Vol. 16, No. 3 March 2012 - Carolina Arts

Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hillcontinued from Page 42Some of the prints deal with Benton’smemories of his own childhood in Missouri,of his family and neighbors and howthey lived. Others deal with music - withthe singing, foot stamping, and folk songsthat shaped the character of rural life in theSouth and Midwest. However, by the 1940s,these songs were beginning to disappear.Chords of Memory examines Benton’s attemptto record these songs and the way oflife that they represented.Work by Thomas Hart BentonTwo abstract oil paintings by Benton willbe shown along with the exhibition. Theyrepresent the artist’s early experiments insynchronism, a movement interested in creatingharmonies with color just as musicianscomposed with sound.While most recognized for his largescale, multi-media assemblages, ThorntonDial’s drawings are his most prolific bodyof work, spanning from the early 1990s intoWork by Pete SackThe Mahler in Raleigh, NC, will presentthe exhibit, New Works by Pete Sack,on view from Mar. 2 - 31, 2012. A receptionwill be held on Mar. 2, from 6-9pm.the present. Organized by the Ackland ArtMuseum, Thornton Dial: Thoughts on Paperwill feature 50 of Dial’s earliest drawingsfrom 1990-1991, a pivotal moment inhis artistic career.The Ackland Art Museum is well knownfor its extensive collection of works on paperand in particular, its outstanding collectionof drawings, making it a natural venuein which to explore this less-known buthighly significant portion of Dial’s oeuvre.The works in the exhibition - characterizedby flowing lines, color washes, and imagesof women, fish, and tigers - provide a touchstoneof Dial’s creative process.A fully-illustrated book, Thornton Dial:Thoughts on Paper, co-published by theAckland Art Museum and The Universityof North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will beavailable. The book is edited by Bernard L.Herman, with contributions by Bernard L.Herman, Juan Logan, Glenn Hinson, ColinRhodes, and Cara Zimmerman.Piece by Piece: Quilts, Collages, andConstructions is centered on a quilt fromthe legendary Gee’s Bend, Alabama, quiltingcommunity, this exhibition celebratesboth the act of “piecing together” works ofart from disparate elements and the influenceof traditional women’s fabric arts onmodern and contemporary art.For further information check our NCInstitutional Gallery listings, call the Museumat 919/966-5736 or visit (http://www.ackland.org/index.htm).The Mahler in Raleigh, NC,Features Works by Pete SackThe NC Museum of Natural Sciencesin Raleigh, NC, is presenting the 2011Wildlife in North Carolina Photo Competition,on view through Mar. 31, 2012.In his new series of paintings, Sackcontinues to express his own human conditionthrough the combination of watercolorand paint. The images that he usesare taken from a variety of places, bothpersonal and public, and by removing theimages from their context Sack is able tocreate a new personal narrative throughhis art.The Mahler is a dynamic fine artgallery located in downtown Raleigh inthe historic and newly renovated MahlerBuilding on Fayetteville Street. TheMahler is dedicated to significant art ofour time, committed to offering the best inregional and national fine art by emergingand established artists.For further information check our NCCommercial Gallery listings, call MeggRader at 919/896-7503 or visit (www.themahlerfineart.com).NC Museum of Natural Sciences inRaleigh, NC, Offers Wildlife PhotographyWork by Gene Furr the Grand Prize winnerNow in its seventh year, the Wildlifein North Carolina Photo Competitionseeks to encourage high-quality naturephotography and to identify talentedwildlife photographers working in NorthCarolina. This year’s field totaled 3,689photographs from approximately 1,000photographers. Judges were: WINC art directorMarsha Tillett, WINC photographerMelissa McGaw, Museum senior managerof outreach Mike Dunn, and Wildlife ResourcesCommission public informationofficer Jodie Owen.“Sometimes you have to break therules to get results,” says Gene Furr, the2011 Wildlife in North Carolina PhotoCompetition Grand Prize winner, who didjust that for his winning shot of the greategret. His photo, along with 30 other winningshots, are on display.“Most of the time, you do not want tophotograph birds from the rear, but breakingthis rule gave me a special image,”said Furr. “I am so honored to win theGrand Prize.”Furr is no newcomer to photography.During his 30 years at The News &Observer of Raleigh, he won more than300 awards while serving as staff photographer,chief photographer and photographycoach. He retired in 2002 and startedphotographing wildlife.The Photo Competition is held in collaborationwith the NC Wildlife Resourcescontinued above on next column to the rightCommission, the NC Museum of NaturalSciences and the NC Division of Parksand Recreation, with support from JWPhoto of Raleigh (Exhibition Sponsor).Table of ContentsThe Rosenzweig Gallery, part of theJudea Reform Congregation in Durham,NC, is presenting the exhibit, A Journey,featuring a print series exploringthe meaning of each of the twenty-twoFor further information check ourNC Institutional Gallery listings, call theMuseum at 919/733-7450 or visit (http://www.naturalsciences.org/).The Rosenzweig Gallery in Durham,NC, Offers Works by Julie KlaperWork by Julie KlaperHebrew letters by Charleston, SC, artist,Julie Klaper. A reception will be held onMar. 4, from 2-4pm.Klaper was inspired to do the workwhile studying for her Bat Mitzvah. Eachprint includes symbols which give thehistorical reference, numerical value andsymbolism of the letters. In addition,as appropriate for this coming of ageceremony, the artist selected an attributebeginning with each letter, traits she isfocusing on achieving as she grows older.Klaper celebrated her Bat Mitzvah theday before her sixtieth birthday at a serviceat KKBE Synagogue in Charleston,SC. She describes the process of creatingthe work, “Each piece is a monoprint, anedition of one, requiring at least six toeight passes through the press. I paint theimage, in reverse, on plexiglass and thentransfer it to paper. I used some form ofmetallic ink on each one, a reference tothe ancient manuscripts which gave mecreative inspiration.”The framed prints are available forpurchase.For further information check our NCInstitutional Gallery listings or call thegallery at 919/489-7062.ENO Gallery in Hillsborough, NCcontinued from Page 41 / back to Page 41Work by Donna Polsenoof Design. She is the recipient of twoNational Endowment of the Arts grants forindividual artists. Polseno teaches ceramicsat Hollins University, in Roanoke, VA.Wayne Higby, Chair of Ceramic Art,Alfred University, said the followingabout Polseno, “Artists contextualize andcreate a point of view that informs theviewer. They tell us what to think, to feel,to understand. They reveal. We knowabout the sunset because artists have revealedit to us. Likewise, we know aboututility in this case because Donna Polsenoreveals it so poetically.”Also on view at ENO Gallery throughApr. 22, 2012, is the exhibit, Totemsand Talismans, a sculpture invitational,by eleven artists offering contemporaryinterpretations of Totems and Talismans.Participating artists include: Alice Ballard(Greenville, SC); Lisa Creed (Durham,NC); Daniel Essig (Asheville, NC); JohnGeldersma (Santa Fe, NM); Virginia Gibbons(Wilmington, NC); Kelly Guidry(Breaux Bridge, LA); Tinka Jordy (Hillsborough,NC); William Moore (Pittsboro,NC); Hope Swann (Charlotte, NC); KathyTriplett (Weaverville, NC); and SusanWells (Hillsborough, NC).ENO Gallery represent exceptionalcontemporary artists for both first timebuyers and discerning collectors. Thegallery is a unique and intimate exhibitionspace in the heart of the Hillsboroughhistoric district, offering work from artistsof exceptional quality and dedication. Weare honored to represent some of the mostcreative individuals from both the regionaland national communities. Our name is inspiredby the Eno River that runs throughdowntown Hillsborough, which was laidout in 1754 by William Churton on 400acres where the Occaneechi Indian TradingPath crossed the Eno River.For further information check our NCCommercial Gallery listings, call the galleryat 919/833-1415 or visit(http://www.enogallery.net/).Carolina Artsis now onFacebookGo to this link and“like” us!Carolina Arts, March 2012 - Page 43