#5 LIGHT, PONYTAILS AND SOUVENIRS

 

My favorite photo in Ponytails and Souvenirs

WHERE I WENT AND WHY....  

I was determined to go to a Charlotte gallery this week!  So I checked Sunday's paper and there was a gallery opening on the one night I was in town at The Light Factory!  It sounded interesting, so after inviting a few friends who have said they would like to tag along sometime, I was off.

Pat O'Rorke met me at the gallery

She is standing beside a piece called Chest Hair 

and small piece of jewelry with pubic hair!!

WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO...

The hardest part is finding The Light Factory.  They are at 1817 Central Avenue across from the Harris Teeter, but in the back of the building that houses International House, the old Midwood School.  Turn toward what looks like a church just past the strip shopping center.  There was plenty of parking and they are open Wednesday - Saturday noon-6 pm.  The current show runs through October 12.

WHAT I SAW...

Rebecca Drolen's Ponytails and Souvenirs consists of two different exhibitions of photographs.  The first, in the larger room as you walk in is entitled Hair Pieces.  It explores our love of a revulsion of hair.  Rebecca is her own model in the photos and each tells its own story, sometimes humorously and unexpectedly.

These two are probably the "grossest" of the exhibition. When does body hair "cross the line"?

Entitled Detangler, I could use this with my granddaughters!!

This triptych explores our emotions with our hair...

Is cutting it liberating or defiling?

The smaller gallery held an exhibition entitled Particular Histories.  It explored our transition from childhood to adulthood using daydreams, longings and fears.  Often a childish solution was juxtaposed with an adult problem.

I

If only a cornucopia could help my hearing!!

And I would love to hear flowers!

Who hasn't felt like we've grown up to fast and no longer fit?

B

 

Borrowed Heels - Women are resourceful!!!

WHAT I LEARNED...

I was able to talk to the artist. and then she gave a short talk about her work.  I learned that you understand the works much better when you are able to hear the artist's explanation and see her humor and passion.  She said she used synthetic hair purchased at Halloween and costume shops for most of her photographs.   Each piece had a hint of the absurd (sometimes blatantly!!) which made them fun.

Rebecca Drolen speaks at the Light Factory

The hair tie behind her was and interesting play on maleness and feminism

She is a professor of Fine Art at the University of Arkansas

I liked the second exhibition better.  Each piece was almost like a modern fairy tale.  She was able to tell a story with just a few items in the frame.

Rebecca Drolen and I share a glass of wine at her opening

IF MON$Y WAS NO OBJECT, WOULD I PUT IT IN MY HOUSE...

While I came to appreciate the humor and symbolism, I would not want a piece of art I was continually having to explain to my friends!  

WE LIKED IT SO MUCH WE BOUGHT IT...

We just recently purchased this piece for our mountain house, Park's Peak.  Entitled Launching and Homecoming, the small bird can face either way.  Made and carved from river rock by an artist from Boone (I'll add his name later!) it is perfect for our mantle on the stone fireplace!  The amorphosizing of the mother bird just appealed to both David and me.  We have been delighted several Springs with nests of mourning doves on our porch and have been honored to witness their first flights!  This piece makes me smile. 

#4 CHIHULY AND BILTMORE THROUGH THE EYES OF GRANDDAUGHTERS!

Abbie in front of Sole d'Oro
Chihuly's Sun created for Biltmore
She said it was "magnificent!"

WHERE I WENT AND WHY...
As a big Dale Chihuly fan, I was excited to learn that he would have a botanical installation at Biltmore.  Then David said, "Why should we spend $70 to see an exhibition we've seen twice (actually this would be my 4th time!)?"  And darn it! He is right.  When Chihuly does a botanical garden installation about 80-90% of the installation is a repeat from other gardens,  He usually does only one or two signature pieces just for the particular space. Of course each garden is unique and brings its own art to the placements. So I was biding my time waiting to see if the opportunity would present itself during cooler weather and not especially concerned if it didn't.  Then my granddaughter read Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty.  It is a junior novel set at Biltmore around the turn of the century.  She now wanted to go see the house, and she loves art.  And this was the last week before school starts, so for her it was "now or never".  (Though it had NOT cooled down. But Asheville and 85 is nothing near Charlotte and 95!) 

WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO...
The Biltmore Estate is at 1 Lodge St. Asheville, NC.  Tickets ($70 adult/ $60 for seniors) are expensive but include the house and the gardens.  I think there is an on line discount 7 days in advance. There are no garden-only tours and there is a night tour which I'm sure would be worth the extra money.  The Chihuly exhibit is there through October 7.  Children 9 and under are free.  Be prepared to walk a lot.  Park in lot C or D so that you can take the shuttle and avoid the uphill walk back to your car.  If you have young children with you ask for the Treasure Hunt, it helps keep them engaged as you walk through the house.

WHAT I SAW...
We saw 14 of the 16 Chihuly installations.  The children (and grown ups) were tired and did not venture out to the shops at Antler Village.  There were chandeliers, two boats, "floating" glass balls, variations of reeds, and several glass "totem poles".  I have seen other installations at night and I know the lighting makes it, as Abbie said over and over, "magnificent".  None of the lighting is interior, but the glass sparkles in the lighting design. (See video near the end of the blog)  Abbie, my 9 year old granddaughter,  truly loved it and used the word "magnificent" over and over.  Ella, the seven year old was harder to impress.  She loved the koi fish, especially the "one who loved her", and followed her around the pond.  My daughter loved the boats full of balls.

Abbie and Ella at the Koi pond.  

Totem pole in the Walled Garden

Totem pole in the Italian Garden

T

Emily's favorite boat
We all loved the purple water lilies!

INSIDE THE HOUSE....

 The treasure hunt kept the 7 year old interested for a while

The Winter Garden was a place in Abbie's novel

While magnificent, I think I like Dr. Hoefler's tapestries better

I knew it was going to be a long day
when they wanted to sit in the loggia,
just the 3rd room we saw!

Serefina would crawl through the duct work and
watch the Vanderbilts through the grates.

Abbie was disappointed in the house.  She had a view in her imagination from reading the book, and the tour just didn't live up to her imagination!  Plus, much of the book takes place in a sub-basement we were not allowed to see.  I think she thought she would be allowed to roam freely like Serefina.  It was dimly lit and too "museam-y" for her!

WHAT I LEARNED...
My husband was right... and wrong!! LOL...  Having seen so many Chihulys I am a little jaded.  It is beginning to feel too commercial to me.  BUT... seeing them through the excited eyes of a 9 year old can be wonderful.

IF MON$Y WERE NO OBJECT WOULD I PUT IT IN MY HOUSE...
The Chihulys... absolutely!  I would just need a MUCH BIGGER house!!

OBSERVATIONS...
Here is a less than 5 minute video about installing the art in the garden.  It tells you about his inspirations, and how the pieces are assembled and lit.

https://www.facebook.com/cnn/videos/10158448597986509/

I said when I started this blog I wanted to explore the Charlotte art scene more.  So far I'm 1 for 3!!  That's what happens when you travel, or stay at your mountain house.  Hopefully I'll be back in Charlotte soon! 

Here is what I mean about repeats...

The boat at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix

...at the Phipps in Pittsburgh

...in Atlanta

WE LIKED IT SO MUCH WE BOUGHT IT.....

When we were in Seattle, many of the art students studied under Chihuly or his assistants.  We found this affordable piece at Pike's Market.  Besides loving the flower shape, the purchase of the item involved performance art!  After visiting the market, we were going on a boat tour of the bay.  The artist said, "No problem!  I can wrap it up so that it is easy to carry!"  He then began to take a spool of bubble wrap and wrap the bowl in such a matter that it had support AND a handle!  It looked like a big plastic pocket book!  Seeing him wrap and turn it, became mesmerizing and definitely was performance art!  AND it made it through the boat tour and back home to North Carolina!!

Our travel group on the Chihuly Bridge in Tacoma, WA....

#3 LITURGICAL ART

WHERE I WENT AND WHY
This week I  have been spending time at the Heritage at Lowman in White Rock, SC with my 97 year old Mother in Law, Dot.  After a stint in the hospital she is in the rehab unit there and hopes to go home to her cottage across the street soon.  She reminded me of the liturgical art in the Wellness Center and scattered all around the campus by Rev. Dr. Richard Carl Hoefler.  He also designed the stained glass windows in the Chapel there.

Dot Park, My Mother in Law

WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO
The Heritage at Lowman is a ministry of the Lutheran Homes of South Carolina and is located at 2101 Dutch Fork Road, White Rock, SC (about 2 hours from Charlotte).  You can arrange a tour of the art work by calling 803 732 8800 or emailing outreach@lowmanhome.org  The main body of work is in the Wellness Center, though other works are scattered throughout the campus.

WHAT I SAW
As an exercise to strengthen his eyes, Dr. Hoefler began tapestry needlework to help him alternate between close and far vision.  A retired professor from The Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, he had authored several books on liturgical design and was the primary designer of Christ Chapel at the Lutheran Seminary in Columbia. He estimated that in the over 50 tapestries he designed and  donated to Lowman Home, there is 12 years of work and 3 million stitches.  

Dr. Hoefler working on a tapestry

An unfinished tapestry that Dr. Hoefler was working on when he died.

The tapestries are all based on Biblical stories with the exception of a portrait of Martin Luther.  A few are based on historical art, but most were designed my Dr. Hoefler.  He would sketch a design and then make a pen and ink "cartoon" that he had transferred to 12 point mesh.  His selection of colored yarn, he described as "painting with yarn."  His use of metallic yarns, and detailed stitching  produced a varied body of work.  Though I had seen some of the tapestries before, I was impressed with the variation in styles from classical to modern.  Several appear as if stained glass windows.

Martin Luther
I love the firey castle and roots of faith!

The firey descending dove lights the 12 candles
representing the disciples around Jesus' manger

Dr. Hoefler also designed the chapel, and put his personal touch on the stained glass windows.  The center cross is beautiful, but did not photograph well. (See the top photos)

WHAT I LIKED ... OR NOT...
While all of the tapestries are impressive two really "spoke" to me:  Peace Be Still depicts Christ calming the waters of the Sea of Galilee.  The movement of the water and the expressions of the disciples faces are amazing to me.

Structure of Salvation was in the hall in my Mother in Law's building.  I liked it because its almost cubist forms were so different from the other works.  Dr. Hoefler's explanation makes his design even more impressive:

"At the bottom of this design is a blue figure which represents human reason.  The figure in blue points to the stairway ascending to heaven.  Human reason concludes that this is the way to salvation.  According to human reason, the structure of salvation is the way of moral striving and growth.  Each day we must try to be a better person than we were yesterday. ...A beam of light from the heavens strikes across the design.  This is God's "No" to our human reason and moral efforts. ... We are saved by grace, not good works. ... In the center of the tapestry, Christ hangs on the cross and his blood flows forth to embrace helpless humanity.  This is the true structure of our salvation.  We do not climb up the ladder to God.  Rather, God comes down the ladder to us by the way of the cross. ... In the design of the tapestry, the cross becomes part of the beams that form the structure of the church because salvation comes to us by means of the church - not the church as a building."

WHAT I LEARNED...
This was my 3rd or 4th time viewing the tapestries.  This time I was able to carry around his description with the liturgical and Biblical background.  This made for a richer experience.

IF MON$Y WERE NO OBJECT, WOULD I PUT IT IN MY HOUSE?...
Absolutely.  Though most of the art in my house is contemporary, the message of these tapestries are transcendent and the art amazing.

WE LIKED IT SO MUCH WE "BOUGHT" IT...

Well, not exactly... this piece is actually my own creation.  As you can see I am NOT even remotely as talented as Dr. Hoefler.  I worked on this piece one summer at our lake house when the children were small.  In true Southern Dame manner, David's grandmother tried in vain to figure out how we might be "kin".  Two cousins, one on each side did family trees and it became easy to cross reference them.  And sure enough about 4 generations back, our family trees do cross by marriage!  After completing this, I swore I'd never do backstitch again!!  


GO TO "OLDER POSTS" TO SEE WHERE ELSE I'VE BEEN!

#2 SEVEN SISTERS

WHERE I WENT AND WHY
We bought a house near Black Mountain a year and a half ago.  It has taken us this long to get it cleaned out and the renovations to settle down, but we are now beginning to buy art for the house.  Our intention is to buy pieces from local artists for it (Local defined as NC, with a heavy emphasis on the mountain artists).  Last week my daughter and I went on a shopping trip to Black Mountain.  I had seen a mirror in a gallery there that I thought would be perfect for our bedroom.  

WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO...
Seven Sisters Gallery is located at 117 Cherry St. in Black Mountain.  Cherry runs parallel to Main St. or Hi-way 9.  Parking on the street can be tricky, but there are a few lots and the town is not that big.  Take the first place you find.

WHAT I SAW...
The Seven Sisters Gallery specialized in arts and crafts (heavy on crafts), with many folk art pieces along with some fine art and several pottery artists.

The second room has the finer craft pieces

WHAT I LIKED...OR NOT
It didn't take me long to find the mirrors I remembered, but not in the size and color I wanted.  Luckily they had one in a back room that was perfect.  But as I was walking around I saw many pieces that I liked, especially the paintings of the bears.  We have a resident "Bartholomew" at Park's Peak and I would like a piece to reflect and honor him.  The gallery also had some beautiful pottery and fine crafts.  

Should one of these honor Bartholomew at the mountain house?
I sort of am partial to the baby looking out from mom's  (or dad's) legs. 

 WHAT I LEARNED...
The Seven Sisters Gallery is NOT owned by seven women but is named for the Seven Sisters Mountains that rise above Black Mountain.  I talked to the owner, Andrea McNair.  They have been open over 38 years and represent over 250 artists from all over the US.  Their reputation is such that artists now come to them and they do not recruit artists.  Here is a 4 minute interview with Andrea McNair, the owner that aired on PBS.

https://pbs.org/video/2305331033/

IF MON$Y WERE NO OBJECT, WOULD I PUT IT IN MY HOUSE?
DEFINITELY!  In fact, I did and may purchase other pieces.

OBSERVATIONS...
Little mountain towns are full of "art galleries."  What constitutes an art gallery I guess is in the eye of the beholder.  Is it that the pieces are made "by hand"?  Is is price? And what is the difference between art, craft, and trinkets?  All can be found in the mountain art galleries.  If price is a guide, Seven Sisters definitely qualifies as art!  LOL... though, they also carry some "trinkets" - off the rack earrings, magnets, etc.  Most of their inventory is folk arts and crafts, with some "fine art" and many what I would call "high" crafts.

I liked it so much I bought it!
The mirror over the dresser in our bedroom at Park's Peak was too big and boring!  No more! This folk art mirror by Craig Carey definitely brightens our room.  Craig has been a folk artist for 45 years and works in wood, tin, and willows.  According to his website, his work is in many galleries and has been displayed in Neiman Marcus, Better Homes and Gardens, and Metropolitan Home.

Mirror for my bedroom by Craig Carey

Do you think I can talk David into this when we redo our kitchen?