portsmouthartcenter-blog

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Matt Amante Sculpture Installed Today - more coming soon

Semi-Circle Balance Study #9

2011

Painted Steel and River Rocks

94H x 37W x 19D

See more of Matt's work on his website

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Monée Marie Bengtson at Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center Staurday, February 2

Taking an interdisciplinary approach, Monée combines drawing, Photoshop, pigment, dye, weaving, and embroidery to execute her two dimensional work. Using personal narrative as a jumping point, the artist applies colorful and imagined imagery meant to overlay the lurking fear generated by the familiar and the concealed.  When the artist is producing scarves she prefers to draw from long-established methods of weaving, knitting, crochet, and embroidery. She is fond of nature and often employs organic motifs in each garment.

High-Wire Rescue / 2002 / Ink and marker on paper

Monée Marie Bengtson holds a Master of Fine Art from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and Bachelor of Art from Northern Illinois University (NIU) with additional education in Ancient Art History from Southern Illinois University (SIU). She also attended Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in both 1998 and 1999. She received a Graduate Grant from SAIC in both 2000 and 2001, the North Shore Weavers Guild Scholarship in 1998 and 1999, the Ethel Skeins Clifford Scholarship from Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in 1999, and the Elizabeth F. Cheyenne Scholarship from Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in 1998. She is the Registrar and Preparator at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia (CAC) where she also occasionally teaches as an Adult Studio School instructor.

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JOB OPENING: ASSISTANT MUSEUM CURATOR

The City of Portsmouth is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the position of assistant curator in the history division of the Department of Museums. The individual will work as part of a collections management team for the history division that includes the Lightship Portsmouth and the Naval Shipyard Museum. Work includes collection management, exhibition planning, program development, research, grant writing, training, public lectures and interaction with collectors, donors, scholars and the community. 

> Full Details

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Meet The Artist of the Andes, Nicario Jiménez

Retablos are sophisticated folk art in the form of portable boxes filled with brightly colored figurines arranged into intricate narrative scenes.  From the 16th to the 19th centuries, Retablos were carried through the mountains by Spanish priests as portable religious shrines for Catholic saints.  Later, they were adapted by indigenous people to include their own deities and mythologies.  

Nicario's compositions depict religious, historical and everyday events.  His hands move quickly and with confidence to fashion people, animals, and mythical figurines as he creates poignant scenes from a doughy mixture of boiled potato and gypsum powder. For his sculpting process, Nicario's only tool is a small piece of wood resembling an enlarged toothpick.

Read more about Nicario at his website

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Traditions/Innovation Exhibit Featured Artist Billie Ruth Sudduth

Billie Ruth Sudduth is a widely acclaimed basketmaker living in the North Carolina mountains. Her works are in many public and private collections including the Smithsonian Institution's Renwick Gallery; the Museum of Art and Design in New York; the Mint Museum of Art; Glaxo; and Bank of America. In 1997, she was named a North Carolina Living Treasure, the state's highest honor for creative excellence in the field of crafts. She is the tenth recipient and the first female to receive the award.

Sudduth has received an Individual Visual Artist Grant, an Emerging Artist Grant and an Individual Visual Artist Fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council. For five consecutive years, she was selected by Early American Homes for their "America's 200 Best Craftsman" directory.

Sudduth's baskets have been published in American Craft, Southern Accents, Colonial Homes, American Style, Southern Living, Home, the Smithsonian Magazine, Fiberarts, the Philadelphia Museum of Arts Member Magazine, Preservation, and The Crafts Report. Her work is included in Skilled Work, a publication of the Smithsonian Institution showcasing work in the Renwick Gallery's permanent collection. Her work is frequently shown in newspapers and magazines across the United States. CBS Sunday Morning, PBS, Voice of America, and HGTV have also featured Sudduth and her baskets.

In addition to the United States, Sudduth's baskets have been exhibited in museums and galleries in Germany and Denmark. She has exhibited at the Smithsonian Craft Show thirteen times. She is a member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, Piedmont Craftsmen, and Carolina Designer Craftsmen.

Come see Billie Ruth Sudduth's beautiful work starting February 1 here at the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center.

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Meet Artist Minnie Adkins, A Featured Artist in the Traditions/Innovation Exhibit Opening February 1, 2013

Excerpt from the Folk Art Society of America > Read the full article here 

As a small child she was intrigued by the whittling she saw men doing, so her father gave her a pocketknife, and she soon ventured into distinctly unladylike territory.

"I started out making slingshots," she said. "Well, you can take the same type forked stick and make a rooster out of it, and then you've got something."

For many years, she continued making roosters, birds, and other hand-size creatures, giving them away or selling them for small change. She first received notice in 1973, in Worldwide Avon Collectors Magazine: "Minnie Adkins brought Avons and handmade items" [to the Worldwide Avon Collectors Show in Dayton].

Minnie's recognition has come in part from her own work and in part from her activities championing the artistic abilities of others. Many other regional folk artists, including Tim Lewis, Linvel Barker and Jimmy Lewis, point to Minnie as the pivotal source of encouragement for their work and of introductions to the flow of collectors visiting Isonville.

Minnie's art has extended well beyond wood sculpture to include paintings and, recently, collaboration on ceramic platters with her artist-cousin, Tess Little. Other collaborations include quilts made locally and limited-edition or one-of-a kind blown-glass vases, all decorated with her animal designs.

Come see some of Minnie Adkins creations at the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center beginning February 1.

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Gallery 1 - Photographer Glen McClure

As part of the opening of the photography exhibit ENCOUNTERS: Portraits by Glen McClure, Mr. McClure, along with crew of hard working assistants worked for four hours on the grounds of the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center photographing anyone willing to be photographed. The photographer and his team worked from a portable studio set during the Olde Towne Farmers Market and Courtyard Art Demonstrations.

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Portraits by photographer Glen McClure

Just a few of the images taken August 4, 2012. See the galleries below for more.

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Gallery 2 - Photographer Glen McClure As part of the opening of the photography exhibit ENCOUNTERS: Portraits by Glen McClure, Mr. McClure, along with crew of hard working assistants worked for four hours on the grounds of the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center photographing anyone who would be willing to be photographed. The photographer and his team worked from a portable studio set during the Olde Towne Farmers Market and Courtyard Art Demonstrations.

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Gallery 3 - Photographer Glen McClure: As part of the opening of the photography exhibit ENCOUNTERS: Portraits by Glen McClure, Mr. McClure, along with crew of hard working assistants worked for four hours on the grounds of the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center photographing anyone willing to be photographed. The photographer and his team worked from a portable studio set during the Olde Towne Farmers Market and Courtyard Art Demonstrations.

A note from Glen: "Worked with a super great crew today over at the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center doing portraits using the sidewalk studio set-up. Then a gallery talk. I am now officially worn out! Thanks to all the staff at Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center for a great weekend and a special thank you for my helpers today willing to give up 4 hours on a Saturday!."

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Photographer Glen McClure Images On Display in the Ireland Embassy in Washington DC

Glen McClure, who began exploring subjects through the lens of a camera at the age of 20, found his voice after photographing people who walked by his neighborhood studio.

On Monday, July 23, Glen was on-hand to see the installation of some of the many images he's taken on his trips to Ireland. 

Check out his Facebook page to see some of the images. 

Better yet, drop by the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center to see "ENCOUNTERS". This exhibit features recent work gathered from such locations as Ireland, France, Portsmouth, Norfolk, and other Virginia locations.

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Danny Doughty has kindly donated a painting to the Portsmouth Art and Cultural Center for a silent auction. The painting measures 24”h x 36”w.

The current bid is at $700.00 (8-8-12) and each subsequent bid should increase by $50.00 or it will not be considered.  The auction closes on Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. 

Danny made this painting unique and just for us - he always paints women in white blouses and aprons.  This he will never do again.  The painting is currently on view in the lobby of the Portsmouth Art and Cultural Center.  Visitors may come by to view the work and place their bids. 

Farm Art (Photo credit: underwhelmer)

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Meet Heather Bryant - part of the upcoming Anecdotes & Parables exhibit opening April 21 – Portsmouth (Virginia) Art & Cultural Center

Heather currently lives in Norfolk, Virginia and is teaching drawing, painting, and printmaking for the Art Department at Old Dominion University. She received her MFA from the NSU/ODU Joint Program of Visual Studies in 2006. She has been a recipient of the Virginia Museum Fellowship, the Saunder’s Memorial Graduate Scholarship from Old Dominion University, and has received Graduate Fellowships from Norfolk State University. Her work has been exhibited at the Leopoldo Carpinteyro Gallery of the Intituto Mexicano Norteamericano de Relaciones Culturales in Monterrey, Mexico, the Graphic Communications Gallery at the National Library in Tallinn, Estonia, and the Simon Fraser University Gallery in British Columbia. Her work has been included in the K.Caraccio Print Collection in New York, The Special Collections of the Art Museum of Estonia, the Print Collection of The School of Art at the University of Wales, the Print Collection at Zayed University in Dubi, and the Proyecto ace Print Collection in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Read more and see Heather's artwork here

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Meet Georgeanna V.W. Fellio - part of the upcoming Anecdotes & Parables exhibit opening April 21 – Portsmouth (Virginia) Art & Cultural Center

"Thematically my work often explores the relationships between humans, nature, science and psychology. My work involves narratives about the natural world overlapping with human invention."

"How do we determine what direction we take in life? Birds know, solely based on their instincts. An entire flock will take part on a journey in a unified direction based on instinct alone. Technology has hindered our species; we have become reliant on using technological devices to do a multitude of things for us that otherwise would have been executed based on instinct.  We have forgotten that we possess the same instincts and know our own direction, just as birds do.  Your life’s direction cannot be calculated or statically analyzed; we choose what we will do next based on “gut feeling”.  This is not a metaphorical term; it is an actual feeling that occurs in the stomach telling us “yes” or “no”.  Naturally our brain sends a signal that it is not on board with the current notion making you feel wary about physically partaking in the activity, sending you in an instinctual direction."

Read more and see her work here

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Meet Linda Mitchell - part of the upcoming Anecdotes & Parables exhibit opening April 21 – Portsmouth (Virginia) Art & Cultural Center

Mitchell's early work focused on animals in multi-panel paintings, featuring cut-out figures, and other dimensional elements. The paintings focused on fluidly painted four-legged creatures in dramatic situations, emphasizing their human qualities. Mitchell turned to sculptural work using exposed wire armatures to create animals forms. She created disturbing scenarios of stalking and predation with multiple figures, some of which were fleshed out with fabric and black sand. 

A collage class that Mitchell took near the end of graduate school became a real impetus in her developing a personal visual language. Collage allowed her to combine her impulse for image-making with her sculptural facility. In the dream-like juxtaposing of the real and the imagined she feels a kinship with four modern masters: Chagall, Miró, Tanguy, and Rousseau.

See more of her art and read more about Linda Mitchell here

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Bluegrass, blues, and old time country music at the Commodore Theatre March 8

THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 7:00 P.M. 

Grand Old Opry veterans and international recording stars, Raymond McLain and Mike Stevens will bring virtuoso performances of an exciting, original combination of music on harmonica, fiddle, banjo, and vocals. 

McLain, a founding member of the world-renowned McLain Family Band from Kentucky, played for ten years on the Grand Old Opry as a member of the Virginia Boys band of Jim and Jesse McReynolds.  He now directs the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State University. 

Stevens has played his groundbreaking harmonica styles all over the world and over 300 times on the Grand Old Opry.  He has been five times Entertainer of the Year in Canada and is an innovator of bluegrass harmonica.  Founder of ArtsCanCircle, a charity helping at-risk youth through music, his life is the subject of the recently released film, “A Walk in My Dream.” 

Between them, the duo has performed in all 50 states, most provinces in Canada, and in 70 countries around the world from Afghanistan to Zaire.  They have appeared on many national television programs. 

Tickets are $12.00 general admission, $8.00 for children ages 8-13.  Dining service will be available from 5:30-6:45 p.m.  Table reservations and tickets available in the box office starting February 15.  

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Irish People – Irish Linen; book review, signing at the Commodore Theatre in Portsmouth

Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 11:00 am

From the autor's website:

For more than a hundred years, a worldwide audience has associated the phrase Irish linen with the island of Ireland as closely as it has the Great Famine, leprechauns, Irish whiskey, limericks, green hills, and stonewalls. How and why the small island of Ireland became so identified with this plain white cloth, criticized for its wrinkles and revered for its durability, is a story of emigration, politics, industry, and marketing initiatives. Ireland’s first wave of migration to the American colonies and Ireland’s prominence as a center for shipbuilding and machine production can be traced directly to the demands of the linen industry.

Lavishly illustrated with 185 color photographs and engagingly written, each chapter tells of art, social and economic history, design, fashion, architecture, technology, and cultural traditions that celebrate the linen industry.

Read more here

Available from: Ohio University Press for 20% discount