Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog

Last weekend I traveled the 32 minute drive from Louisville to LaGrange, Kentucky along I-71.  The drive runs parallel and upriver to the Ohio River.  I was delivering my artwork to the Oldham County Historical Society to be a part of a series of exhibits exploring “Life at the River’s Edge”.  The historical society’s Executive Director, Nancy Stearns Theiss, had seen my work on an earlier occasion and was kind enough to invite me to show in their museum.  Nancy and her family live along the river and so she was already familiar with the types of materials I use for my art.

LaGrange is a picturesque town especially during the spring when so many flowering trees are in bloom.  The Oldham County History Center (building with the green tin roof) and complete with root cellar, encompasses The Peyton Samuel Head Family Museum which has interactive exhibits and a collection of artifacts illustrating life in early Oldham County.  I usually can’t resist the charms of a small museum.  You just never know what you will discover in such a place!  After looking around, I became really excited to think about my work appearing in such a context!

I love the unusual juxtapositions and displays of historic items that share space with one another.  It’s a context filled with mixed up memories.  I have always found trying to make sense of the past to be a poignant endeavor.  I often think  about how people in the future might view the times we live in.  My sculptures are certainly mixed up creations and the materials I use have a benchmark quality to them that speaks directly to our moment. 

I liked the idea that my art would be under the same roof as displays of old tools, dolls, and even a fossilized mammoth vertebrae.  Despite the sign, I was given permission to pick this old bone up and I was surprised at how heavy it was.  You definitely would not want to drop this thing on your foot!

I’m always amazed by how a small town can produce a person who would go on to significantly influence the larger culture.  Oldham County’s example of this is the life and work of D.W. Griffith who is considered the creator of American film.  He was born in the county in 1875 and eventually passed away in Hollywood in 1948.  Years later, his body was exhumed and he was reburied back where he came from in Oldham County.

Reading one of the museum’s handouts, I learned that Griffith invented many different  film making techniques including the use of flashbacks, fade outs, moving cameras, and high-angle photography.  Of course, I have heard of D.W. Griffith, but I don’t think I have ever watched a complete film before.  At the museum, you have the chance to watch some of his short films.  I recorded this image of an actor in blackface going into a burning building to rescue a child.  You film buffs out there…do you recognize this scene and the film it comes from?  I missed the opening credits and there was more in the museum to see.

Already on view were the paintings and decorated furniture by Oldham County artist Breck Morgan.  He paints in an accomplished rustic style that emulates early American folk art.  His illustration is on the dust jacket “Oldham County:  Stories from the River’s Edge” which is a new history of the county written by Nancy Stearns Theiss.  Here are images of both the cover….

…and the book’s author with my “Cat Man” sculpture.

I brought eleven sculptures, six large digital prints, and my famous “Found Food Collection”.  I’m looking forward to seeing them arranged in the museum.  The show opens this week and will run until August 1.

Later I will give both a talk about my art and participate in a workshop making artworks from objects found along the river.  Sounds like fun and I can’t wait to return to see everything in place.  If you want to learn more about the Oldham County Historical Society, here is their website’s address:  www.oldhamcountyhistoricalsociety.org