Fall may be officially a few weeks away, but the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum is already launching its fall exhibitions.
Mana Hewitt, Billie Holiday, 2018, vitreous enamel, etched brass, copper and sterling silver, 3″x2″x.25″
Opening Sept. 10 is Mana Hewitt | Persistence; followed by Maura Kenny | Where the Rivers Flow and Sara Farrington | Model Home, opening Sept. 24; and on Oct. 1 the Museum opens Jim Creal | The South Carolina Coastal Lithograph Project.
Persistence remains on exhibit through Dec. 6; the remaining exhibits will remain through Dec. 20.
The Museum is open for visits Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., with multiple measures in place to assure the health and safety of visitors.
Persistence is an exhibition of over 60 commemorative medals in recognition of women who have challenged societal perceptions and worked to improve conditions for all. Each medal (all of which are meant to be worn as a brooch or hung) is made of etched brass, copper, sterling silver and an enameled portrait, some with faceted stones. The designs reflect aspects of the individuals portrayed; the back sides of the medals are etched with either a mini biography or a quotation. For example, renowned soul singer Aretha Franklin’s medal takes the shape of a vinyl record. According to Hewitt, a senior art instructor at the University of South Carolina, “They are intended to familiarize and instruct, lest we forget the women that forged a path to give us voice today.”
Maura Kenny, American Gator, Hobcaw Barony, 2013watercolor, 22″ x 30″
From artist and educator Maura Kenny | Where the Rivers Flow is an exhibition of 35 watermedia paintings depicting the views, flora, fauna, people and architecture found along the great Pee Dee and Waccamaw Rivers, including their bays, creeks, inlets and islands. Her works range from sweeping views of the inlet at low tide or quiet, wildlife impressions of alligators resting in the marsh to majestic architectural renderings of historic buildings.
Sara Farrington, Model Home, (as installed at John and June Allcott Gallery, Chapel Hill, NC), March 2018, heavyweight drawing paper, armature and adhesive, dimensions variable
Model Home is a modular, site-responsive sculptural installation of staged domestic spaces. Her to-scale installation components, which include furniture, light switches, electrical outlets, rugs, picture frames and even baseboards, are created using heavyweight drawing paper – all customized to the individual spaces where they are displayed. Farrington, an artist/educator and Myrtle Beach native who now lives and works in the Raleigh, NC area, describes her work as a metaphor for the American ideal or dream: the commodity of a perfect domestic space marketed specifically for status, but an unattainable goal for most.
Jim Creal, Botany Bay, Tidal Estuary, 2016, lithograph, 25.5″ x 33.5″
On Oct. 1 the Museum opens Jim Creal | The South Carolina Coastal Lithograph Project. A native of Spartanburg, SC, who was educated in geology as well as in the fine arts, Creal uses the medium of traditional stone lithography to capture “the mood, spirit and rich diversity of South Carolina’s coastal habitats and some of their extraordinary indigenous creatures.” As Creal notes ominously, “What is here today may not be there for future generations to enjoy.”