February 5, 2009 Issue
Downtown Boone Art Crawl Friday
Original beaded jewelry, fiber arts, collage, photography and other works are among the new art on display during the February Downtown Boone Art Crawl, taking place this Friday, February 6.
Receptions at several downtown art galleries begin around 5:00 p.m. and continue throughout the evening. The Downtown Boone Development Association sponsors the Art Crawl. For more information, call 828-262-4532.
The colorful beaded jewelry of Purple Cactus Studios artists Amber Edison and Laurence Abensour is featured at ArtWalk during this Friday’s Art Crawl.
ArtWalk
611 West King Street
828-264-9998
Amber Edison and Laurence Abensour currently reside in Charlotte, but the two have roots from far-away locations—Edison grew up in Kentucky and Abensour is originally from France. The two have been involved in the arts from childhood and began their careers together painting murals, illustrations and decorative furniture. Today, their Purple Cactus Studios has grown to include making polymer clay jewelry. Edison creates the beads and Abensour incorporates them into jewelry.
Their combined passion for art and love of color shines through the colorful pieces they create. The process of designing the beads, creating the jewelry and finding new and inventive ways to package them has been an exciting and imaginative business.
Edison and Abensour gather inspiration from everything around them: nature, people, interior design and current trends. They chose polymer clay as their primary medium because it is very versatile; it can become anything and the color palette is endless. They use polymer clay beads as the primary medium, while also incorporating glass and vintage beads. They also use both silver and copper wire in their pieces. Over the years, their beads have gone through many stylistic changes. They are becoming more layered and much more complex. They are also starting to work with metallic powders and stamps for texture.
Purple Cactus Studios’ work is located on ArtWalk’s main level.
Nthº Gallery and Studios
683 West King Street
After a break from the monthly Art Crawl in January, the Nthº Gallery and Studios returns to the downtown gallery tour with an exhibition titled Fibers Mafia and Partners in Crime. The exhibition features mostly fiber-based artwork by Appalachian State University students and area artists.
The Nthº Gallery and Studios will be open beginning at 7:30 p.m. Snacks and refreshments will be available. The Nthº Gallery is located at 683 West King Street, across from the Post Office and above Loretta’s Vendetta. For more info, email nthdegreegallery@gmail.com or call 828-773-0895.
Elvin Hatch’s exhibit Formation debuts at the Jones House on Friday, February 6, during the Downtown Boone Art Crawl.
Jones House Community Center
634 West King Street
828-264-1789
Two diverse artists will exhibit their work this month in the Watauga Arts Council galleries at the Jones House Community & Cultural Center in downtown Boone. The gallery reception to welcome these exhibits is from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in conjunction with the Art Crawl. Free food and beverage will be served and the public is invited and encouraged to attend.
In the Mazie Jones Gallery, Elvin Hatch is exhibiting Formation. The title of this exhibit has a double meaning. First, it reflects the fact that these pictures sample the artist’s developing interest in art—the earliest print on display is based on a silkscreen image he made in 1957. Second, it reflects a principle underlying his art: the playful manipulation of form.
“I am especially drawn toward compositions that express tension or energy, such as by organized chaos, the juxtaposition of color and asymmetry,” he said.
Artist Judy Humphrey displays her works with Polaroid transfer technology at the Jones House Open Door Gallery.
In this current work, the artist is playing with what for him is a new genre of collage. In his past work in collage, he has cut up brochures and clippings from magazines. But now, he begins with digital images, typically ones produced by others. These are manipulated in Photoshop to achieve the effects he wants. They are then printed on a desktop printer, and then cut and pasted.
In the Open Door Gallery Judy Humphrey presents Personal Refuge, a selection of works from her series Human Pestilence that she has been working on for quite some time. “It utilizes a number of differing subjects, styles and media to examine a broad range of social issues—environmental, physical, viral, psychological, prejudicial and political—and our attempts to superficially combat these often self-inflicted problems,” she said.
In 2005, she received a grant from Appalachian State University that enabled her to use Polaroid transfer technology in a number of experimental and innovative ways. Some of her most recent images from this grant are included in this exhibit.
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
423 West King Street
828-262-3017
Friday is your last chance to view three Turchin Center exhibitions. Andy Warhol: A Photographic Legacy, an exhibition of 104 Polaroids and 50 black-and-white photographs by the iconic artist; Robert Motherwell: Lost in Form, Found in Line, an exhibition of dynamic groupings of unique prints and monotypes that explore the artist’s working process and environment; and Tyler Deal: An Alumna Shares Her Recent Work, an exhibition of mixed media and unconventional approaches close on Saturday, February 7.
Other current exhibitions include Hope Remains—Parts I & II: Charlie Brouwer, featuring the drawings and sculptures of Charlie Brouwer, a Floyd County, Va., artist who often features the ladder in his works; and God City: They Say You Can’t Please Everybody, featuring the work of a young artists’ co-op founded in 2005 to educate, enlighten, assist and entertain people through artistic expression.
The Turchin Center will be open until 9:00 p.m.
The Collective on Depot
125 South Depot Street
thecollectiveondepot@gmail.com
Artists of The Collective on Depot will open their studio doors to the public around 7:00 p.m. Located through the doors to the left of Black Cat Burrito, The Collective On Depot is principally a work and studio space for local artists and musicians. Current members are Jamie Carroll, Chris Curtin, Travis Donovan, Dan Kaple, Sean Matthews, Peter Oakley, Uijin Park, Melissa Reaves, Virginia Nuckolls and Christian Smith. The Collective seconds as a gallery and performance space for regional and nonregional artists and musicians.
Hands Gallery
543 West King Street
828-262-1970
Stop by the Hands Gallery from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. to browse the works of the Hands Gallery member-artists.
Green Mother Goods
116 West King Street
828-262-3525
Green Mother Goods will be open during the February Art Crawl. Special events are planned for Art Crawls in the spring.
Art Crawl Presents Soul Benefactor at Char Friday
The second installment of the Downtown Boone Development Association’s new Art Crawl Presents… music series is this Friday, February 6, at Char. Laying down the grooves will be Boone’s Soul Benefactor, ready to get you off your feet and dancing to the best of ‘60s and ‘70s soul, rock, funk and blues.
The show starts at 10:00 p.m. and the cover is $5. Char is located on Howard Street beside Cha Da Thai in downtown Boone. For info, call 828-262-4532.
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