News & Local Exhibits
originally published August 23, 2006
The spirit of fall comes with the beginning of the new school year. Though the leaves haven't begun to change, Athens is already showing the hustle and excitement associated with the start of a new semester. Athens-area venues are offering something new for everyone:
This exhibition was organized by the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
"The Broken Bowl II" by Shymal Dutta Ray at the Georgia Museum of Art.
India in Georgia: On display at the Georgia Museum of Art is “Modern Indian Works on Paper,” an eclectic collection of paintings, drawings and prints from India, primarily in the Modernist tradition. Among these works, several stand out as remarkable. Laxma Goud’s “Untitled (Two Women)” depicts two somber faces contrasted by the figures' colorful, patterned clothing against a bright, red background. There is a technical contrast found in the painting as well. The torsos of the two women are given an extraordinary sense of volume by the skilled rendering of the clothing. However, even the proportion of the heads is purposely naïve, as if the artist were re-creating a childhood drawing. Most of the pieces in the “Modern Indian Works on Paper” demonstrate an imaginative interpretation of reality. Shymal Dutta Ray engages “the dingy realities of the downtrodden” in “The Broken Bowl II.” Overall the works have a playful quality, an innocence of hand that is contradicted by subject matter. One example is Maqbool Fida Husain’s “Hanuman - Nineteen,” an image of a fiery hero from Indian culture flying over a burning city. With a broad range of styles, media and dates of completion, the show provides a sampling of post-independence Indian art. This exhibit will be up until Oct. 8. Visit www.uga.edu/gamuseum for more info, or call 706-542-GMOA.
Portraits and Quilts: “The Eternal Masquerade: Prints and Paintings by Gerald Leslie Brockhurst (1890–1978) from the Jacob Burns Foundation” is also on display until Oct. 8 at the Georgia Museum of Art as well. Brockhurst, a British portrait painter who worked in the early 1900s, is widely recognized as one of the leading portrait artists of his time. He was commissioned by such prominent figures as J. Paul Getty and Edward VIII. The portrait of Henry Rushbury is wonderfully intense and captivating, as is “Portrait of Hermione,” one of the many portraits of his wife. Don’t overlook the small-scale etchings. These powerful images reveal an exquisite touch, and many of them hold more interest than the larger paintings. Another exhibit, “American Quilts at the Georgia Museum of Art,” organized by Ashley Callahan, is up through Nov. 19. These quilts are from the museum’s decorative arts collection, but are “difficult to incorporate into traditional installations of the museum’s permanent collection galleries” due to their size and fragility.
Aux Event: ATHICA and Floorspace are hosting an experimental festival, in celebration of the CD Aux. The Aux CD project is a collaborative effort curated by Heather McIntosh, JoE Silva and Steven Trimmer, and developed by Ideas for Creative Exploration (www.ice.uga.edu), an interdisciplinary initiative for advanced research in the arts at the University of Georgia. The packaging for the CD was created by Lamar Dodd School of Art graduate students Danielle Benson, Amanda Burke, Stephanie Dotson and Audrey Molinare. The celebratory event will include music, video, performance and dance. Diet Rock Star, Black Swan Network, Paul Thomas, Auk Theater, Laura Glenn and Julie Rothschild are just a few of the many participants. There will be an accompanying art sale, including affordable work by local artists Kristin Bach, Danielle Benson, Matt Blanks, Alex Cargile, Rizzie Gallego, Hannah Jones, Lou Kregel, Audrey Molinare and Bridget Mullen. The event takes place at 160 Tracy St. (in the Chase Street Warehouses) on Saturday, Aug. 26 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., with a suggested donation of $3. Visit www.auxevent.com for more information.
Pots and More Pots: In Watkinsville, fall means pottery. On Aug. 25, the "Perspectives 2006" exhibit at the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation, which includes 50 Georgia potters and collectors, offers a gala opening reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. There is a preview sale that same night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., which includes over 4,000 pieces for viewing and buying. Visitors are requested to donate $5. The Pottery Sale will be held Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., for three weekends: Aug. 26–27, Sept. 2–3, and 9–10. The "Perspectives" is on view until Sept. 14. See Out There! for more on workshops and open studio events. Visit www.ocaf.com or call 706-769-4565.
A Leaf on the Wind: Noah Leaf Mendelson‘s paintings adorn the walls of Last Resort for the rest of the month of August. His “Ochre Abstract” uses jewels of paint reminiscent of Gustav Klimt. Other paintings on view at Last Resort are more representational, like “Spring Lush” or “Autumn Evening.” These works were all completed in Arizona. If you can’t make it down to Last Resort on Clayton Street, you can see Mendelson’s work at Classic Hair and Spa, on Prince Avenue, until Oct. 15. Look for more on this show in an upcoming Art Notes. To view more of Mendelson's work, see www.leafgallery.com.
In Print: Several Athens-affiliated artists have been included in the latest volume of New American Paintings. Nicholas Gagliardi, Melissa Harshman, Jeremy Hughes, Charles Ladson, Erin McIntosh, Jack Dingo Ryan, Judy Rushin and Hooper Turner were among the 40 artists from the South chosen out of hundreds of submissions to have their work included in the Juried Exhibition-in-Print. Visit www.newamericanpaintings.com for more info on the book. The publication's cover features the work of Jeremy Hughes, who recently earned an MFA degree at UGA. Hughes' work can be seen at Mercury Lounge downtown, along with paintings by Jaime Bull and Brooke Easler, until Sept. 2.
Beth Sale In the next Art Notes: ATHICA's fall season starts off with a bang, with the opening on Sept. 9 of "America of the Brink: A Political Exegesis Under the Aegis of the US DAT." Send all your art news to outthere@flagpole.com.If you are having problems with the site, or have questions or suggestions, please contact us here. Thanks!
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