Arts on Main: Inaugural exhibitions open January 16

Don Lee
·3 min read
"After Today's Last Train."
"After Today's Last Train."
"Untitled" by Michael Leonard.
"Untitled" by Michael Leonard.
"Jimmy Cranky to Boot."
"Jimmy Cranky to Boot."

The first exhibitions at the new Arts on Main will feature an installation by Jeannie Hulen, pastel drawings by Charles Peer, photography by Michael Leonard, and an exhibition of artworks from two private collections. The scope of these inaugural exhibitions validates the transition of the well-known Center for Art and Education to its new art center Arts on Main located on Main Street in historic downtown Van Buren. The exhibitions include artwork couched in traditional methods, form and subjects in concert with artwork that challenges the norm. These exhibitions are an opportunity for artists and patrons to compare and evaluate the diverse ways and means one might create and/or acquire works of art.

"Familiar Places" will feature 80-90 recent pastel paintings by Charles Peer, many honoring familiar places of Van Buren, others are locations that simply feel familiar to us all. Accompanying the exhibit in Gallery A1 will be a short video of Charles providing insight about the media of pastels along with he selects the subjects for his paintings and a bit on his technique. The video, which will continually play in an adjacent space to the gallery, will enrich the experience of the exhibit.

Jeannie Hulen’s exhibition titled "Gibberish: Mineral Bilateral Stimulation" is a part of a larger series of “Gibberish” installations that, according to Hulen, examines environmental issues and investigates the complex and troubling relationships between humans and the natural world. Conceptually, her work comments on society’s mass cultural production’s mimicry of nature with cheap, fake materials that one day will end up in landfills. Hulen stated that she intends to “circumvent overburdened themes such as environmentalism, in favor of a non-linear, fantastical position calling attention to less evident aspects of the relationships between people and the natural world, including intellectual, psychological, and numinous facets of this symbiosis.”

The "Collector’s Collect" exhibition is a comprehensive representation of modern and contemporary artists whose concepts, materials and methods define and redefine art as a dynamic endeavor. The work was collected by individuals who value art that defines their interest, perception, knowledge and aesthetics. While for the most part the choices may be subjective, each example is noteworthy. Each piece has profound form and content, cognizant of the time and place it was created. The quality and depth of the collections reflect the thought and regard each collector has for art and artists. The exhibition is a visual celebration of mutual interaction and success.

The Arts on Main opening reception will be held from 1-4 p.m. Jan. 16 at 415 Main St., Van Buren. "Familiar Places," "Gibberish: Mineral Bilateral Stimulation" and "Collector’s Collect" will be on display through March 31.

This column is produced by the River Valley Art Coalition. To send comments or for more information contact daleana@fsram.org.

ART THIS WEEK:

Fort Smith Regional Art Museum

1601 Rogers Ave., Fort Smith

479-784-2787

  • "David Malcolm Rose: The Lost Highway": On view through Jan. 30.

  • "John Bell Jr. – Coming Home": On view through Feb. 20.

  • "Dr. W.E. Knight Porcelain Gallery" in Memory of Dr. Henry Udouj.

  • "RAM Sketch": Pen and ink series with Laura Wattles available on Zoom every Tuesday at 7 p.m.; register at fsram.org/education or join via Facebook Live.

  • Visit fsram.org.

Windgate Art & Design

5210 Kinkead Ave., Fort Smith

479-788-7290

  • Permanent collection on view Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Arts on Main

415 Main St., Van Buren

479-474-7767

  • Opening on Jan. 16.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arts on Main: Inaugural exhibitions open January 16