Work continues on the third day despite the ominous sky. Today’s documentation was a great example of the artist’s hands at work. The project is moving quickly and it’s enthralling to see the forms take shape so quickly. Patrick will be giving a talk tomorrow night at City Hall at 7:30 — a great time to meet him and learn more about his process.
Things start to take shape as Winthrop students from Shaun Cassidy’s sculpture class arrive Tuesday morning. Dougherty shares his vision with the students and everyone quickly got to work. Holes were dug to place the first batch of saplings — these saplings will provide the supporting framework for the eventual structure. Blue skies and warm weather make Day Two a perfect day for creative collaboration!
Something Old, Something New: Temporary Art Downtown
(The Herald’s title was “Demystifying Art Thing on Main Street.”)
Be on the lookout for something new, and yet something from nature we all know quite well, to be built on East Main Street in downtown Rock Hill in the coming weeks. North Carolina artist Patrick Dougherty is scheduled to begin a sculpture with woven tree saplings in front of the Community Performance Center on March 8. Construction should be completed in about three weeks.
Dougherty has created similar large‐scale works in the U.S., Asia and Europe for more than 25 years. Working exclusively with common saplings that need to be removed from densely forested areas, Dougherty has established a reputation as a major figure in public art. The natural materials used in his works remind us that beauty can be simple and fleeting and fun.
Although Dougherty traveled to Rock Hill last spring for a site visit, the artist is never quite sure what form his work might take until he is actually on site working with people, location and saplings. An element of surprise helps transform the small trees into something quite magical. Since the work will eventually be removed and recycled for mulch, Dougherty’s artistic effort can be considered a temporary, yet joyful, public experience.
The truth be told, Dougherty thinks of himself as merely an artist making an honest living doing what he loves. He recognizes that the public is essential to giving his creations meaning. The accessible nature of both his work and personality allows anyone to participate. Dougherty welcomes questions and inquiries as he weaves the saplings into imaginative forms. And he doesn’t mind if you are interested in helping. Area volunteers and a special topics sculpture class from Winthrop’s Department of Fine Arts have already signed up. A goal of the entire project is to demystify the so‐called “art thing” so we might engage it for what it is: something that we made, nothing more, nothing less. That in itself is pretty amazing, and for a downtown clearly interested in re‐inventing itself, this project could not come at a better time.
Funded privately by Artists and Civic Engagement (ACE) Projects at Winthrop, this is an example of creativity and collaboration at its best. A true partnership among ACE Projects, the Arts Council of York County, Old Town Rock Hill, and Gallery Up, the project will provide an opportunity to see our downtown from a new perspective. Documenting the evolving construction, Gallery Up will host images by Zan Maddox on the Web. Dougherty’s work and the public’s response will also help visitors see our town in a slightly different light. Old Town already boasts a streetscape that is continually coming of age; innovative developments such as the Cotton Factory and Loom, the commissioned sculpture by artist Thomas Sayre; and most recently, the addition of the Community Performance Center. These all add to a favorable perception of Rock Hill’s core.
Merging the Dougherty installation with Come‐See‐Me activities, there will be an exhibition of large‐scale landscapes by Belews Creek, N.C., artist Jeremiah Miller opening March 26 at the Center for the
North Carolina artist Patrick Dougherty began his site-specific installation using woven tree saplings in front of the Community Performance Center (CPC) this Tuesday, March 8. Construction is scheduled to take about three weeks.
Dougherty has created similar large‐scale works in the U.S., Asia and Europe for more than 25 years. Working exclusively with common saplings that need to be removed from densely forested areas, Dougherty has established a reputation as a major figure in public art. The natural materials used in his works remind us that beauty can be simple and fleeting and fun.
Funded privately by Artists and Civic Engagement (ACE) Projects at Winthrop, this is an example of creativity and collaboration at its best. A true partnership among ACE Projects, the Arts Council of York County, Old Town Rock Hill, and Gallery Up, the project will provide an opportunity to see our downtown from a new perspective.
Gallery Up will present Patrick Dougherty: Stick Work, a series of photographs of Dougherty’s past installations on view March 31 to May 7, 2010. The public reception for the gallery exhibition will be held at Gallery Up on Thursday, April 15, 2010 from 6 to 9 pm.
Check back as we document the progress at the CPC with photos and commentary. More information about Patrick Dougherty and his past installations, visit www.stickwork.net
As the intern of Gallery Up, one of the most exciting things I have learned in my month and a half there is the ins and outs of installing a show. I just had the pleasure of helping install my first student show at The Loading Dock Gallery, located downstairs in the Gettys Center. I’m a big believer in promoting young talent, so this was, of course, a very exciting show for me to install.
The Loading Dock is currently featuring pieces from Marge Moody’s Advanced Drawing 3 class at Winthrop University. The show features seven undergraduate students: Heather Felts, Jarred Hoelle, Jeannie Harmon, Lila Shull, Katie Kath, Juliana McRae, and Brittney Foster.
The drawings are presented in a variety of media, such as pastels, charcoals, paper, and plexiglass. Each piece is of a unique subject matter based on the individual artist’s interests and tastes. The intent of the exhibition is to show connectedness between the work and the artist. The show is up as we speak, so please stop by to support these wonderful young artists!
The opening reception is on Thursday, March 11th and the show will continue to run until Friday, March 19th.
Working in a gallery we not only get to be the temporary keepers of amazing artwork but, more often than not, the artists behind the work can be equally wonderful to work with. A visit from clay artist Yoko Sekino-Bové last week reminded me of just how pleasant the experience can be.
Yoko was gracious enough to drive down from Washington, PA, braving the dreadful weather, to deliver a new body of work which will be on display in our next exhibition, Attention to Detail. This show will pair Yoko with Jim Connell, local ceramics expert and professor at nearby Winthrop University. In this exhibition you will see a new direction that Connell’s work is taking, which Gallery Up is delighted to be able to share with the world.
It’s exciting for us to know that people are as excited about this show as we are, and I want to thank both of these great artists for making it possible. Attention to Detail begins tomorrow, February 17, and will run until March 26. Please join us for the artist reception, held Thursday March 11, although I would encourage coming by before then…
Here’s a taste of what you’ll see:
Jim Connell, Green Flower Bowl, porcelain
Jim Connell, Green Flower Vase, porcelain
Yoko Sekino-Bové, Morning Glory Vase, porcelain
Yoko Sekino-Bové, Tropical Fruit Teapot, porcelain
So I may have mentioned before that, in addition to owning Gallery Up, Zan and I work as graphic designers. Our studio is called LaValla Maddox (please, excuse the lack of updates) and we work with a handful of local clients. We handle most of the print design for a tight-knit roster of folks in addition to some of their interactive needs with the help of our friends and collaborators at Nice Outfit.
Every now and again we get thrown a fun project that lends itself well to our illustration and painting background and we, of course, jump at the chance. Designing the poster for Charlotte Center City Partner’s First Night event was no exception. We gladly accepted the challenge of creating the “look and feel” for this past January’s event and even parlayed that into an enjoyable “poster signing/sponsor thank you” event at Ruth’s Chris in Center City last week.
The event was a blast and getting a chance to see our friends from CCCP (no, not that CCCP) is always welcome. The autographs were flowing, as was the Chimay, fortunately for Zan. The illustration was even translated beyond the poster, into the interactive world — bonus!
In all, we thought this was worth a “thank you” of our own — we’ve always enjoyed the creative projects that we’ve had the good fortune to work on over the years for Charlotte Center City Partners (you know who you are) and we eagerly look forward to the next gig, magic marker at the ready…
So I was thinking that this would be the first in a series of Gallery Up Goes to Charlotte blogs (à laMr. Smith Goes to Washington for those Jimmy Stewart fans out there.) And, while there may not be a lot of political corruption involved, and perhaps a scooch less “aw shucks,” I figure these stories could still be brimming with “common man/woman with pure heart triumphs over big city” — work with me here…
Last week, er, early February, Zan and I took a trip to UNC Charlotte to speak to professor Michael Simpson’s senior class of Art majors. The topic on hand was “Your Life Plan as an Artist” — quite an assignment for everyone involved (Frank Capra wouldn’t have been able to resist.)
We decided that, as opposed to delivering a “Here’s what we do and this is what it looks like” type presentation, we would use this as an opportunity to talk about our fixation with the concept of “Artist as Citizen.”
The idea for us is simple — instead of merely existing as an artist in solitude, embrace your community as a true citizen. Become an active member of local groups, use your skill sets to champion important causes and just generally lift your head up from time to time to see how you can impact the world around you. When done creatively, and genuinely, you’ll find that your community embraces you “the artist and the citizen” and, oftentimes, rewards you with more opportunities to be creative. Go figure.
So we threw the concept out there, did our obligatory tour of galleryup.com, snapped a few pics for posterity and then took questions from the class. A lively dialog ensued and we fielded queries from “do you have a lawyer” to “do I need formal business training to make a living as an artist?”
And, while I’ve often been accused of filibustering a topic to death, I think we left them generally intrigued and engaged in the prospect of embracing the idea in their lives. We walked away feeling good about doing our part as “artist citizens” and hopefully helped them firm up what they conceived to be a truly rewarding life plan.
Did you get a chance to check out the “North to South” show at Green Rice Gallery in NoDa? Sure, you might find yourself whining “but it was so two weeks ago” but, then again, I can so totally set the date on this blog post to whatever I want and then, well…
Seeing as how the “South” was a well-represented group of friends and fellow artists we braved the nasty dankness (see inset photo) and made the trip up. First stop was checking out The Liberty on South Blvd for a quick bite to eat and then on to Green Rice.
And, so, back to my initial point… If you haven’t stopped by lately, now is a good time to make your way over and take in all the fine things that made their way into their inaugural exhibition. You might just notice a few of your favorite Gallery Up artists in the mix… No, we’re not mentioning any names but you can at least get a peek at our evening here.
February 14th has always been a day of good, old-fashioned consumerism, when grade schoolers and desk jockeys alike weigh their self worth against the ratio of cards and candies received.
For many, our first Valentine memories are of cheap paper cut outs with cartoon characters or tween heartthrobs — later, last minute roses and chalky chocolates from conglomerate greeting card stores. As we’ve grown from awkward adolescence to equally awkward adulthood, we’ve undoubtedly all been participants in the frivolity and schmaltz of commercialized Valentine’s Day.
And though this spot upon the calendar does seem less magical every passing year, we need not let the soul crushing commercialism of St. Valentine’s Day deaden our hearts! Do not let Mega-Chain Store again fail to help you accurately impress upon your loved ones your sincerity and earnestness. Look instead to the fresh and unique work of your local artists and artisans, and make it handmade this February 14th. One of a kind, unique works of art are as authentic and sincere in spirit as are your sentiments of love.
If your day isn’t complete without the iconic ‘heart shape’, these Dark Heart Earrings by Lauren Haupt will meet your Valentine’s Day quota while providing class and refinement:
Paula Smith’s soft and ephemeral milagro-inspired porcelain ornaments are temporarily mounted to hand-stamped cards…a truly romantic piece of art to be enjoyed all year long:
Lastly, share in a Valentine’s toast for two, or privately double fist your pain away with this playful Sake Set by Lauren Adams of White Bike Ceramics:
However you celebrate this Valentine’s Day, and every holiday thereafter, be mindful of the impact of your wallet, support your local and independent artists, and, as always, continue “demanding” art!
So I was thinking that this would be the first in a series of Gallery Up Goes to Charlotte blogs (
Did you get a chance to check out the 
