Interesting article about the current Winston-Salem art landscape, Delurk Gallery and my collaboration with Patrick Harris. (An excerpt after the jump.) Read it while you listen to The Raggedy Octopus’s mixed tape (from The Epic Battle Activity Book) for extra enjoyment.
And the Epic Battle continues with this album Patrick found and plans to use as a canvas.
Artists’ creativity conquers gloomy economy:
When the going gets tough, the creative get going.
That’s the encouraging message to be distilled from recent developments at several small art venues in downtown Winston-Salem.
The most obvious example is the early-spring opening of Delurk Gallery. This new venue is in the subterranean storefront formerly occupied by Urban Artware — the oldest of three downtown galleries that closed last year due to lagging sales. Economic problems still loom large for local artists and art dealers, but that’s not stopping the creative risk-takers who have founded Delurk. (…) They’ve upgraded the gallery’s interior and started to establish a pattern of showcasing lively art in well-lighted, uncluttered conditions.
Highlighting the current show is a collaborative installation by Woodsherry Anderson (formerly known as Woodie Anderson) and Patrick Harris. Anderson’s most prominent contribution is a sculpture of a giant, patchwork-fabric octopus, displayed as if doing battle with a clunky-looking black counterpart created by Harris. This pair of sculptures physically dominates the gallery and draws viewers toward the nearby wall display of Anderson’s and Harris’ related drawings, set off against Harris’ comic-style wall mural.
The drawings depict further adventures involving the same two characters, respectively named “Raggedy Octopus” and “Roboctopus.” A comic-style “Activity Book,” displayed on an adjoining pedestal, also features the two characters.
The patchwork technique Anderson employed to fabricate “Raggedy Octopus” exemplifies the idea of doing more with less. Several other artists now showing their work in local galleries are using related techniques and mediums, which seems fitting at a time when artists and gallery owners must be increasingly resourceful.
taste kills creativity 