Art from the Heart

I typically wait until after a show is already hanging before talking about it on this blog.  I like to be able to look at the work first, but for this post I am going to promote a show that has yet to be hung. HeARTWorks is an exhibition of artwork created by individuals who call the streets of Jackson their home. 

One reason I want to go ahead and promote it is because unlike a normal exhibition that will be up for close to a month, this one will only be open one day.  Another reason is because it is so incredibly important to so many people.  And I'm not talking about the people who put this together; though I'm sure this is important to them and they have hearts of gold.  I'm talking about the people who are struggling day in and day out to find the things that I take for granted... food, shelter, respect.  

How does someone garner respect from being allowed to push paint around? Stacy Underwood, local artist and creator of HeARTWorks told me "Everyone deserves respect and acceptance, and I hope the clients feel that at HeARTWorks.  They have a standing 'appointment' every week where they will be missed if they are not there, and that is oh so important.  I think the most fulfilling aspect of working with the homeless is to see how a simple compliment or a simple word of encouragement can change someone's outlook… art is a wonderful way to instill in someone self-worth, and the belief that 'Yes, you can do it!'  Everyone needs that and yes … I truly do believe that given the opportunity, anyone can create something beautiful and give back to the world something positive."

For the fifth straight year Stacy and Stewpot Community Services has allowed these individuals the opportunity to "give back to the world something positive" with an exhibition and sale of their creations.  It will be held at The Cedars next Thursday, October 3, 2013, from 5-8 pm.  

Show 'em some love

When the winners of the 2013 Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts were announced last year I was shocked, aghast, even disturbed.  Not because of who was selected, but because there wasn't anyone selected in the visual arts category.  Did you notice?  It was the first time that I was aware of that someone had not won an award for Excellence in the Visual Arts.  I couldn't imagine how the MS Arts Commission (MAC), which is in charge of the program, could leave the visual arts out.  How could visual artists who have given their lives to their work be overlooked?

I contacted a friend at MAC to inquire, and she said that there simply weren't many nominations.  Oops, sorry MAC for blaming you.  It's us to blame.  It is those of us who have been inspired, influenced, and enriched by the work of seasoned artists around the country with Mississippi ties that are responsible. MAC actually has nothing to do with who is selected.  Anyone can nominate someone, and an independent panel of experts in the different fields make the selections.  There are too many deserving artists who have been leading visionaries for our state and country, and have been trail blazers for young artists like myself for this to happen again.  So please show 'em some love.  Nominate someone before June 28th by going here.

Past winners include the late textile artist Gwen Magee and portrait painter Marshal Bouldin III, as well living legends like wood worker Fletcher Cox and glass artist Andy Young.  To see a full list of past winners contact Susan Liles with MAC at sliles@arts.ms.gov.

Mississippi Colorists

There is an exhibition of paintings that I curated at the Cedars titled "Mississippi Colorists" up through the end of May.  The show highlights a group of painters influenced by Mississippi Delta painter Sammy Britt who has been passing down ideas on color theory and representation of light through color for over 30 years.  To read an article I wrote about the show for Find it in Fondren Magazine go to... http://www.finditinfondren.com/2013/05/britt/. 

Dianne Bryan

 David Taylor

Gerald DeLoach 

 Julie McCartney

 Richard Kelso

Sammy Britt 

 Susan Russell

Two shows

I wanted to highlight two shows that are in the Fondren area right now.  They have been up for the month of April and will be coming down soon.  Currently at the Cedars, which is a community center and part time gallery run by the Fondren Renaissance Foundation, is an exhibition that I am part of.  Exhibiting with me are two long time friends David West, and Ky Johnston.  David teaches drawing at Belhaven University, and Ky teaches pottery at Delta State University.  Also in the show is the collaborative glass work of Elizabeth Robinson and Kay Holloway (Spirit House Glass), and ceramic work by Courtney Peters who owns the Fondren interior design retail store Mosaic Interiors.  It is an incredibly diverse show with pottery, printmaking, drawing, painting, and glass work, but it all comes together nicely.  The spots of bright color contrasts well with the frequent black and white graphic pieces.  

Just down the street is a show at Fischer Galleries with photography by Gretchen Haien, and paintings by Vicksburg resident Martha Ferris.  Gretchen teaches photography at Belhaven University with David West, and this series of "Incidentals" showcases her ability to combine quiet, meditative, and minimalistic images with her vast technical knowledge.  Martha's series of European architecture inspired pieces are some of my favorite things I have seen in the area in the past couple of years.  She had a show of work from the same series last year at Fischer.  The flat shapes of color and play with perspective have a nice connection to her recent mosaic and tile work.  There is a particularly strong connection with the fountain mosaics she did at the Mississippi Museum of Art.  They are beautiful, playful, and very well executed which to me makes them very strong.  

 Pottery by Ky Johnston and painting by Jerrod Partridge (me)

 Mixed media piece by David West

 Main room at the Cedars

 Glass work by Spirit House Glass

 "Incidentals 041.10" by Gretchen Haien

 "Berlin" by Martha Ferris

 "Italy" by Martha Ferris

A boon for Brown's

In the past four years we have seen at least five art galleries close in the Jackson area.  It is a tough business,  both the selling and making, that is set aside for the exceptionally determined and thick skinned.  We have also seen the rise of some alternative and temporary exhibition spaces like those in the Mid-town area.  Bryant's, Nunnery's and Jackson Street Gallery were all well established galleries to close, and Lisette's barely opened before they moved out to Canton.  But this year saw the passing of the staple gallery in downtown Jackson, Gallery 119. 

Local photographer James Patterson opened Gallery 119 on South President St. in 1999 in the building that was formerly the MSU architecture school.  James had a gallery just around the corner in the Capitol Towers building called Suite 103 for several years prior to the move.  Marcy Nessel was working with James at Gallery 119 where they maintained a high standard in both what work they showed and how they presented the work.  Add to that the incredible atmosphere of the building with its high ceilings, north light, and hardwood floors, and it became a space that would arouse envy in the trendiest of New York galleries.  Sales wouldn't sustain it for long.  Watching the renaissance of the Fondren neighborhood, James moved Gallery 119 to North State St. in Fondren in 2003.  The downtown space was not used as a gallery again until 2005 when Marcy opened it back up as Highland's Fine Art Brokers.  In 2008, Marcy also felt the pull of Fondren and opened what is now one of the most respected galleries in the city, Fischer Galleries.  Highlands Fine Art Brokers, however, stayed open this time.  James Patterson closed Gallery 119 in Fondren deciding to dedicate himself full-time to his photography again, which allowed Highlands to change its name back to Gallery 119.  It was under the direction of Ellen Bordeaux when Marcy left, and then in 2010 Mike Nunnery closed his Meadowbrook Dr. gallery of repute and merged with Gallery 119 downtown.  Mike brought with him his frame shop in an attempt to make it through the severe downturn of the economy, but it wasn't enough.  Gallery 119 closed its doors in March of this year.  

This may sound like a snafu of gallery openings and closings, but it was really a beautiful baton passing by a few people that know the importance of art to a community and have a passion to help distribute it in our society.  News alert: they aren't doing it for the money.  

Gallery 119 may be closed, but the baton continues to be passed.  Mike Nunnery, following suit from his 119 predecessors, has moved back to Fondren and joined forces with what has to be one of the oldest art establishments in Jackson, Brown's Fine Art and Framing.  This is actually a return for Mike in more than one way.  Before he opened his own gallery on Meadowbrook he worked at Brown's for many years.  There is no question that he is now going to be a great asset in his new position.  

Hanging at Brown's until the 15th of this month is an exhibition of paintings by Jackson artist Chad Mars.  This is actually Chad's first solo show. Having experienced in the not so distant past the nervousness, confusion, and excitement of a first solo show I know that it is something that should be celebrated and encouraged.  Chad's work is worth a gander.  These non-objective paintings are all about texture, and Chad is enthusiastic about it.  His approach is completely intuitive and responsive to the medium.  He claims inspiration from the work of Gerhard Richter and Mark Rothko, but stresses that he wants the work to have a very natural organic feel.  

Chad expressed concern to me about people not understanding his work, and therefore it might not be easy to sell.  In response to that I will pull a quote from the book I am currently reading God in the Gallery by Daniel Siedell.  "... art is too often assumed to be merely verbal communication pursued by other (and inferior) means, that the artist is trying to send 'messages' that we as viewers must receive and understand linguistically.  This is distinctly not the case with art.  Art requires contemplation that focuses attention on the viewer developing a relationship with the work of art, not merely passively receiving a message." 

Until we can convince our fast paced society to slow down and contemplate, galleries will continue to close around us.  Let's hope not.  Here's some of Chad's work...

Cloudburst #3

Cloudburst #5 

 Cumulonimbus

 Pyrocumulonimbus

 The End

Number:

Number: an independent journal of the arts for Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas has published an article which I wrote in the current issue, No. 73. The article is about the Mississippi Art Faculty Juried Exhibition at the Lauren Rogers Museum in Laurel, MS this past spring.. I was fortunate to be included in this incredible exhibition which highlights artwork being produced by Mississippi's Art Faculty of colleges and universities.  Click here to see the current issue of Number:.  And here is my painting that was included in the show...

Pearl River #5

Oil on collaged handmade paper

Worth Reading

Recently, my friend and fellow Mississippi artist Ron Lindsey introduced me to a twice-weekly newsletter by the artist Robert Genn . I wanted to read the newsletter for a month or so before recommending myself, and have found that there are some very accessible insights in his writing.  It is worth reading.  Here is his most recent write-up...

Two artists November 2, 2012 Because this is a bit personal, I'm not using their real names. They're both about  40 years old. "Jack" got a BFA and then an MFA from a Midwestern University. He's visited  many of the major contemporary art museums and follows the work of several  "important" contemporary painters. He's written articles on Philip Guston and  others. He subscribes to several art magazines and is "the most knowledgeable  art-guy in any discussion." After university he worked for a while in a commercial  art gallery. He sometimes writes me long, well-informed letters. He's painted  eleven large paintings (two unfinished) since leaving school. He's not represented by any gallery. He thinks you need to move to New York and "get lucky" with a  dealer who  "really represents you." "Jill" took two years of art school and then quit. She pays little attention to other  artists. She subscribes to no art magazines but has taken several workshops. Her  hobbies include bowling and travelling. At one time she also worked in a  commercial art gallery. On two or three occasions she's written to me. She's  painted "approximately two thousand paintings" since leaving school. She's  represented by four commercial galleries in four, well-separated mid-sized  cities. There's a great story in David Bayles and Ted Orland's Art and Fear. Here it is:  "The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class  into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded  solely on the quantity of the work they produced, all those on the right solely on  its quality. His procedure was simple: On the final day of class he would bring in  his bathroom scales and weigh the work in the "quantity" group: fifty pounds of  pots rated an "A", forty pounds a "B" and so on. Those being graded on "quality, " however, needed to produce only one pot--albeit a perfect one--to get an "A".  Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of the highest  quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that  while the "quantity" group was busy turning out piles of work--and learning from  their mistakes--the "quality" group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the  end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay." Best regards, Robert PS: "Artists get better by sharpening their skills or by acquiring new ones; they  get better by learning to work, and by learning from their work." (David Bayles  and Ted Orland) Esoterica: Both subscribers Jack and Jill are thoughtful and enthusiastic artists.  Art is central to their lives. And while success and "being able to function as a full time artist" may not be important to some of us, their current situations are  quite different. Jack rents an apartment and makes $2150 per month (plus tips  and benefits) as an airport porter. Jill works daily in her converted garage in a  home she now owns. These days she's averaging $18,000 per month. She has "no  benefits."

To receive the newsletter click on this link...  clicks.robertgenn.com/two-artists.php

Dinners a l'art

Back in May I had the privilege of participating in a fundraiser for the Mississippi Museum of Art.  Fellow Jackson artist William Goodman and I collaborated at one of the dinners titled "Dinners a l'art" put on by the Board of Trustees at Gallery 119 in downtown Jackson.  I wrote an article about our experience for Number: an independent arts journal published for the tri-state region of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.  On their website you get a pdf of the publication, and you can become a member to support the non-profit Number:inc and receive the journal in print quarterly.  The summer issue, No. 72 has a collaboration theme.  Below you can see the pieces William and I created together.

 

"Dinner Star"

Mixed Media on handmade paper

 

 

"Take out"

Mixed Media on panel

 

William Goodman and me (Jerrod Partridge)

Courtesy Mississippi Museum of Art

 

The Inaugural Cedars Juried Art Show

In the Fondren neighborhood of Jackson sits the oldest residential structure in the city.  The Cedars, as it is now called, was built circa 1840, and was almost taken over by multi-residential development but was saved by the Fondren Renaissance Foundation in 2003.  It became a community center and hosts a broad range of events, one of which is an annual series of four art shows.  A new show was created this year and has proven to be one of the most successful exhibitions ever held at the Cedars with attendance to the opening reception estimated at over 500 people.  The show, which was sponsored by Jan and Lawrence Farrington, is called The Cedars Juried Art Show, and it is intended to be an annual event. 

 

The concept of the new show was to bring in high caliber work from artists around the state of Mississippi.  This not only benefits the residents of Jackson who get to see the work but also benefits people throughout the state by introducing them to this unique neighborhood that has an incredible focus on the arts.  

 

To set the high standard expected from this exhibition internationally acclaimed Mississippi artist William Dunlap was asked to jury it.  He selected approximately 99 pieces from the 265 that were submitted.  This represented 90 artists from across the state making for a very diverse and unique show.  Dunlap also selected his favorite pieces from the group to receive cash prizes. 

 

The exhibition only lasts through the end of September so get out there to see it soon.  Gallery hours are Tuesday - Friday 10:00am - 4:00 pm.

Paul Fayard (Fourth place winner)

"Fondren Morning"

Oil

30"x40"

 

 

Laurilyn Fortner (Third place winner)

"Friday, Saturday, Sunday"

Oil on Canvas

48"x48"

 

 

John Gibson (Second place winner)

"Trees No. 3"

pen and ink

9"x13.5"

 

Heidi Pitre (First place winner)

"Her flame was about to go out"

Oil on canvas

48"x48"

 

 

Robert Crowell

"Warrior II"

Concrete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visions from a Visionary

What would happen if we as a society made it more of a habit to follow true visionaries?  Dictionary.com defines a visionary as "given to or characterized by fanciful, not presently workable, or unpractical ideas, views, or schemes."  Could we make an effort to make unpractical ideas into practical ones? 

A number of years ago a mural emerged on a two-story building on Fortification St. in the Belhaven neighborhood of Jackson.  It was the talk of the town.  Some people were outraged, others were enthused.  It was a unique montage of Southwestern and Native American style imagery gradually covering the entire south and west sides of the building.  One of the most impressive images in the mural was a Native American face stretching the entire two stories on the west facade.  Unfortunately, that side was painted over.  The south facade mural remains.  The mural was painted by a local excentric artist named Patrick Grogan whom I believe was living in the building at the time.

As voices were heard complaining that Belhaven is an historic district and that the mural shouldn't be allowed I wondered what would happen if we followed Patrick's lead.  What if the neighborhood embraced and even encouraged the idea of artists painting murals on the facades of Fortification properties, most of which needed face lifts anyway? That with the upcoming revitalization of Fortification St. could turn that area into an international tourist destination.  Can you envision it?

Many years have passed since the mural was done, but Patrick has not stopped painting.  There was recently an extensive exhibition of his work at the MS Arts Center.   A majority of the work followed the Southwestern aesthetic of the mural.  It is at the same time bizarre, beautiful and intriguing. 

His work was showing at the same time as two other young painters, Greg Gandy who works at the North Midtown Arts Center, and Tristan Barlow.  Their work complemented each other's well but was not helped by the deteriorating conditions of the MS Arts Center galleries. 

Here is a small sampling of the work...

Greg Gandy

"Woman"

Greg Gandy

"Clippin a Leaf"

Greg Gandy

"Sad Friends"

Patrick Grogan

House on Fortification St.

Patrick Grogan

untitled

Patrick Grogan

"Hawk"

Patrick Grogan

"Full Spread"

Patrick Grogan

"Jesus in the Sky with Diamonds"

Patrick Grogan

untitled

Tristan Barlow

"Saint"

Tristan Barlow

"Still life"

Arts and Crafts... what's the difference?

There is a remarkable show of quilts hanging right now at the Mississippi Craft Center in Ridgeland by the late Gwendolyn Magee.  I was only vaguely familiar with her work prior to visiting the show recently, and I never had the opportunity to meet her before she passed away last year.  I was primarily familiar with her work in the permanent collection at the Mississippi Museum of Art.  Her work often attacks images of race and injustice head-on like a visual steam train of which you cannot get out of the way.  Narratives of slaves with bloody slashes on their backs, one pooring arsenic in her master's supper, a man hiding in the shadows of his home defending it from those burning a cross on his lawn,  even the death around the New Orleans Superdome after hurricane Katrina.  She successfully avoids being trite and sentimental in her narratives.  The amazingly beautiful craftsmanship of the quilting juxtaposed with the hard core imagery is as powerful as any art should expect to be.  

Fortunately she gives us some relief from the emotionally charged narrative work and produces more traditional patchwork quilts as well, with a superb delicacy and uniqueness.  However, it was the narratives that lingered with me.  They are not images you might expect to come across in an environment like a craft center. So it got my mind to wondering, what is a craft?  Gwen's work hangs in both the Art museum, and the Craft center, so is there a difference?  Is there a fine line, a fuzzy line, or no line at all?  

I began the search for an answer by trying to figure out what the Craftsmen's Guild of MS uses as a criteria for acceptance.  It seems pretty open ended.  Primarily the work has to be three dimensional, hand made, and show a level of mastery of the material.  Apparently there was a little question at first about Roy Adkins' mixed media pieces.  Roy is a local photographer and the pieces look like work you would find in a typical art gallery, but when he explained that in his work pieces of canvas were sewn together then his energetic pieces were fully embraced and welcomed into the fold.  

I soon realized that the Craftsmen's Guild and the Craft Center were not trying to define what a craft is or isn't, they are just trying to define the culture of their own organization.  Dictionary.com says that a craft is "an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, especially manual skill".  Art itself can hardly be defined at all other than something created by a human being wherein if he calls it art it must be (sorry, what the elephants do isn't art).  Most art requires some sort of craftsmanship, though not all.  Stretching a canvas, sizing it, priming it, even painting it is all craft.  

So my answer is no, there is no difference between art and craft.  Some work rises to the level of fine art, some doesn't. There has to be a difference in quality of art, but that is a whole other discussion.  Art is wonderfully undefinable and will always continue to challenge, excite, entertain, and fulfill us as long as there are living breathing people on this Earth with the God-given gift of creativity.

 Gwen Magee

"86 Lashes to Go"

Gwen Magee

"Full of the Faith"

Gwen Magee

"Over a Way That with Tears Has Been Watered"

Gwen Magee

"Yassa Massa, Yo Dinner Won't Neva Be Late No Mo!"

Gwen Magee

"Jewel Fire"

Gwen Magee

"Not Tonight"

Roy Adkins

Roy Adkins