group seven
This afternoon at 2 pm {08.30} is the Artist talk and the last day of the exhibition for the show, group seven. The eight artists- Patrick Toups, Matt Sigmon, Phil Proctor, Julia Hill, Kate Hannon, Don Dougan, Antonio Darden, and Melinda Crider- will be present at Whitespace to talk about the creative process and their personal experience with the concept of the “Exquisite corpse.” Join us today and catch the last glimpses of both the visual and interactive experience.
Justin Parker, Corinne Kornder & Kaye ThomasThe opening for Three Ways in Clay was last Saturday evening. Armed with bottles of commercial-strength bug spray and chilled white wine, guests enjoyed the sultry summer evening.
Opening night
“Take me!” {Miniature creatures provided by Corinne to everyone}
Kaye Thomas, Bottle Series {stoneware}
Kaye and her parents
Corinne and friends
Corinne Kornder, Natural Meditations {stoneware}
Corinne Kornder, Internal Harmony {mixed media}
Internal Harmony, side view
Justin Parker, … and it is there in these brief moments,
Justin Parker, Untitled {earthenware}
Justin Parker, Untitled {earthenware}
Artists- Justin, Kaye, and Corinne (L to R)
Mixed-media and Photography byReel in the opening night…
And the checklist begins
a Melon skewers
a Perfectly tart black cherry lemonade
a Red velvet cake
a moo cows (literally, they moo-ed)
a Bloody-Steak cookies
a Splash of Mark
a Sprinkles of Tracyand pictures that speak many words
check.
Using mythological references of Lethe (pronounced Lee-Thee), one of the five rivers of the Greek Underworld, he navigates through the questions of Memory, Identity, Death, and Oblivion.
“Souls of the dead would wander its banks and drink from its waters to forget past lives, mandatory, before being reincarnated. To navigate these Waters of Oblivion, Richard Sudden has built eight, 14′ English kayak frames that he uses, in various manifestations, as metaphorical bodies, vessels, and transports for this ultimate journey. Identity, myth, and the artifacts of memory and oblivion are the themes of this multimedia exhibition.”
This unique exhibition is spread out into three parts- Let us give you a glimpse of each.
Each kayak, or vessel, draws on the four stages of life, and the vertical orientation implements the representation of the vessel as a body.
In Greek mythology, bees are the messengers between the Underworld and the Mortal world.
The vine wreath embraces the circle of life and celebrates nature and simplicity. Richard references the imperfection of human creation with the off-centered plumb bob, but also the drive for ideals, and the inevitable imperfection and its beauty.
These paintings have the most interesting inclination of time.
The film is shown throughout gallery hours.*The second is in the White Spec:
Whitespec accommodates Sudden’s works on paper. It is encaustic on braille. There is a certain reverence of the subject from the patient process of painting and mark making.
*Lastly, the shed:
You would go through these doors, and then step a little to the right to find the shed. We’ll save these pictures for later. Come by Whitespace and experience it for yourselves.Red and Mark’s show is coming down in only eight days! Come down to Inman Park and submerge yourself in the comfortable or uncomfortable Southern nostalgia. Refresh your memory with To Kill a Mockingbird and enjoy meditating from this visual feast.
If you are lucky, you may even catch the Artists in person! Now drop that remote and scoot on over!
One of the pieces not on sale, this is the artist statement written by the writer and artist’s cousin, Anita Garner. She will take you to the heart of the exhibition.
There are so many details in each piece- you are missing out if you did not see it in person.
Scale matters. 
Theatrical Outfit actor Tom Key enticed us at Whitespace last Thursday night. He started the evening with a stimulating discussion on the cultural relevance of literature and theater in today’s society. Then he transitioned into our main event of the night- a performance from To Kill a Mockingbird of Atticus Finch’s summation speech in the courthouse. The performance soon moved inside to showcase the piece, I still hear the Mockingbird, which Tom had originally planned to read from. It includes almost every page of the book. But, it turned out we had an extra copy of the book, so that was that and all was well.
“And you-” she pointed an arthritic finger at me- “what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady! You’ll grow up waiting on tables if somebody doesn’t change your ways- a Finch waiting on tables at the O.K. Cafe– Hah!“
I was terrified. The O.K. Cafe was a dim organizaton on the north side of the square. I grabbed Jem’s hand but he shook me loose.”Pg. 106
Thank you Tom for your performance and participation! He is a resident actor for Theatrical Outfit, which is Atlanta’s third oldest professional theater company. They had actually performed To Kill a Mocking Bird last September. They are a great theater venue in Atlanta, consistently carrying on the dignity of stage performance. The current performance is Godspell by s. Schwartz and J. Tebelak in performance until May 11th. Their website has more information.
*Photographs were supplied by Mark & Red, and our own Jenn. Thank you!
T-TowerWhitespace artist Jonathan Bouknight took part in the show,The Axe and the Spade, alongside Adam Davis and John Trobaugh at the Ruby Green Gallery in Nashville, Tennessee. The show opened on April 5th and will be showing until May 17th.
“Artists Jonathan Bouknight, Adam Davis, and John Trobaugh take different approaches towards an exploration of the disconnect between idealized masculinities and the reality of human nature. Through the appropriation of gender signifiers and the creation of alternate spaces, these artists attempt to reshape the cultural context in which they exist. The artworks are intended catalyst for a change in perception, imbued with the artists’ own yearning and discontent with waiting.
The title “The Axe & The Spade” originates from a test done to young children by some Native American Indian tribes to determine the role of the child in the tribe: as a male, female, or a third gender (often called a “Two-Spirit” or “Berdache”). The child was tested to see if they preferred the man’s tools, the bow and arrow, or the woman’s tools, the axe and the spade.”
-Ruby Green GalleryThe three of us put our heads together when preparing this show to put into words our common link, this is what we came up with: “[The artists take] different approaches towards an exploration of the disconnect between idealized masculinities and the reality of human nature. Through the appropriation of gender signifiers and the creation of alternate spaces, these artists attempt to reshape the cultural context in which they exist. The artworks are intended catalyst for a change in perception, imbued with the artists’ own yearning and discontent with waiting.”
-Jonathan Bouknight
Jonathan has graciously unveiled the process and the inner-workings of the show through his blog . I’m constantly inspired by his consistency in blogging the local art scene and taking part in welding together the art community in Atlanta (but not limited to). Check it out.
