Callen McJunkin Gallery

        

Callen McJunkin Gallery is pleased to present RURAL, an exhibition that celebrates the uniqueness, simplicity, and creativity of rural culture. This exhibition includes paintings, photography, and works on paper by local and regional artists, etchings by the quilters of Gees Bend, Alabama, and new designs in art furniture by master craftsman Jim Probst. The gallery will host an opening reception honoring the artists with live music on April 24th at 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Additionally, a reception for Hamlin area master furniture maker Jim Probst will be held during the Downtown Charleston ArtWALK on May 21st from 5-8 pm.

         Many artists live in rural areas and produce images of the pastoral landscapes that surround them. The focus on this exhibition explores beyond the landscape tradition to discover the qualities that are remarkable, peculiar, innovative, elegant or even otherworldly. Our goal with this diverse exhibition is to help redefine the concept of RURAL, as vibrant, refreshing and invaluable.

         Of the 18 artists included in this show, many, like Charly Jupiter Hamilton, Robin McClintock, Brittain McJunkin and John Borden Evans will be familiar to art lovers in Charleston, while Nancy Bass' whimsical animals and Betsy Morgan's strong reductive landscapes are newer to the area. Robert Stuart's earlier textural work of striped down geometric landscapes has evolved toward more abstract imagery, concentrating solely now on surface and light. The varied approaches of landscape painters Ryan Russell, Diana Suttenfield, Frank Hobbs, and Ron Boehmer are paired with the breathtaking photographs of world traveler John Fluharty and the inventive and intriguing panoramic sweeps of Stephen Lawson's time based images. These works of art together create a dialogue about the nature of what it means to be RURAL, regardless of geography or ethnicity.

         A terrific example of the creativity and ingenuity of rural culture is the Women of Gees Bend, Alabama. This isolated rural community has received international acclaim because the women of this small town have developed an exceptionally refined quilting style, using bold, geometrically simple yet sophisticated designs, reminiscent of both Modern art and Tribal African art. They often utilize recycled clothing or fabrics. The quilt 'top' (the side that faces up) is most often designed and pieced by a singular artist, while the process of 'quilting' or sewing together the layers, is often a communal effort, done by small groups of women.

         This style has been passed down though at least 6 generations, and has subsequently caught the attention of art critics and major museums worldwide. A traveling exhibition of the remarkable quilts led to a collaboration between Paulson Press and the women of Gees Bend to create a series of intaglio prints based on the quilt designs. Callen McJunkin Gallery is pleased to present extraordinary prints by four of the Gees Bend artists in the RURAL exhibition.

         Like the aesthetic of the Gees Bend prints, graceful lines and minimal elegant forms characterize Jim Probst's furniture designs. The result of a multitude of influences, his work embodies the simplicity and sturdiness of Shaker furniture, the proportions of Mission furniture, the honesty and quality of materials found in furniture of the Arts and Crafts movement, and the tapering perpendicular forms of Japanese architecture. This exhibition will feature Probst's most recent collection, entitled the Meander series. Each piece in this collection is meticulously crafted with combinations of a variety of different woods, like cherry, curly maple, walnut, and butternut. The Meander series is inspired by Probst's fascination with the S-curve, the line of a country road, or wandering stream.

         This exhibition will continue through June 6th. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11-5 and is located in the loft above Stray Dog Antiques at 219 Hale St. Free daytime parking is available at Huntington Banks Garage, with a gallery stamp. There is metered parking on Hale St. and adjacent streets or at Spyro's lots. Handicap access can be arranged with a phone call ahead. (304) 342-5647