The Primitive Dignity of Self-taught Artists

C.S. Lewis, one of the great minds of the twentieth century, wrote in Mere Christianity that, “free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.”

The same is true of self-taught artists—those who create not from the school of this or that, but who bring their insight and understanding of the world to their art.

“Amazing Grace: Self-Taught Artists from the Mullis Collection” at the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens, Ga., brings together pieces from one man’s impressive collection of 90 works by more than 50 artists.

Wacky Women Come to Athens

Whoever said that opposites attract clearly never met Olive and Florence, and neither had I until I attended the dress rehearsal of “The Odd Couple: The Female Version.” Athens Creative Theatre is putting on the show for the first and third weekends in November. The adaptation of the traditional story by Neil Simon features laugh-out-loud dialogue and kooky characters.

A Collective Yawn at the Broad Street Gallery

The Lamar Dodd School of Art’s Broad Street Gallery is housing “Collective Vision” all this month, a collection of art from the school’s own Board of Visitors that unfortunately amounts to nothing more than a collective yawn.

Established in 1998, the school’s Board of Visitors is made up of well-known artists, alumni, gallery directors, and patrons of the arts all over the world. Sixteen members of this board located in the Southeastern United States have contributed one or more pieces to this exhibit, which aims to show the overall vision and dedication of the board in steering the school in new and exciting directions. It is also touted as a celebration of both the school and board’s achievements—a self-administered pat on the back.

Second Opinion on “Wanderlust”

Dim lighting illuminated 12 unfinished dull brown wooden frames that sat side by side upon the massive white wall in the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art. The theme, wanderlust gave the intro level students discretion in creating art that was open to interpretation. Creating their work of art by a process of intaglio, the students placed their blank canvas on metal plates and added copper or zinc. The acid burns and what is left is twelve markedly different works of art. Using their personal experiences and background the intro students took the theme of originality to create remarkable artwork that no one can say they have seen before.

“Wanderlust”

Visual artwork is beautiful because it can be interpreted subjectively. Attending “Wanderlust,” a 12 – picture visual arts exhibition, prompted a none arts conoisseur like me to appreciate its beauty.

For the October 20th-31st duration of the exhibition, the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art hallway walls were lined with medium sized, square shaped pictures. Althogh every picture was similarly bordered by thin wooden frames, the pictures’ themes varied greatly.

Second Opinion on Printmaking Exit Show

Precious, quirky and sexually suggestive works revealed a focused trio of artists during the University’s print-making exit show at the Lamar Dodd School of Art building on October 30.

A Room Temperature Exhibit

The Courtyard Gallery at the Lamar Dodd School of Art came alive from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, October 30, with chatty art students, a few professors, the usual finger foods (along with some Halloween candy) and, of course, some art.

The Printmaking and Book Arts BFA Exhibition, on display until November 1^st, is intriguing both in its diversity and in the nuances of the individual art works.