Walk, don’t crawl
John Rankine
9/6/2012
If you live in a town with more than one art gallery, chances are there will be a once a month Gallery Walk. A gallery walk or stroll is sort of like a pub-crawl, only with art and box wine. It’s also a chance for the public to meet featured artists.
For the past six years, Eureka Springs’ galleries have hosted a walk the second Saturday of each month, which happens to be this Saturday.
Gallery walks are usually pretty laid back, with a balanced blend of locals and tourists who come out to be social, sip wine, view art and meet artists. Unless you are a popular local artist or The Frogman, the night is pretty low key.
This Saturday Barbara Kennedy will be showing new paintings and jewelry at The Jewel Box. I’ve admired Barbara’s colorful florals for some time, but am really impressed with her recent series of “Ghost Orchids.” They are an ethereal study in grey scale.
Large floral close-ups inevitably invite comparisons to Georgia O’Keeffe, a comparison Barbara understandably hates. Like O’Keeffe, Barbara has captured the sensuality of the flower (all those sexy pistils, titillating stamens and beautiful vulva-like folds) but manages her own original flowery take.
Ms. Kennedy has been a busy gal. In addition to Saturday’s show, she just finished a month-long exhibit in Tulsa and is prepping for a Sept. 7 show at the new Roberta Philbrook Gallery in Bentonville.
I’m also a fan of Sandy Wythawai Starbird’s “spirit dolls.” Sandy will be at Eureka Thyme Saturday night to greet strollers, plus Marsha is always such a graceful hostess.
Such fragile beings we artists are, and most dread these openings where it’s best to wear a protective mask or at least have a few glasses of wine under your belt. It can be a challenge to watch the well-intentioned public bypass you and your work and head straight to the bar or food table, returning briefly to nano-scan your art before heading out the door.
Of course the only thing worse is not having anyone show up at all, and that is why I encourage everyone to come out and show support for your local or visiting artists. Just say hello and at least pretend to look at the art.
Other galleries participating this Saturday are Zarks, QuickSilver, Out On Main, Artifacts, Romancing The Stone, Iris at the Basin Park, Prospect Gallery and Studio 62.
P.S. – Well, the Afro-Hillbilly drum circle jam did not happen in Basin Park last Saturday as I envisioned, but Angelo was in rare form and the large crowd ate it up. Great to see so many people there.
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