Savannah art galleries: Art around Savannah to enjoy or as a special gift

Savannah Morning News
·5 min read

Culture Lives Here: Thompson Savannah, 204 Port St.; collaboration with Laney Contemporary for the Culture Lives Here campaign, which showcases the work of artist Benjamin Jones.

Holiday shop: Dec. 10-22; Laney Contemporary, 1810 Mills B Lane Blvd.; reception 6-9 p.m. Dec. 10.

"Red 19," 2020, graphite, colored pencil, collage element. By Benjamin Jones. Through Dec. 22 at Laney Contemporary.
"Red 19," 2020, graphite, colored pencil, collage element. By Benjamin Jones. Through Dec. 22 at Laney Contemporary.

Benjamin Jones work 1994-2020: Through Dec. 22, Laney Contemporary, 1810 Mills B Lane Blvd.; laneycontemporary.com. New sculptures, including singularly eccentric rabbits, skulls, and elephants came about when Jones uncovered stored boxes of straight-pins and abandoned styrofoam rabbit forms that he had thrifted over a decade ago. Carefully embellishing each form with paper maché and colorful pins, the materials spoke to Jones as discarded and reborn objects from his past and materials for his future, like sculptural pincushions haunting us from a depression-era mentality or homemade Fabergé eggs, they exude a revived sense of re-use culture necessitated during virus lockdown.

Gallery Listings

Submit your event at online@savannahnow.com. Published online. Events printed in chronological order as space allows. Info at 912-652-0365, leave a message. Art shows practice COVID restrictions with face masks and social distancing.

“Follow the Thread”: through Dec. 31; JEA, 5111 Abercorn St.; 2-4 p.m. Dec. 5 reception. Fiber Guild of Savannah show. Group involved in fiber-related arts - spinning, weaving, dyeing, quilting, knitting, basketry, rug making, paper manipulation, needle felting, and crocheting are just some of the crafts our members explore. We have a strong sense of community service and volunteerism.

Red cotton scarf at the Fiber Arts Guild of Savannah show at the JEA Dec. 1-31.
Red cotton scarf at the Fiber Arts Guild of Savannah show at the JEA Dec. 1-31.

$300 & Under by various artists: through January; Location Gallery @ Austin Hill Realty, 251 Bull St. Featuring a variety of mediums including painting, photography, mixed media and more, this show has over 30 Savannah artists with all works being $300 or less.

"Smoke Break", 5x4, by Lennie Ciliento. Location Gallery @ Austin Hill Realty through January.
"Smoke Break", 5x4, by Lennie Ciliento. Location Gallery @ Austin Hill Realty through January.

Participating artists: Stacie Jean Albano, Carmela Aliffi, Jamie Azevedo, Lino Azevedo, Claire Barrett, Angela Burson, Lennie Ciliento, Antoine deVilliers, Laurie Darby, Emmy Dudley, Joy Dunigan, Tate Ellington, Maxx Feist, Tamara Garvey, James Graham, Beth Logan, David Laughlin, Calli Laundre, Heather MacRae, Marta McWhorter, Jennifer Nolan, Lisa Ocampo, Jan Pagratis, A.J. Perez, Michelle Perez, Dana Richardson, Peter E. Roberts, Shelley Smith, Troy Wandzel, Lisa D. Watson, Paula Gomez Williamson, Jon Witzky, Calvin Woodum, Rose Marie Woulfe and Heather Young.

"Christmas Spirits", 5x4, by Lino Azevedo. Location Gallery @ Austin Hill Realty through January.
"Christmas Spirits", 5x4, by Lino Azevedo. Location Gallery @ Austin Hill Realty through January.

Adobe Artisan Market: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 11; 2204 Skidaway Road; live music, food, kids activities, local vendors.

White Elephant: through Jan. 2; a group exhibition by Sulfur Studios supporters; sulfurstudios.org.

Bicycle cat by Kay Wolfersperger at Foxy Loxy Cafe through Jan. 2.
Bicycle cat by Kay Wolfersperger at Foxy Loxy Cafe through Jan. 2.

Change of Plans - illustrations by Kay Wolfersperger: through Jan. 2; Foxy Loxy Cafe first floor, 1919 Bull St. Savannah; foxyloxycafe.com. She studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design and earned two BFA degrees, one in graphic design and one in fibers. She has worked in many roles throughout the design industry, now as a freelancer. .

Expedition Fun by Bryson Thurston: 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Jan. 11; The Sentient Bean, 13 E. Park Ave.

Solo exhibition blurs the lines of adventure and misadventure through a playful series of mixed media paintings, created in 2021; inspired by time spent on Tybee Island and in Savannah during late spring. Cowboys, explorers, and characters found in his paintings are reminiscent of a childʼs fantasies of adventure and seem to have a story all their own. Bryson chooses to leave much up to the imagination: the series invites the inner child of the viewer out to play, rekindling a sense of joy and curiosity we all once knew.

"B. Love" by Bryson Thurston, part of Expedition Fun at The Sentient Bean, through Jan. 11.
"B. Love" by Bryson Thurston, part of Expedition Fun at The Sentient Bean, through Jan. 11.

IMPACT exhibition: on display through Nov. 28 featuring over 40 artists who have either: rented a studio with us, showed with us, collaborated with us, or artists that have made a big impact on Savannah itself. IMPACT will be in the Main Gallery and will also spill out onto every wall of the ground floor of the studio. Sulfur Studios, 2301 Bull St., sulfurstudios.org.

Tittybats in the Drive Thru Art Box: through Dec. 8, The Drive Thru Art Box at Green Truck Pub, 2430 Habersham St.; sulfurstudios.org/drivethruart. The artist, Matt, creates hilarious, interesting, and sometimes scathing designs, putting them on T-shirts, patches, and enamel pins.

Call for Entry: deadline Dec. 5; Sulfur Studios - 2301 Bull St.; sulfurstudios.org/onview-residency-app. ON View Artist Residency plus 5th Dimension Apartment. Artist Residency provides a free, high visibility studio space for an artist to complete a focused project.

"Cigarettes Francaises", papercut, 7x7, Peter Roberts. At Scary Tales.
"Cigarettes Francaises", papercut, 7x7, Peter Roberts. At Scary Tales.

Scary Tales: until Dec. 31 in Chat Gallery. By Lisa Ocampo, Tiffany Star O'Brien, Lee O'Brien and Peter E. Roberts, this is a holiday show with art inspired by the spooky, the surreal and the spectacular with wicked prose by each artist. A variety of mediums includes paintings, mixed media, assemblage and carvings. Gallery profits from the show are donated to programs at Front Porch Improv.

“Steady Climbing”: through Dec. 5 in ON::View Artist in Residence Rebecca Braziel; Sulfur Studios, 2301 Bull St., sulfurstudios.org; 5-9 p.m. Dec. 3 closing reception; open studio hours noon-4 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays.

Using gendered symbols and imagery associated with pageantry, masquerade, and cabaret, Mehryl Levisse produces an extravagant visual language that interrogates commonly accepted conceptions of masculinity and femininity. At SCAD MOA.
Using gendered symbols and imagery associated with pageantry, masquerade, and cabaret, Mehryl Levisse produces an extravagant visual language that interrogates commonly accepted conceptions of masculinity and femininity. At SCAD MOA.

"White Wig" by Mehryl Levisse: through Dec. 12 at SCAD Museum of Art, scadmoa.org/exhibitions/white-wig. Levisse’s multifaceted practice explores notions of subjectivity and identity related to queer experience. Using gendered symbols and imagery associated with pageantry, masquerade, and cabaret, the artist produces an extravagant visual language that interrogates commonly accepted conceptions of masculinity and femininity. Levisse’s performances and installations act as stages on which gender is remixed and obfuscated. Serving as emcee, the artist orchestrates space to question the limits of the body and the societal codes that constitute how we behave.

Ongoing

ARTS Southeast: New nonprofit with a mission to make Savannah a destination for art and culture in the Southeast by supporting established and emerging artists and engaging a diverse community with programming by developing awareness and appreciation of the arts. Sulfur Studios is flagship program. Executive Director is Emily Earl. artssoutheast.org.

Irritable Pelican Artisan Gallery: 10 a,m.-4 p.m.; 802 1st St., Tybee Island; irritablepelicanartisangallery.com.

Savannah African Art Museum: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 201 E. 37th St.; savannahafricanartmuseum.org. West Africa gallery tours start on the hour, every hour, with the first tour beginning at 11 a.m., last tour at 4 p.m. Central Africa gallery tours start every hour on the half our, with the first tour beginning at 11:30 a.m. and the last tour at 3:30 p.m. Masks are required for all visitors and staff while inside the museum. Admission free; donations appreciated; savannahafricanartmuseum.org.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Here are the art galleries & exhibits to see in Savannah this week