City Art now features Michael Cassidy

Mystery, intrigue, and magic in the gallery. Michael Cassidy’s large-scale landscapes in oil create an enchanting atmosphere in the Main Gallery at City Art. Cassidy’s work explores the sublime beauty of South Carolina swamps.

“These paintings are adventures and longings for adventures that provoke both anxiety and intrigue – exploring an isolated pond, standing hip-deep in black water witnessing the dawn, or navigating down an unknown river. Such experiences become memories; some fade with time while others are embellished by imagination and take on greater significance.  I address the significant and create images by layering paint on canvas as to suggest a place through the haze of memory, nostalgia and imagination.  By persevering through discomfort, loosening our grip on the familiar and allowing exploration to occur, we may discover a bit of magic with the mystery.”- Michael Cassidy

Cassidy recently earned his M.F.A. from the University of South Carolina. Many of the pieces on display were part of his thesis work. Michael Cassidy was born and raised in rural southeastern Michigan. Attending Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids Michigan, Cassidy found his place in the fine arts department.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in printmaking and painting in 2000 and a Master of Fine Arts in 2004.

Visit us at City Art Gallery at 1224 Lincoln Street, Columbia, South Carolina behind the Blue Marlin in the Historic Congaree Vista. For more information, call 252-3613 or visit the website at www.cityartonline.com.

City Art Summer Hours: Monday through Friday 10-6, The gallery will be closed in on Saturdays in July and early August.

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City Art Gallery (1224 Lincoln St., 252-3613) presents exceptionally talented emerging artists for “School’s Out II: Emerging Artists of the Southeast.” In the wake of our critically acclaimed inaugural exhibit of 2003 identifying recent MFAs, BAs and BFAs of the region, City Art looks forward to presenting its second graduating class. The exhibit features the work of ten artists who work in a variety of media and whose work exemplifies exciting new directions in contemporary art.

School’s Out II is the result of a nominating process in which City Art asked studio art faculty members throughout Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina to identify their most talented recent graduates, artists who promise to be of high enough caliber to “make it” in the competitive art culture. Winnowing through the portfolios in a kind of visual “American Idol” type search, the Gallery Director then selected the artists who also displayed high levels of professionalism and whose work together would exemplify new trends in the contemporary visual culture. Echoing tendencies among talented emerging artists exhibiting nationally, the resulting exhibit at City Art will be strong on mixed media, drawing and figurative painting.

The exhibit also highlights two important art climates for emerging artists in the state of South Carolina- the ceramic program of the University of South Carolina’s Department of Art, under the direction of Professor Virginia Scotchie, and the Studio Art program of the College of Charleston. Three of Scotchie’s current graduate students are in this exhibit, and four artists in School’s Out II are graduates of the College of Charleston. In addition, the Charleston artists have further invigorated their own art scene by developing the Redux Contemporary Art Center into an important culture of creativity.

This year’s class includes

Jen Bandini (Athens, GA) works on paper, mixed media.  Bandini graduated with a B.F.A in painting from University of North Carolina Asheville in 2003 and is currently working towards her Master in Fine Arts from the University of Georgia.  She has received such awards as the Juror’s Choice Award from The Women’s Center of Chapel Hill’s Annual Juried Exhibition for two consecutive years, as well as research and presentation grants in 2002 and 2003.  Bandini has also been honored with high merits for three consecutive years in attendance of UNCA’s Annual Student Juried Exhibition.  Bandini has had two solo exhibitions:  Truths, Lies, and Reclamations, University Gallery, UNCA, Asheville N.C., and Surprise It’s Me, Gallery 31, Asheville N.C.  Her attendance in group shows includes:  Married to their Art, Upstairs Gallery, Tyron N.C., The Artists of Asheville, Fayetteville Museum of Art, Fayetteville N.C., Ending/Beginning, UNCA University Gallery, Asheville N.C., d’ART Center Mid-Atlantic Art Exhibition, d’ART Center, Norfolk V.A., Small Works Gallery, True Blue Art, Asheville, N.C., and Alla Prima, Alla Prima Gallery, Asheville N.C..  Bandini has been published in The Asheville Citizen Times, The Indie, Up & Coming Weekly, and The Critical Review.

Hwa-Won Lee (Columbia, SC) ceramic sculpture.  Hwa-Won Lee graduated from from Taegu University in South Korea with a B.F.A. in 1995.  She is currently at the University of South Carolina working towards her M.F.A. with a concentration in ceramics.   Lee has won awards in student competitions at USC and Taegu University, and Pusan.  She has shown in multiple group exhibitions, including: 3 Annual Student Art Exhibitions at USC, the USC Clay show, her BFA exhibition at Taegu University, 2 Annual Student Exhibitions at Taegu University, and the Pusan Student Art Competition.

Jill Allen (Columbia, SC) ceramic sculpture.  Jill Allen graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.F.A. in 1997.  She is currently in the University of South Carolina’s M.F.A.  program studying ceramics.   

Allen has worked in a variety of teaching positions from Central Piedmont Community College to the Kaleidoscope program at Winthrop University.  She has shown in multiple group and solo exhibitions the most recent being: 2004 International Orton Cone Box Show, Palmetto GBA Exhibit, Quirk in the Quagmire, Divergence: Two Approaches to Organic Form, and Formal Beauty.  Allen has also been featured in publications such as Handbuilt Tableware

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Ken Baskin (Columbia, SC) ceramic sculpture.  Ken Baskin graduated from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan in 2002 with a B.F.A.  He is currently at the University of South Carolina pursuing his M.F.A. in ceramics.  Baskin has worn many hats in the ceramics studio, from working as a lab technician to instructing in the continuing education program at CCS.  Baskin has participated in many group shows, some include:  American Craft Council Spotlight 2003, Blue Spiral Gallery, Asheville N.C.,  Annual Student Exhibitions at USC and CCS, Canton Fine Arts Exhibition, Phoenix Center, Canton M.I.,  and the Annual Helen DeRoy Exhibit: Oakland Community College, Farmington Hills M.I..  He is affiliated with the Artists Market, Detroit M.I., Pewabic Pottery, Detroit M.I., Function Art, Pontiac M.I., and Marilyn Finkel and Associates, Bloomfield Hills M.I..  Baskin can also be found in the College for Creative Studies Private Collection, Blue Cross/Blue Shield Private Collection, and the Oakland Community College Private Collection.

Charlie Shipman (Columbia, SC) photography. Shipman graduated cum laude in June of 2003 with a Bachelor of Art in Studio Art from Furman University.  While at Furman he worked as a design intern, a teaching assistant for photography classes, and as a gallery assistant. Active in university life, and with diverse interests, Shipman was co-captain of the Rugby Club and the co-founder of the Independent Film Society. In his senior year, Shipman won the Award of Excelllence in Print Design (C.A.S.E.) and the university’s Thomas E. Flowers Art Award. His work was exhibited in the South Carolina State Fair in 2003.

Wil Medearis (Asheville, NC) painting .  Medearis graduated with a B.F.A. in painting from the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2003.  He has had such opportunities as grants for travel and research within the painting field.  Medearis has also received honors such as Best in Show for the Thirty-Sixth Annual Juried Student Exhibition at UNCA in 2003.  His solo exhibition The Veil  was held at  the University Gallery at UNCA in 2003.  He has also been included in such group shows as: Annual Emerging Artists Show, Asheville Gallery of Art, Asheville, N.C., Thirty-Fifth and Thirty-Sixth Juried Student Exhibition, University Gallery, UNCA, Asheville N.C., and The Art of Glass and Printmaking, Kellogg Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design, Hendersonville, N.C.  Medearis was published in the Critical Review, 2003, in the article “The Sound Clash at the Wedge”.

Seth Gadsden (Clover, SC) figurative, oil on paper.  Gadsden graduated with a B.A. in Studio Art from College of Charleston in 2003.  He has received a variety of honors, including a solo exhibition at the Charleston City Gallery in 2004 and a scholarship from Print Studio South in 2003.  Gadsden’s professional career has quickly gained momentum as he has become President of REDUX after its founding in 2002 in which he was a core member.  He has also worked with such artists as Sol Lewitt ,Herb Parker, and Eric Johnson creating indoor and outdoor installations.  Gadsden’s artwork has been in the Head Show Group Exhibition, Halsey Gallery, Charleston S.C., Hot Artists Take it Off, Redux Contemporary Art Center, Charleston S.C., Young Contemporaries, Halsey Gallery, Charleston S.C., and  Print Studio South Juried Exhibition, Print Studio South, Charleston S.C.

Bill Bolton (Charleston, SC) oil on canvas.  Bolton graduated from College of Charleston with a B.A. in Studio Art in 2001.  He has been accepted to the New York Academy of Art’s M.F.A. program for fall of 2004.  His professional career includes such endeavors as the co-administrator and custom framing specialist to the Redux Contemporary Art Center.  Bolton has exhibited his work in group shows such as: Hot Artists Take It Off, Redux Contemporary Art Center, Charleston S.C., Devotional, Untitled Gallery, Charleston S.C., and Young Contemporaries, Halsey Gallery, Charleston S.C..  Bolton’s work can be found is a variety of publications, including The Post and Courier and The Charleston Magazine. 

Zane Wilson (Goose Creek, SC) sculpture.   Zane Wilson has participated in such group shows as:  Heads Show, Halsey Gallery, Charleston S.C., Clothesline, The Art Garage, Columbia S.C., and Candlelight, Untitled Gallery, Charleston S.C..  Wilson has also shown in the solo exhibition:  Stability at the Charleston City Gallery in Charleston, S.C.

Bob Snead (Charleston, SC) oil on copper.  Bob Snead graduated from the College of Charleston with a B.A. in Fine Arts in 2002.  He is currently the President and one of the founding members of Redux Contemporary Art Center in Charleston, S.C.  Snead has shown in several group shows including: Iowa Miniprint International, University of Iowa Gallery,                         Iowa City I.A.,  The Low End Theory, UALR Fine Arts Gallery, Little Rock A.R.,  Yellow+Blue=Green, Untitled Gallery, Charleston S.C., and Young Contemporaries, Halsey Gallery, Charleston S.C.

The exhibit continues through June.

Columbia, As I See

Anne Hightower-Patterson     Artist’s Statement

It is either a blessing or a curse, depending upon your point of view, to live with an artist’s eye.   As I travel about in my day-to-day life, I see life passing by as little vignettes waiting to be photographed or painted.  It is certainly more hazardous to photograph and drive than to talk on a cell phone and maneuver a vehicle.  I have been known to stop in traffic to capture an image that is a fleeting at the afternoon sunset. 

            In my painting,” Five O’clock Traffic,” I literally leaned out the window of my car to capture the glorious sunset in the windows of the Palmetto Baptist building.   Fortunately I haven’t received a traffic ticket yet.

              I have lived in Columbia for nearly thirty-five years.  Having grown up in Mount Pleasant, outside of Charleston, I am often asked why I choose to remain in Columbia instead of heading home to the “Holy City.”  I decided sometime along the way that Columbia is just great place to live.  The old mingles comfortably with the new and an ever changing cross-section of cultures provides a rich environment for an artist’s muse.

              I have been photographing the city since the seventies.  Some of the images in this show emerge from past times and events in the life of Columbia.

“Waiting for the Torch to Pass “was evoked by a wonderful moment as I stood in Five Points waiting for the Olympic Torch to go by on its way to the Atlanta Games.  On the curb sat a group of children from their daycare, decked out in hats and waving flags.  The poignancy of the moment could not escape me, as I watched this small African American boy waving his flag, waiting for the time when adult life would be passed to him.

  In 1984, I was looking for a unique point of view.  As I tramped to the markers in Elmwood Cemetery, I came upon the statue of an angel overlooking the river and the interstate leading into town.  She looked as if she was watching over all who entered Columbia, praying to keep them safe.  So came the painting”Angel of the City.”

  The emphasis of this show was to depict Columbia in ways that are not traditionally done; to provide a different perspective.   The more I looked, the more I saw.  The awesome detail of some of the recognizable buildings and monuments became magnetic.  The complete set of photos depicting the Palmetto Monument on the grounds of the Statehouse enlarges the view of the magnificent details that were embedded into the design of the monument.  Iron eagles guarding, embossed eagles standing watch over hand-wrought palmettos.  Each section is a work of art unto itself.  The same things happened with a visit to Sterling Garden Center.  The place came alive with images, details and color that called out to my camera to record.

            At times I like to observe the contrast of elements in a space.  For example, I observed the juxtaposition of the flowers of the Farmer’s Market against the towering concrete of Williams-Brice Stadium in “Spring Training” and the wildness of the Congaree River against a concrete high rise and a steel bridge spanning the water in “Bridgepoint.”  In  ”Look What We Won” I explored what goes on behind the cattle barns at the SC State Fair.

Night casts a whole different view on the city.  The oft painted Adluh Milling building is an icon over the city.  The venture into nighttime painting produced “Night Shift,” a darker depiction of the street near midnight.  The nightlife of Columbia is rich as well.  If you wonder out on any Wednesday night you can go back to a time when dining and dancing were done all evening at one location.  At Dianne’s on Devine, you can take a table for the evening and dance between courses.  I often imagine this was the way it was in more elegant times of the early twentieth century.  “Dancing with Paul” shows my good friend Lulu Anderson dancing with Paul Sloan to the music of Ross Holms on the tiny dance floor of Dianne’s.

            No artist can get by without sending a message or two through her work.  As I painted downtown Columbia, fronted by St. Peter’s Cathedral, it occurred to me that the only buildings other than the church were bank building.  In my own cynical way, I decided to entitle this piece “Where We Worship.”    Loving the play of words in a title, I chose to express my wonder and the glory of God through the painting “Waiting in the Light of the Son.”  It is not a misprint.  The

Son of God is more warming that the light of the Sun.

Of all the paintings in this show, probably the most life changing for me, were “Homeless in Finley Park” and “Hands of the Homeless.”  I was on a photo outing one afternoon and after parking on the upper end of the park, I headed down the stairs toward the little lake.  As I began taking photos, a woman called to me asking for a handout.  Looking back, I saw a bedraggled woman in a baseball cap and worn clothing.  I am soft-hearted, but practical as well.  So I struck a bargain with her.  If she would pose for me, I would pay her $5.00.  The deal was struck.  Simultaneously, I began shooting photos and listening to Adrienne’s story.  I learned about her children, the other street people around, and how tough her veneer had to be to make it on the street.  As we moved toward the pond, she began talking about how it is to be homeless and sleep in the Salvation Army shelter.  Encounters with police and other park visitors peppered her comments.  All at once, she reared back her head and with eyes closed said,” You have no idea how we are treated!”  That emotion, filled with the pain of loss and struggle, became the source for “Homeless in Finley Park.”

Because each person’s hands speak so much of their life, I found that the very personal view of Adrienne’s hands told her story.  Too many times, the people of the street are the invisible ones in our view of Columbia.  That’s how I see it.

This show feels like a beginning of a new journey for me.  I have collected far more images of our glorious city than shown here.  I suspect that I will be painting Columbia, the way I see it, for many years to come. ■

VISTA LIGHTS
PRESS RELEASE

Nov. 20, 2003 – Jan. 10, 2004 Group Exhibit: The Portable Affordable Small Gift of Art

For the holiday season, City Art Gallery will feature small works of art, all created in 2003 by artists in the gallery’s stable of fifty established and emerging artists. The premise rests in the joy of giving original art. Several artists have created special works for Vista Lights and the holidays, working within dimensions smaller than their usual creative productions. The evening of Vista Lights is a great time to meet many of these artists in person and to get to know the individuals behind the art.

In addition, City Art’s fine artists supply store will be open for Vista Lights, highlighting many art-related gifts for holiday gift-giving such as artist easels, starter sets for printing and drawing, leather blank books for drawing and journaling, mosaic supplies, and more.

The staff will help show visitors how to make their own affordable portable gift of art. As City Art features fine framing, the staff recommends that shoppers plan their framing early for the holidays.

City Art will be open on the evening of Vista Lights, Thursday, Nov. 20 from 6 to 9 p.m. City Art Gallery is located at 1224 Lincoln Street. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 252-3613. www.cityartonline.com.

Now at City Art: Michael Cassidy, Mike Dwyer, May Reisz, and Tim Turner

Opens Thursday, October 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Main Gallery

City Art Gallery in Columbia, South Carolina presents a four-person exhibit featuring recent paintings on canvas by both established and emerging artists new to the gallery - Michael Cassidy, Mike Dwyer, and May Reisz, all residents of Columbia, South Carolina, and Tim Turner of Crossnore, North Carolina. All four of the artists have an affinity for large and colorful canvases. While Cassidy and Reisz explore contemporary approaches to landscape, Dwyer and Turner work within classical abstraction. An opening artist reception will be held in the Main Gallery of City Art on Thursday, October 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. The public is invited. The exhibit continues through November 19.

Michael Cassidy was born and raised in rural southeastern Michigan. Attending Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids Michigan, Michael found his place in the fine arts department.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in printmaking and painting in 2000.  During the next year Michael continued to paint and show in the local Grand Rapids area while he searched for Graduate schools.  In 2001 he moved to Columbia, South Carolina, to attend USC for a Master of Fine Arts degree.  He is currently working on his thesis and is set to graduate in May of 2004.      

Mike Dwyer received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1985 from Syracuse University and his Master of Fine Arts degree in 1993 from the University of South Carolina. At both schools his area of study was Studio Arts, with a concentration in painting. Dwyer has lived in Syracuse, NY; Providence, RI; and since 1990, Columbia, SC, where he works as Exhibition Designer and Preparator at the Columbia Museum of Art. His work has been exhibited in Syracuse, Providence, Anderson and Columbia, SC. Most recently his paintings were displayed at the Spartanburg County Annual Juried Exhibition. “My decision to work abstractly comes from a belief that in any visual art, there are abstract elements which need to function well for the work to succeed. These qualities are at the core of all visual art and transcend cultural and historical differences. They are a universal language, much like music.”

May Reisz earned a Master of Arts degree in Studio Art and Art History from Penn State University, with additional studies at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She taught art in public schools, as well as at Lesly College, Wittenberg University, and North Eastern Illinois University. Since moving to South Carolina in 1992, she has exhibited throughout the state. She has won awards in the South Carolina and Southern Watercolor Societies, as well as a Best of Show in the South Carolina State Fair. Her works have been included in the NBSC Oil Painters Invitational Exhibit and Carolina Foothills Artisan Center. A one woman show of her work was presented by the University of South Carolina Sumter in the Spring of 2003. Reisz’s works are in the collections of Ratheon, Digital Electronics, Gillette, The Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Ottawa, Canada, and the Aiken, South Carolina Art Center.

Tim Turner was born and raised in North Carolina. From 1985 to 1998 he owned
The Potter's Gallery in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Since then Turner has made a living as a professional artist, as his vibrant large paintings have developed a strong public following. Most recently his work has been shown at the Solo Art Gallery in Winston-Salem, The Art Cellar in Banner Elk, and at Blue Spiral 1 in Asheville.  His work is in many private collections. Corporate collections include Omni Offices, Gensler Corporation and the Mirant Corporation, all in Atlanta, Georgia. His work is also in the
collections of Kline Steel of Columbia, South Carolina and the Bank of
Richmond in Charlotte, N.C.

City Art Gallery is located in the historic Congaree Vista in Columbia, South Carolina. Gallery Hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 252-3613.

CITY ART GALLERY OPENS 2003-2004 GALLERY SEASON WITH EXHIBIT BY USC VISITING PROFESSOR MARY ROBINSON

 MARY ROBINSON

“nature/passing/time”

September 4 – October 18, 2003

Opening Reception Thursday, September 4  from 6 – 8 p.m.  Main Gallery City Art. The public is invited.

City Art Gallery in Columbia, South Carolina is pleased to open its 2003-2004 season with a solo exhibit by USC Visiting Professor Mary Robinson titled “nature/passing/time.” The title refers to the artist’s exploration of perceptions of time in her encounter with nature. In much of her art, Robinson expresses a feeling of passing through the physical landscape, as if on an emotional as well as physical journey. This sense of movement and change contrasts with a more fixed or static observation of a vista, the conventional viewpoint of most landscape painting. Although primarily a printmaker, Robinson will show several new paintings in the exhibit, in addition to new monotypes, an etching, and woodcuts. An opening reception will be held Thursday, September 4 from 6 to 8 p.m., and the public is invited to attend.

The themes of time and nature have been an important element in Robinson’s work. Growing up, she spent many hours exploring the forest around her home in Tennessee. As an adult artist, she continues her explorations, with a keen awareness of the process of change: “I watch in awe as plants, animals, insects and human beings sprout, grow, transform, decay, die. But not only is the world outside me changing. I watch my own mind change and see that my perceptions sometimes become clearer, sometimes more clouded or blocked. We human beings – along with everything around us – are in a continuous state of flux.”

 In her work on display at City Art, she responds in part to the dense and web-like thickets prevalent in places such as the Congaree Swamp and areas of the Low Country.  Her new paintings build upon collages of varying vantage points encountered in her nature walks, in “these spaces you can escape to.” Robinson says that in viewing her work she would like others “to have some kind of power they recognize in their experience in nature – to look at the light and how it changes, to see how forms tangle and overlap one another.”

 Mary Robinson is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Art at the University of South Carolina where she teaches printmaking.  She received her B.F.A. in 1990 in Studio Arts at the University of Colorado, and a M.A. in 1994 in Art History from the University of Wisconsin. She completed her M.F.A. in 2001 at Indiana University where she specialized in printmaking.  Her work has been exhibited in several national juried competitions. Robinson’s installation art has been shown in Sumter’s Accessibility project and in Columbia’s Artista Vista celebration. Her drawing “Tangled Branches” was exhibited in this year’s USC Faculty Exhibition at the McKissick Museum in Columbia.

 The exhibit “nature/passing/time” will be on display through Saturday, October 18.

 City Art is located at 1224 Lincoln St. in the historic Congaree Vista in Columbia, South Carolina. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, please contact Teri Tynes, Gallery Director, City Art Gallery, at 803-252-3613 or email gallerydirector@cityartonline.com.

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For immediate release 7/14/03

New Exhibit Opens This Thursday Evening, July 17 from 6 to 8 p.m.

City Art Gallery

Fred McElveen: Photographs & Images

July 17 – August 30, 2003

For more information contact Teri Tynes, Gallery Director, City Art, at 803-252-3613 or email gallerydirector@cityartonline.com

City Art Gallery opens a photography exhibit by Fred McElveen on Thursday, July 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. Dr. McElveen is an established Columbia-based physician with a specialty in dermatology, but he is also an award-winning photographer. Though largely self-taught, the artist has studied with Ansel Adams, Cole Weston, Phil Davis, and Alan Ross, among others. Working in black and white, color, and computer-assisted manipulation, McElveen builds upon established practices of American documentary photography and European fine art photography while inventing his own artistic voice. 

The City Art exhibit includes several of McElveen’s images of Columbia such as the Gervais Street Bridge, but his artistic vision transforms these familiar sights into classic and romantic icons of place. The exhibit will include streetscapes, landscapes, close-ups, and images the photographer captured on his travels. The City Art exhibit will also feature several computer-enhanced images by the photographer’s son, Clay McElveen, a major in biology at The University of South Carolina.

The exhibit will continue through August 30, 2003. The evening reception on Thursday, July 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. is open to the public.

HELD OVER
THROUGH JULY 12, 2003

City Art Gallery

May 9, 2003 – June 28, 2003

School’s Out: Emerging Artists of the Southeast

Opening Reception: Friday, May 9   

5 to 9  p.m. ARTISTA VISTA

The exhibit will highlight the work of eleven of the region’s rising art stars, all recent or current BFAs or MFAs. Several members of the studio art faculty of selected colleges and universities in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia played a role early in the selection process; the Gallery Director at City Art also identified a few participants in trips to Atlanta, Charleston, and Savannah. While City Art continues to promote the careers of established regional and national artists, the gallery is eager to identify and promote the work of exciting new artists with varied backgrounds and fresh perspectives.

Artists include Anya Belkina (native of Moscow, asst. professor at Duke University), Brian Bishop (Memphis native, asst. professor at University of Alabama), Angus N. M. Galloway (native of Bath, England, currently enrolled in MFA program at Georgia State), Bo Zhang (native of China, currently enrolled in MFA program at Georgia State), Rebecca Rhees (currently enrolled in MFA photography program at USC), Mary Hartman (drawing, recent MFA grad of Savannah College of Art & Design), Terri Bright (MFA photography grad from the University of Texas, asst. professor at Furman University), Reed Elliott (native of New Orleans, currently at Winthrop University), Jason Blalock (sculptor, recent MFA Clemson), Briana Cooper (recent BFA in printmaking, College of Charleston), and Sigrira Perret-Gentil (MFA candidate in photography, Georgia State).

School’s Out will open Friday evening on May 9 from 5 to 9 p.m. in conjunction with Artista Vista, an annual celebration of the arts, highlighting the galleries and art culture of the historic Congaree Vista area of Columbia, South Carolina.

City Art Gallery is located at 1224 Lincoln Street in the historic Congaree Vista. Call 252-3613 for more information or visit the website at www.cityartonline.com.

Scotty Peek: "her/my family (and other drawings)"

MARCH 20 – MAY 3, 2003

A recent MFA graduate from the Department of Art at The University of South Carolina, artist Scotty Peek explores new subject matter for his upcoming solo exhibit at City Art Gallery titled “her/my family” (and other drawings)”. The show opens Thursday, March 20 and continues through Saturday, May 3.  City Art will host a reception for the artist on the opening evening from 6 to 8 p.m. The public is invited.

After settling into a bungalow neighborhood in north Columbia with his wife Sally, Peek has been creatively exploring the rich architectural heritage of his environment. His charcoal drawings of modest houses set against a mature natural environment, for example, demonstrate his skill at evoking a sense of history and reverence. The houses, set in overgrown foliage under the often-hard southern sun, allow Peek to press the limits of dark spaces. These houses become mysterious and beautiful in their contrasting light and shadows, but they most often become “homes.”

With the new series “her/my family” Peek explores and celebrates the families who would live in such places. Drawing inspiration from his marriage and the larger number of relatives that came with it, Peek seeks to learn more about his new relations by drawing images based on his wife’s family photo albums. In drawing the images of her relatives, he is able “to participate in her past.”

He writes, “When Sally and I married, our individual families practically doubled. Folks who we will never meet, however, suddenly became vicarious loved ones. I suddenly have a grandfather, two great-grandfathers and two great-grandmothers who I will never know. Likewise, Sally will never meet or know any of my great-grandparents or my mother's father. Oddly though, and with no hesitation, we share our families and care for each other's ancestors as if there never was a time when we were not family.”

Many viewers should be able to relate in a personal way to the drawings in the City Art exhibit “her/my family.” Though based on individuals in Peek’s new extended family, the drawings lack some specificity and suggest a greater universality – family friends proudly standing under the eaves of their new 1920s-era bungalow or a woman in an apron squinting at a familiar face from her comfortable front porch.

Scotty Peek attended Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee where he earned a BFA, with a concentration in drawing, in 1995.  In 2000 he was awarded the MFA, with a major in Drawing and a minor in 3-D Design from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. He is currently the preparator at USC’s McKissick Museum and an adjunct drawing instructor at the University of South Carolina. He also teaches adult drawing classes at the Columbia Museum of Art. His work has been featured in several recent Artista Vista celebrations in Columbia, and his innovative installations have become an important part of Sumter’s “Accessibility” projects.

City Art Gallery is located at 1224 Lincoln Street in the historic Congaree Vista. Call 252-3613 for more information or visit the website at www.cityartonline.com.

JANUARY 16 – March 1, 2003   

Works By Michael Brodeur Featured in Solo Show at City Art Gallery

Michael Brodeur: Paintings and Drawings, an exhibit at City Art Gallery in Columbia, South Carolina January 16 through March 1, 2003, presents an exciting opportunity to see the work by one of the region's most accomplished artists. Since 1999, when he moved to Greenville, South Carolina to establish the visual arts program at The South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts, Brodeur has become the subject of growing interest. His terse, poignant, and precise paintings of domestic interiors have been featured in important juried group shows such as the 2001 Triennial at the South Carolina State Museum and the Greenville County Museum's recent exhibits From the Studio and From the Collection. This solo exhibit at City Art will serve to present Brodeur's work in a more focused light.

A reception will be held in the artist's honor on Thursday, January 16, 2003 from 6 to 8 p.m. The public is invited.

Like his teacher, Philip Guston, Brodeur is "a painter's painter," an artist whose technical mastery and confidence with subject matter establishes a high standard for other artists to emulate. In his economical depiction of the relationships between common objects in a domestic interior, Brodeur explores at a more metaphorical level the problems associated with interpersonal intimacy. In staging and manipulating ordinary objects such as nightstands, tables, or cups, Brodeur evokes the precarious tensions and balances within partnerships. These intimate dramas then also serve as problems that Brodeur, the artist, works to resolve, posing and then solving art problems of color, form, and composition. By exteriorizing the interior spaces, he works through a complex host of issues, visually articulating these personal spaces for a more public contemplation.

Brodeur writes of his work, "I present concrete, clear and seemingly rational relationships. But in that clarity poetic and metaphysical events occur: the tense 'dialogue' between two objects placed precisely on a table, mystery at the edge of light and shadow, the profound silence of solitude. Beyond making a connection between art and personal experience, I hope to make the personal universal. I hope to engage the spirit within each one of us. We need to bolster ourselves against the disappointments of a dispirited age."

Born in 1947 in Claremont, New Hampshire, Michael Brodeur obtained a B.A. in 1970 from the University of New Hampshire. In 1971-1972, he studied art with Milton Resnick at the University of Iowa. He received his M.F.A. in 1975 from Boston University where he studied with Philip Guston and James Weeks. He has served on the faculties of New England School of Art and Design in Boston, Palm Beach Community College, and Florida Atlantic University. Since 1999 he has chaired the Visual Arts Department at The South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities Residential School in Greenville, SC. In addition to creating the school's visual arts curriculum and program, he teaches foundation courses and upper level painting and life drawing. His work has been featured in numerous solo and group shows, and his paintings are held in many private and public collections.

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