June 2024 Exhibits

This month we are presenting Plastic Fossils: Recent Works by Eric Manwiller. Imagine discovering our present in the future—what would it look like? Manwiller has an idea. Also, we are hosting James Torres’ Eye of the Beholder, A License to See: Photographs by Bollin Milner, Nature as Architect,  by Jenny Wilson, Thread, Twine & Rope by Richard Harding, and the June All Media Show by local artists.

The event is free and open to the public.

Plastic Fossils: Recent Works by Eric Manwiller

Imagine a world where earth and plastic lie buried playfully, side-by-side, for a future civilization to ponder. That’s what Eric Mainwiller imagined in his exhibit at Art Works.  A Richmond-based artist, Mainwiller combines painting and sculpture. And recently he has added mixed materials like casts of 1980s action figures, glitter, flip sequins, and various textiles to his work. The results evoke images of “plastic fossils” and explore issues of environmental importance.

Eye of the Beholder by James Torres

James Torres is a collector and creator of art. As an artist, he has an attachment to old, damaged, forgotten, and discarded items. He finds his “perfect treasures” by visiting thrift shops, yard sales, estate sales, and even the occasional junkyard. To many, these objects may seem useless; however, for Torres they are the tools he uses to tell a story. Art is all around us. In the process of assemblage, Torres curiosity comes through as he creates a new narrative for forgotten items.

Nature as Architect by Jenny Wilson

Jenny Wilson is a professional musician and artist. She was a student at the High School of Art and Design in NYC and studied dance at the Alvin Ailey/Pearl Lang School in Manhattan. Interested in almost all aspects of visual and performing arts, she pursued music as her profession. Jenny graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in Flute Performance. She worked as the art teacher at the Community School in Camden, Maine and for the Camden Shakespeare Company as company musician. After graduating, she went to Switzerland and studied flute at the Winterthur Konservatorium with Marianne Stucki and piano with ECM recording artist Art Lande. Her graduate studies in music brought her to West Virginia where she earned her Master of Music degree and a position at the Morgantown Learning Academy as their music and art teacher and was an adjunct in the music department of the University of Maryland in Frostburg. Jenny currently teaches private music lessons and workshops.

Her paintings are best described as contemporary landscape or contemporary abstract. She is very focused on the natural world of plants, clouds, sea and sky. She says…”music is a temporal art that only moves forward while my painting gives me the opportunity to reverse direction. Painting allows me to stop time, to make choices in slow motion and to experience the art of composing in a whole new way. I try to incorporate marks that allude to the structure of the piece and that give some architecture to the image.”

 A License to See: Photographs by Bollin Millner

Bollin Millner quotes Joel Meyerowitz who speaks to photographers: “Once you have a camera in your hand, you have a license to see.”

Millner uses his camera to frame the world–roadways, doorways, lofts, quiet interiors and on the street. He is entranced by shapes, forms and lines made by human hands—rectangles, squares, circles, arches, as well as spirals, waves and patterns that occur in nature. Reflections and repetition are additional bonuses. In this exhibit Millner captures a sense of harmony and peace, where the discrete elements relate to one another in compelling ways. He usually does not feature people, but rather leaves space for the viewers themselves to populate the image.

Thread, Twine & Rope by Richard Harding

It all started with a newly financed industrial sewing machine. Richard Harding started working with the machine expecting quick results. The process was challenging and time-consuming. However, through experimentation and creativity he discovered a passion for creating sculptures using leftover materials. The shapes and forms of the sculptures are influenced by the cords being used, with details added through intricate stitching patterns. Each piece takes shape gradually. Richard balances planned elements with spontaneous changes during the creation process. Richard is inspired by nature and a desire to bring a sense of calm and interest to home décor. The sculptures are meant to spark curiosity and wonder in those who view them.

The exhibit will be in the Centre Gallery.

June 2024 All Media Show

This exhibit is a focal point of all Art Works’ openings. It is a juried show with cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. The show is open to all artists and all mediums. This exhibit will be in the Skylight Gallery.

There is no theme for this exhibit, anything goes, any medium.