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September Issue
2009
Sumter County
Gallery of Art in Sumter, SC, Presents Regional Touring Craft
Exhibition
Bonnie Seeman ---------------------- Richard Jolley -------------------
Vernon Owens
The Sumter County Gallery of Art in Sumter, SC, will present the exhibit, Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpieces of Southern Craft and Traditional Art, on view from Sept. 10 through Nov. 12, 2009.
The Sumter County Gallery of Art will be honored as the only South Carolina venue for the Southern Arts Federation (SAF) touring exhibition, Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpieces of Southern Craft and Traditional Art, an ambitious exhibition that is part of the American Masterpieces program of the National Endowment for the Arts, a major initiative to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy, featuring more than 100 artworks created by 58 traditional artists and contemporary craftspeople, living and working in the South today.
Among the artists in the exhibit are six recipients of the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship, the country's highest honor for traditional artists.
Artists included in the exhibition include: Minnie Adkins, KY; Gwendolyn A. Magee, MS; Gustina Atlas, MS; Shawne Major, LA; Alice R Ballard, SC; Tom McCarthy, FL; Mozell Benson, AL; Ron Meyers, GA; George Berry, MS; Steve Miller, AL; Elizabeth Brim, NC; Darryl Montana, LA; Cynthia Bringle, NC; Geraldine Nash, MS; Jerry Brown, AL; Brian Nettles, MS; Clay Burnette, SC; Newberry Family, TN; Irene Cheek, KY; Gary Noffke, GA; Fong Choo, KY; Craig Nutt, TN; Gladys LeBlanc Clark, LA; Vernon Owens, NC; Carole Demesmin, FL; Mark Peiser, NC; Herbert J. Dixon, GA; Mary Jane Prater, TN; Keith Felder, LA; Richard Prisco, GA; Clara Haluska Fodor, TN; Jon Eric Riis, GA; Yvonne Grovner, GA; Richard Ritter, NC; Douglas Harling, KY; Harvey Sadow, KY; Hewell Family, GA; Bonnie Seeman, FL; Kristy Higby, NC; Philip Simmons, SC; Bill Holland, MS; Henrietta Snype, SC; Charles "Jean" Horner, TN; Kimberly Sotelo, AL; Nicario Jiménez, FL; Billie Ruth Sudduth, NC; Bessie Johnson, MS; Nick Toth, FL; Richard Jolley, TN; Enrique Vega, NC; Glen Kaufman, GA; Leona Waddell, KY; Gene Koss, LA; Carol Welch, NC; Virgil Ledford, NC; Julia Woodman, GA; Mark Lindquist, FL; and Sunkoo Yuh, GA.
Visitors will view works in glass, clay, fiber, metal, wood, paper and mixed media. Among the works displayed will be a Mardi Gras Indian costume, a set of silver mint julep cups, ceramic face jugs, sweetgrass baskets, glass sculptures, traditional and contemporary quilts, and a sponge diving helmet. The combination of contemporary and traditional craft in this exhibit offers visitors the opportunity to explore the "connections" between two different approaches to fine craft. Jean McLaughlin, co-curator from the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC, states: "Fine craftsmanship requires years to acquire technical skills with materials as well as a profound grasp of history and tradition."
The Southern Arts Federation
(SAF), headquartered in Atlanta, GA, is a consortium of nine Southern
states (NC, SC, GA, FL, TN, KY, LA, MS AL) and their respective
Arts Commissions. Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpieces
of Southern Craft and Traditional Art is the largest, most
ambitious touring exhibition ever coordinated by SAF. These efforts
began over three years ago. Each member state has selected one
venue in the state to present the exhibition. For South Carolina,
the Sumter County Gallery of Art (SCGA) is the venue (recommended
by the SC Arts Commission).
Karen Watson, Executive Director of the Sumter County Gallery
of Art states, "This is indeed an honor for SCGA." Tradition/Innovation:
American Masterpieces of Southern Craft and Traditional Art
features traditional and contemporary craft by artists living
and working in the South today.
The theme of the exhibition is how the past informs the present (the dialogue between traditional and contemporary crafts) and about "passing along" the wisdom and knowledge of master crafts-men and women. Watson notes that SCGA is excited about Tradition/Innovation because it is a craft show and as such will be very accessible to the public and it has been awhile since SCGA presented a major crafts exhibition. The four artists in the exhibition from South Carolina are: Alice Ballard, Greenville, SC, contemporary ceramics, Clay Burnette, Columbia, SC, contemporary basketry, Philip Simmons (1912-2009), Charleston, SC, traditional ironwork, and Henrietta Snype, Mt. Pleasant, SC, traditional sweetgrass basketry.
The exhibition also includes a diverse roster of participating artists, men and women, old and young, and many artists of color (2 out of the 4 artists from SC are African-American). SCGA anticipates such an inclusive exhibition will appeal to all the citizens of Sumter and South Carolina.
Jean McLaughlin, curator
of the contemporary craft component offered the following statement:
"The South has attracted and nurtured hundreds of artists.
Its educational institutions, landscape, and community life have
enabled creativity to flourish and artists to dig deeply into
imagination and psyche to produce bodies of remarkable, original
works. Through this exhibition, the mastery of craftsmanship is
underscored, and individuality - the voice and fingerprint of
the maker - is eloquently conveyed. Serious craftsmanship requires
many years of attention to acquiring technical skills and facility
with materials as well as a profound grasp of history and tradition.
The works in this exhibition demonstrate the power of objects
to tell an artist's story of passion and commitment, of years
spent mastering material and process, of keen observation and
reflection, and a desire to bring others into the process through
use, touch, and dialogue."
Kathleen Mundell, curator of the traditional art component offered
the following statement: "With 'elegance and authority,'
the contemporary and traditional artists featured in this exhibit
have worked on refining these talents into a body of work. But
such mastery involves more than just obtaining technical proficiency.
It also calls for an understanding about materials, place, cultural
practices and connections to both local and global communities.
In the process, a foundation for creative work is built, as well
as an understanding of ways of living in a particular place and
time. Some of the artists featured in Tradition/Innovation
are rooted in a respect for traditional technique, materials and
a connection to a specific place or culture. Others explore and
expand ideas of form, function and community. Whether it be in
the studio or at the kitchen table, each artfully balances skill,
vision and tradition. Collectively, these works and their makers
are part of our living artistic heritage, reminding us of the
many creative ways to work and live."
For further information
check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Gallery
at 803//775-0543 or visit (www.sumtergallery.org).
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