Vol. 15, No. 3 March 2011 - Carolina Arts

I N C O L U M B I A ’ S V I S T AupcomingexhibitionsLynn ParrottUniversity of South CarolinaPress in Columbia, SC, ReleasesNew Art Book by Mary WhyteThe University of South Carolina Pressin Columbia, SC, has released a new artbook entitled, Working South: Paintingsand Sketches by Mary Whyte. The bookoffers 128 pages with 55 color and 6 blackand white illustrations of hard working everydaySoutherners who make their worldgo ‘round with sweat, skill and spirit.Night Light, Drive-in movie operator, Lewisburg, TNIn Working South, renowned watercoloristMary Whyte captures in exquisitedetail the essence of vanishing blue-collarprofessions from across ten states in theAmerican South with sensitivity and reverencefor her subjects. From the textilemill worker and tobacco farmer to thesponge diver and elevator operator, Whytehas sought out some of the last remnantsof rural and industrial workforces decliningor altogether lost through changes inour economy, environment, technology,and fashion. She shows us a shoeshineman, a hat maker, an oysterman, a shrimp-Page 10 - Carolina Arts, March 2011er, a ferryman, a funeral band, and othersto document that these workers existedand in a bygone era were once ubiquitousacross the region.Working South includes a forewordby Martha Severens, former curator ofthe Greenville County Museum of Art inGreenville, SC.Whyte is a teacher and authorwhose figurative watercolorpaintings have earned nationalrecognition. A resident of JohnsIsland, SC, Whyte garners muchof her inspiration from theGullah descendents of coastalCarolina slaves who numberamong her most prominent subjects.Her portraits are includedin numerous corporate, private,and university collections, aswell as in the permanent collectionsof South Carolina’sGreenville County Museumof Art in Greenville, SC, andthe Gibbes Museum of Art inCharleston, SC.Whyte’s paintings have beenfeatured in International Artist,Artist, American Artist, Watercolor,and American Art Collector,L’Art de Aquarelle, and numerousother publications. Whyte is the author ofAlfreda’s World, a compilation of her Gullahpaintings, as well as An Artist’s Way of Seeingand Watercolor for the Serious Beginner.Her work can be found at Coleman FineArt in Charleston, where her husband,Smith Coleman, manages the gallery andmakes gilded and carved frames.“When a person works with little audienceand few accolades, a truer portrait ofcharacter is revealed,” explains Whyte inher introduction.As a genre painter with skills and[FEB 24 - MAR 1, 2011 - Kara Saxon /Youth Art Month: Central Region][MAR 3 - 8, 2011 - A Fine Art Exhibitionby Colin R. Dodd[MAR 11 - 22, 2011 - Ethel Brody,Encore. Opening Reception: Friday,March 11, 5-9pm][MAR 24 - 29, 2011 - Laurie McIntoshand Lynn Parrott, An Exhibition of NewWorks. Opening Reception: Thursday,March 24, 5-9pm][MAR 310 - APR 12, 2011 - if Art Gallerypresents an exhibition of fine art.Ethel Brody, Crazy Stripes, Acrylic on CanvasLaurie McIntoshintuition honed through years of practiceand toil, she shares much in common withthe dedication and character of her hardscrabblesubjects. Her vibrant paintingsare populated by men and women, youngand old, black and white to documentthe range southerners whose everydaylabors go unheralded while keeping theSouth in business. By rendering theseworkers amid scenes of their rough-hewnlives, Whyte shares stories of the grace,strength, and dignity exemplified in theseimages of fading southern ways of life andlivelihood.Here’s what a few folks had to sayabout Mary Whyte and her new book:“In Working South, Mary Whyte sharesincredibly moving portraits of southernerswho work on the edge, invisible to mainstreamAmerica. Through her paintings,sketches, and text, she captures workerslike an oyster shucker in Urbanna,Virginia; a boatbuilder in Bayou la Batre,Alabama; and an elevator operator inJackson, Mississippi. She celebrates andhonors their lives in this truly memorablevolume.”- William R. Ferris, Center forthe Study of the American South, Universityof North Carolina at Chapel Hill.“Mary Whyte is a magnificent artistwho has mastered watercolor - one of themost difficult of all painting mediums.Here, she shows us phenomenal skill inportraying rural southern life with anempathy that celebrates the spirit of hersubjects, their great passion for their work,and their resilience in facing life’s hurdles.Her written narratives which accompanythese images are as delightful, tender,and moving as the art itself.” - JonathanGreen, southern artist.“Working South is not only the title of arecent body of work by Mary Whyte, butalso a metaphor for her personal transitionfrom the North to the South. Throughher art and sincere personality, she hasworked her way into the hearts and mindsof southerners, whether natives or recentarrivals. Like the many sitters in herpaintings, Whyte is emblematic of a NewSouth, except for the fact that her subjectsrepresent industries that are shrinking, iffeaturingEthel BrodyStephen ChesleyHeidi Darr-HopeJeff DonovanPat GilmartinRobert KennedySusan LenzSharon C. LicataLaurie McIntoshMichel McNinchKirkland SmithLaura SpongDavid YaghjianartistsOpen weekdays.Call for hours: 803.252.6134808 Lady St., Columbia SC 29201www.VistaStudios80808.comgalleryavailable for rentalmodest rate | professional exhibition spaceCall 803.771.7008not disappearing, while her reputation andhorizons are ever expanding.”- Martha Severens,former curator, Greenville CountyMuseum of Art, from the foreword.Cotton Man, cotton picker, Bishopville, SCAn exhibition of works from WorkingSouth will travel throughout the Souththrough 2013, starting in South Carolina.The schedule includes: Mar. 9 - Sept. 18,2011, at the Greenville County Museumof Art in Greenville, SC; Dec. 1, 2011- Mar. 11, 2012, at the Morris Museumof Art in Augusta, GA; May 4 - Sept. 9,2012, at the Gibbes Museum of Art inCharleston, SC; Oct. 5, 2012 - Feb. 24,2013, at the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah,GA; and Apr. 6 - July 7, 2013, atthe Peninsula Fine Arts Center in NewortNews, VA.Working South: Paintings and Sketchesby Mary Whyte - 10” x 11 1/2”, 128 pages,55 color illus., 6 black & white illus.,hardcover, $49.95 ISBN 978-1-57003-966-9, paperback, $29.95, ISBN 978-1-57003-967-6.For further info contact Jonathan Hauptat USC Press by calling 803/777-2021 ore-mail to (jhaupt@sc.edu).