That Which Sustains: EARTH . BODY . SPIRIT

Fall/Winter Exhibition at Waterworks Visual Arts Center, http://waterworks.org/

Waterworks Visual Arts Center, 123 East Liberty St.

 

September 7 – February 1, 2020

Meet the Artists and Opening Reception: Friday, September 13, 5:30 – 8 pm

 

New Exhibition Opens September 7 at Waterworks

Waterworks Visual Arts Center is pleased to announce the upcoming opening of That Which Sustains: EARTH.BODY.SPIRIT., with exhibits by two solo artists, plus the 28-artist juried group exhibition, Carolina Bohemian. Join us Friday, September 13 for informal gallery talks with the artists, beginning at 5:30 pm, and Opening Reception from 6-8 pm, serving light hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine. The event is free; donations are gladly accepted.

 

Fine art photographer Christine Rucker, in partnership with the Yadkin Riverkeeper, brings the Dance for the River project to Waterworks to spread awareness of the threats to clean water everywhere and the Yadkin River specifically, to Rowan County and the surrounding Piedmont areas. The exhibition includes 25 photographs. Rucker explains, “My goal was to create a visual journey along the Yadkin River by photographing it through the bodies of dancers, most of them from the University of NC School of the Arts, as they engaged with river and the environment around them. The project illustrates not only the beauty of the river, but also the current polluted state of it. By putting a human scale to these issues, we are more aware what role we play in that balance.” This project was made possible with support from the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center, Wake Forest University Humanities Institute, Wells Fargo, The Yadkin Riverkeeper, and the John W. & Anna Hanes Foundation.

 

Sculptor Dean Leary explores the wide range of expressive possibilities using natural materials that are rich in color and texture, through the time-honored tradition of carving directly into stone or wood. Abstractions from Nature, a compilation of his sculptured works, were inspired by forms that occur in nature, like trees, rocks, bones, seashells, and even clouds and waves. Leary shares that he also enjoys “the freedom of simply beginning to carve and then ‘discovering’ the form buried in the material.” Born in the small town of Swannanoa, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Leary earned a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture/minor in painting from East Carolina University. He taught sculpture and 3D design classes first at Mitchell Community College and later at the University of North Carolina- Charlotte. He currently works from his private sculpture studio in Statesville.

 

In this 50th anniversary year of the Woodstock music festival, Waterworks Visual Arts Center collaborated with promoters of Carolina Bohemian Jam: the Ultimate Hippie Tribute, in curating a “pop up” art exhibition inspired by the peace, love, and music of this historical event. Selected works were on exhibit during the weekend festival, and have now been transported back to Waterworks to fill the Stanback Gallery Hall and YPG galleries for the five-month exhibition, That Which Sustains: EARTH.BODY.SPIRIT, September 7-February 1, 2020.