'Fresh' art at the Halsey and surf art at the beach
The Post and Courier - Charleston, S.C.
Author: CATHERINE BRENNAN HAGOOD
Date: Oct 28, 2004
HALSEY GALLERY AT THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON-- ALUMNI EXHIBITION
Innovative works from alumni of the College of Charleston's art program are generating creative tension and energy in the local art scene.
The newest exhibit at the Halsey Gallery, "Fresh Work," allows recent graduates to showcase their contemporary and cutting-edge works with a selected group of peers.
"This exhibit proudly displays recent, or fresh, works by an exemplary group of artists who have continued to create and to evolve beyond their experiences here at the College of Charleston," says Katie Lee, guest co-curator of the exhibit.
"The return of these artists' works to this building ... presents a symbolic relationship between past, present and future. It also presents the distinguishing characteristics of this particular studio art department: intimate and small in many ways, while far- reaching and vast in others," she explains.
This juried exhibition includes 17 studio art alumni who graduated between 1994 and 2004, and features their most recent work (produced within the last three years).
"In this exhibit, I see the influences as well as the individual accomplishments of artists who studied here at the college. Whether faintly or pronounced, the impressions of their studio art professors resonate in these works," Lee explains.
"The goal, however, of myself and Dr. Marian Mazzone was to choose a select group of studio art alumni whose works have continued to develop, becoming their own unique creations and contributions. By limiting the selection to studio art graduates of the past 10 years, we were able to look at the work of artists who are still developing their sense of self in the art world, while also still having some identity with the college," she says.
"Our second goal was to choose the best works from various media, reflecting the types of media taught and studied here at the college. It was not a priority to equally display the various media, since our main focus was to collaboratively choose the most distinguished works. However, we did want to exhibit an array of work within the context of these 'alumni artists,' " says Lee.
The wide range of media in this exhibit includes photography, painting, prints, mixed-media and installation.
Exhibiting artists include Vanessa Albury, Amylynn M. Bills- Levi, Gayle Brooker, Lisa Chou, Margaret Clarke, Townsend Davidson, Stephen R. Davis, John Duckworth, Megan Henley, Krist Mills, Sue Murray, Dorothy Netherland, Rachael O'Neal, Larissa Patel, Lynn Patterson, Matt Smithson and Johnathan Walsh.
The William Halsey Gallery at the College of Charleston's School of the Arts will host the exhibition "Fresh Work: College of Charleston Alumni Exhibition" 1994-2004 Friday through Dec. 11.
The Halsey Gallery is located within the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip St., between Calhoun and George streets.
Gallery hours are Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-4 p.m., or by appointment.
For more information contact the Halsey Gallery at 953-5680 or visit http://www.cofc.edu/halseygallery
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