at UNC-Charlotte.
Harris' passion for Naval special operations burned as strong as his passion for art, football, philosophy, architecture and many other subjects that captured his imagination.
After enlisting in the Navy in August 2000, he completed extensive training to become a Navy SEAL to prepare for Special Operations. For bravery displayed in completing over 100 combat missions, he was awarded three Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart.
The fact that Harris died doing something he loved provides some consolation for his parents, his brother Ranchor, and his twin sister, Kiki. They loaned his art for the one-man show as a way to honor him and the fearless spirit that he exhibited in his life and death.
After a one-man show at Arts United Gallery in Lexington earlier this year, artist Bob Timberlake commented that he was surprised that Harris had not pursued the professional artist's path. "These are pieces you would see in New York or any other art gallery. We are all proud of him. He was a wonderful young man. The work surprises me. We appreciate his life and what he did, and we'll always try to remember that. I'm surprised he wasn't a professional artist. Everything looks great. I think he is fabulous."
For further information
check our NC Institutional Gallery listings or call DCCC at 336/249-8186,
ext. 239.
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