SC - Carolina Arts

Historic Penn Center on St. Helena Islandcontinued from Page 14Preserving the Gullah Culture and Traditions.”The festival will also include more thantwenty other African American artists andtraditional Gullah artisans who will demonstrateAfrican crafts, such as net making,boat building, indigo dyeing, and basketmaking, that link the Gullah people to theirWest African ancestry.The York W. Bailey Museum at PennCenter will feature an art exhibition oforiginal paintings by renowned artist LutherVann of Savannah, GA. A student of themasters of the Harlem Renaissance, Vann’sartistic expressiveness encompasses virtuallyevery visual medium—painting, photography,sculpture, and digital creations.Vann will give a talk about his exhibit onNov. 11. Admission to this event is $5 foradults and $3 for youth.Born in 1937 in Savannah, Vann wasraised in the dual cultures of his native city,and New York City, which was his parentsadopted home. Growing up in the 1940’sand 1950’s in New York, taught by CharlesAlston, and exposed to many of the midcenturyHarlem Renaissance artists, Vann isone of the few living artists to have a directconnection to that much heralded era ofcreation.As a result of the dichotomy of growingup in the dual cultures of the South, whereAfrican-Americans then had to sit at theback of the bus, and the popular and hipculture of Harlem, many scenarios werepresented for a young man to consider.Vann’s show, Songs of My People, is thecultural cross-tie between the artists andmusicians with whom he was raised in NewYork, and the history of the Gullah peoplewho used song to communicate amongthemselves and across the plantations onwhich they lived. Originally brought to thiscountry by the African-Americans, those“call and response” musical patterns seguedinto gospel, blues, and jazz. And jazz waswhere “it was at” in New York City; Vann’sdaddy played honkey-tonk on the piano; hesent Vann to the Star Allen Dance Studio on43rd and Broadway to learn tap dancing andsinging. Music, as well as art, was a part ofVann’s soul; he says, “At sixteen, I just hadto find the jazz/be-bop.”Work by Luther VannParade, the largest of the paintings in theexhibit, at first glance seems to be a paintingof a man playing a trumpet; perhaps atribute to Vann’s father who bought him atrumpet when he was a young boy. However,upon closer inspection, about ten otherimages conspire to compose the whole.Spiritual and visionary, this is typical ofVann’s work: image layered upon image;aliens, spiritual beings, halos, athletes,musicians, animals, all brought together andpunched with intense color. If you look longenough into his paintings, you cease merelyto see and begin to feel, and sense, the livesthat surround all of us: past, present andfuture. One does not doubt that all thesebeings represent, reminiscent of a dreamsequence, the myriad of icons with whichVann was presented as a youth.The works in this exhibit are acrylicpaintings on canvas ranging in size from16” x 20” to 38” x 69”. Two of the pieces,Franklin Square I, and Magi, have beenpainted with chopsticks; an experimentVann tried for awhile when he wanted toexpand his progressive horizons based onhis wooden sculptural pieces. Fifteen worksof art will be displayed, all mesmerizing andthought provoking.In New York City, Vann studied at theArt Students League, the New School forSocial Research, and the Robert BlackburnPrintmaking Studio.Work by Luther VannA first place prize winner of the 1996Georgia Arts Festival, his work has beenpresented in solo and group exhibitionsthroughout the United States, including theBoston Museum of Fine Arts, the BrooklynMuseum of Fine Arts, the Cinque Galleryin New York City, and Urban Arts inAlpharetta, GA. Locally, Vann’s work hasbeen presented at the Telfair Museum ofArt, the Beach Institute, and the Indigo SkyCommunity Gallery in Savannah, GA. Afteran exhibition in Savannah, his paintingswere included in the Hurn Museum’s travelingexhibition in Florence, Italy.Public collections including Vann’s workare the Montclair Art Museum in Montclair,New Jersey; Medgar Evers College inBrooklyn, New York; and the King-TisdellCottage and The Telfair Museum, both inSavannah, Georgia. He was also commissionedto create stained glass art by theAbyssinia Baptist Church in Savannah.Vann’s works are displayed in severalprivate collections including those of historianCarroll Greene of Savannah; documentaryfilmmaker and jazz historian SalahAbdul-Wahid of Los Angeles, CA; poetAnn T. Green of New York; choreographerBill T. Jones of New York; critic GerhardKraus of Frankfurt, Germany; and Dr. PeterHughes of London, England.Vann is the recipient of numerous grantsfrom the New York State Council for theArts, the National Endowment for the Arts,and the Georgia Council for the Arts.Recent exhibits and awards are as follows:April to August 2008, The TelfairMuseum Jepson Center for the Arts inSavannah, hosted a show of Vann’s work,where he was the first Savannah-bornAfrican-American artist to have a one-manexhibit. This show also included the debutof the book Elemental, The Power of IlluminatedLove; showcasing Vann’s art withpoetry by Aberjhani.October 2008 to January 2009, Vann wasa featured artist at the South Carolina StateUniversity’s show, Journey from Africa toGullah, at their I. P. Stanback Museum andPlanetarium.July 2009, Vann’s work was exhibitedat the Telfair Museum’s Friends of African-American Art Show: Savannah Area ArtistsFine Art Exhibition at the Beach Institute ofSavannah.September 2009, The King-TisdellCottage Foundation honored Vann: “TheFoundation recognizes persons who havebeen consistently noteworthy in their workto make substantial improvements in oneof several areas: Historic Preservation, FineArts, Public Service, and Education.”For further information check our SCInstitutional Galery listings, call the Centerat 843/838-2432 or visit (www.penncenter.com).The deadline each month to submit articles, photos and ads is the 24th of the monthprior to the next issue. This will be Nov. 24th for the December 2011 issue and Dec. 24for the January 2012 issue. After that, it’s too late unless your exhibit runsinto the next month.But don’t wait for the last minute - send your info now.And where do you send that info?E-mail to (info@carolinaarts.com) or mail to:Carolina Arts, P.O, Drawer 427, Bonneau, SC 29431Arts Council of Beaufort, PortRoyal, and the Sea Islands inBeaufort, SC, Offers Works byDorothy MontgomeryThe Arts Council of Beaufort, PortRoyal, and the Sea Islands in Beaufort, SC,will present the exhibit, The Story Quilts ofDorothy Montgomery, on view at the ARTworksgallery from Nov. 4 through Dec. 31,2011. A reception will be held On Nov. 4,from 6-8pm.Work by Dorothy MontgomeryIn this gallery show, Montgomery sharesher collection of story quilts, her handiworkthat tells many important histories so well:The Fox and the Crow; How Ragtime Leftthe Delta; Allelujah and how she got hername; the Quilt begun with Found Objects;Gullah baptisms and “sperritual pillows”;and many more of the colorful figures inMontgomery’s life and knowledge. She isadept at pulling the threads of textile artsand symbolism through hearts and time.The South Carolinian and contemporaryquilter has been inspired by legendary 19thCentury American quilter Harriet Powers.This Story Quilts show accompaniesWork by Dorothy Montgomerya production of the play Quilting the Sunbased on Powers’ life, also at ARTworks inNovember.Montgomery’s work is also inspired bythe quilts of her mother and grandmother,and her career as a music educator: “It is mydesire that my works will spark or renew aninterest in the history and creative artistry ofAfrican Americans and help others realizetheir own potential and possibilities.”ARTworks is a community arts centerthat applies the many creative tools of thearts to strengthen artists, and enrich audiences,collectors, and visitors through highquality arts experiences and arts educationprograms 365 days a year.For further information check our SCInstitutional Gallery listings, call the centerat 843/379-2787 or visit(www.artworksinbeaufort.org).The Artisans Holiday Boutique TakesPlace in Southport, NC - Nov. 11-12, 2011People come from all over North Carolinaeach year to shop The Artisans HolidayBoutique at the scenic downtown SouthportCommunity Building on the Cape FearRiver. This year, the 12th Annual HolidayBoutique is coming up on Friday and Saturday,Nov. 11-12, 2011 in Southport, NC.The Boutique offers holiday shoppers ahead start, with hand crafted, quality itemsfrom a varied and unique selection in scenicdowntown Southport. Over sixty accomplishedartists are displaying their individualworks of fine art and fine craft. The varietyis extensive from jewelry to wood crafting,holiday decorations to original paintingsand prints, to fabric art and stained glass.New artists join the show each year, sorepeat shoppers can expect some new andexciting items, such as illustrated children’sbooks (meet the author/illustrator) andframed calligraphy.Artists will be on hand to answer questions,and help you make your gift orpersonal selections. Many Artists also offeroptions for special orders. Take the FortFisher Ferry or drive to Southport for a funday of shopping, great restaurants and historicsites. Doors will open at 9am and closeat 5pm on Friday and Saturday. Admissionis free. Cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, andDiscover are accepted. Southport CommunityCenter is located at 223 Bay Street inSouthport.Items on display for purchase: Christmasstockings and decorations; Holidayornaments made of porcelain, wood carved,pottery, and hand painted glass ornaments;baby clothes and books; original children’sbooks ; original paintings and collages inall media; prints, lithographs and giclées oforiginal art; digital graphic art and photography;note cards and invitations; framedcalligraphy, floral wreaths and arrangements;candles; dog collars/ leashes/ treats;handmade soaps; golf, tennis, sports items;wood trays and tables with tile inlays;linen tablecloths, runners, napkins, kitchentowels, and tableware; large volume ofjewelry- earrings, necklaces, bracelets etc.using variety of materials; pottery; quiltedblankets and hangings; crocheted/ knittedbags, hats and scarves; purses, other fabricart; stained glass works, bead art, seashellart, painted glassware, etc.Who are the Artisans? The Artisans alllive in the St James Plantation communityand are active in their chosen artistic or fineartcraft areas. The Artisans are a club ofover 96 members, many of which participatein the Holiday Boutique. The Artisanswas created in 1999 to provide an outletfor a group of artists to sell their work andto raise funds via a raffle for The St. JamesFire Department. This small group of artistsgrew the organization in both size and scopeto include art appreciation events, studiotours, plein air events, additional salesevents, the awarding of art scholarships andgrants.In 2009 The Artisans of St. James wascreated - the 501C3 charitable organizationdedicated to the development of theartists of St. James, the promotion of artawareness in Brunswick County, NC, andthe raising of funds to help support artistsvia educational grants, local nonprofitarts organizations’ support of the arts andgraduating Brunswick County high schoolseniors planning to further their educationin art at the college level. This group openedThe Artisans Gallery in May of 2010 atThe Harborside Marketplace located in StJames.For further information check our NCInstitutional Gallery listings, contact JudyBurnam by calling 910/253-3630, cell703/930-9140, e-mail at (judyburnam@verizon.net) or visit(www.nancyclookie.com).You can contact us by calling 843/825-3408 or by e-mail at - info@carolinaarts.comTable of ContentsCarolina Arts, November 2011 - Page 15