Art, for a Change
Three Shows Not to Miss

Written by Elizabeth Parsons

 

 

Missy Warp’s “Turf War Art Show” at the Water Heater
A friend—who will remain unnamed—recently complained that, in her view, “this [is a] community [that] thinks of artists as people who make pretty things to buy and decorate your house with.” What we need, she argued, is “intellectual, relational” art; art that prods society, “its contradictions, its vulgarity, its beauty.” In other words, art that makes us think. Maybe even act.

Her plea evokes that timeless, and yes, prickly set of questions. What is art? What is its purpose? Should the artist create to please him or herself—making his internal world external, public be damned? Does the artist create to make “pretty” objects to coordinate with the carpet, to fill up space on a shelf, to impress others? Is art—like cars and clothes and furniture and other status-belying things—a commodity to collect?

Or should art be something that makes us look at the world with a fresh perspective? Should it be something that stirs the viewer—whether this “stirring” is revolutionary, or a gentle rippling of the consciousness’ surface?

There is no “right” answer to this question, as any overview of the decades-old debate will tell you. But it is no less an important one. And Missy Warp’s Turf War Art Show at the Water Heater in Old Southwest puts the artist squarely in the latter camp. As the local debate over various “development” issues grows more shrill—think the construction on 220, the planned renovations of the Market area—the Turf War Art Show, running May through June, is a timely one.  It is made even more poignant when we consider the broader environmental debate that is seeping into every corner of our newspapers (and rightly so). Warp goes so far as to describe the tension between development and community/environmental preservation as a “war,” and the artist is not afraid to take a stand.

Turf War is an exploration of “the ways in which we are changing the setting in which we live.” Warp asks—no, demands—that we think about development issues from all their complex and challenging angles. Using a variety of sculptural mediums, and drawing on research provided by maps and articles both past and present, each piece in the collection is interactive—so that the viewer becomes a participant in altering Warp’s representational “landscapes.”

In what she describes as the most labor intensive piece, for example, Warp created what appears to be a giant Rubik’s Cube, upon which

…There are 17 different paintings comprised of 9 sections each… All of the outer squares of this box portray scenes of the parkway that are untouched by development. As the boxes are pulled apart, the scenes inside reveal bare houses on a hillside near mile marker 125, a torn hillside at mile marker 121, the ironies of the “scenic view” near mile marker 110.

In another, Warp examines the hastening development of Smith Mountain Lake. The loss of community and the weakening of connections between its members is another theme explored.

By directly involving her audience, Warp hopes that “they will gain a sense of the power we have over land, and the consequences we face in ignoring the environment.”

Yet the artist is no starry-eyed idealist. She recognizes that “growth is inevitable,” and that many well-conceived development projects have merit. She believes, however, that unchecked and irresponsible development can—and has—created an ever widening spiritual and planetary wound.  “Rather than building smaller and blending with the land, we alter the landscape’s original form and take away the elements that make it distinct,” she observes. “Old farms transform into new developments with names that reflect what is no longer: Greenfield Street, Pheasants Ridge, and Valley Stream Drive. We are stretching cities out further into the country, building neighborhoods that consist solely of houses, leaving us completely dependent upon driving elsewhere for our needs. We threaten the borders of one of the region’s most distinct National Parks, so that we have the very best views. We destroy the land we once relied upon for food and build upon it, causing us to search for alternatives that must be driven to our supermarkets from afar.”  

Answering my friend’s plea for thought-provoking, significant art, Warp hopes her show will make people consider “smarter growth choices…and the larger effects of the sprawl of development.” To observe the Turf War from the front lines, call 540.985.3142 to make an appointment, or drop by the Water Heater at 813 5th Street in Old Southwest from May 4th through June 5th. 

Missy Warp is an art teacher at North Cross School, and a candidate for a Masters degree in Liberal Arts from Hollins University. To contact the artist, email melissawarp@hotmail.com or call 540.985.3142. Visit the Water Heater in cyberspace at http://thewaterheater.blogspot.comwaterheater.blogspot.com, or drop by for a “live” visit at 813 5th Street in Old Southwest Roanoke (it is best to call Warp first to schedule an appointment). Join the artist and friends for an opening reception Friday, May 4th, from 8 to 10 pm, complete with food, music, interactive installations, and other surprises.

David Eichelberger: An Artist’s Homecoming
David Eichelberger is a Roanoke native son currently living and working in Penland, North Carolina. Although his career is relatively young, the artist is making his hometown proud by earning national recognition as an important emerging artist in the world of ceramics. On June 1st and 2nd, he returns to Roanoke for a special sale that is open to the public.Eichelberger’s work is a personal exploration of beauty, which he recognizes in both organic and industrial forms.  “When I perceive something as beautiful, I feel obligated to investigate why. Through this exploration, I attempt to discover the reasons for my attraction.” Using clean, graceful lines, and pairing important symbols of the modern age—like the television—with the ancient form of the vessel, his work dances a provocative, watery line between an organic past and an open, technologically-driven future. 

Eichelberger continues to be compelled by a connection he feels to history, by his “bridging [of an] ancient technique with a modern aesthetic.” Today he is nearing the end of a three-year residency at the EnergyXchange, (http://www.energyxchange.org/), a progressive community of artists whose studios are fueled with reclaimed landfill gas.  “As far as we know, we are unique in our application of this overlooked resource,” Eichelberger remarks.

The artist, a graduate of Virginia Tech who also studied at the Penland School of Craft and worked for Santa Fe Clay as a resident artist and educator, recently held a solo show at the Mudfire Gallery in Atlanta. He has exhibited and taught all over the country and returns to his hometown for a special sale on Friday, June 1st (6 pm to 9 pm) and Saturday, June 2nd  (10 am to 6 pm) at the historic Alexander-Gish House behind Highland Park in Old Southwest. Alexander-Gish is located at 41 Walnut Avenue. 

“Surfacing,” An Exhibition of Paintings
Led by Roanoke resident and Hollins University Visiting Assistant Professor Alison Hall, four young and enterprising artists have joined forces for a special, brief exhibition at the historic Grand building at 35 West Campbell Avenue, on the corner of Campbell Avenue and First Street. Funded by a grant from the university, Surfacing is an inspired collaboration of contemporary painters who share a fascination with meditation, subculture, seclusion, humor, and vulnerability. Joining Hall, a painter who has exhibited and taught nation-wide, is Brooklyn-based painter Julia Rommel. Rommel is currently an artist’s assistant for the modern artist Donald Moffit. Miami, Florida artist Chris Byrd will also exhibit work; he currently has pieces at David Castillo Modern Contemporary Art in Miami, and is an installation specialist for the city’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Seth Van Kirk, a resident of Washington D.C. and an adjunct professor at American University, rounds out the quartet of artists.

Join these painters and friends on May 3rd from 6 to 11 pm for an opening soiree that will include a DJ and a spread of free food. On May 8th and May 10th, the space will be open to the public from 3 to 7 pm. To inquire about receiving an invitation to this invite-only affair, email achall@hollins.edu.

Photography/image credits: 1. Photo by Josh Meltzer  2. Teapot by David Eichelberger  3. Painting by Chris Byrd

 

Posted: May 1st, 2007 under Visions.
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~Elizabeth Parsons’ passion for culture and the arts has earned her a degree in Anthropology and stamps on her passport from places as diverse as Ecuador, Turkey and the European Union. Recently working as a Writer and Event Planner for the Grammy Music Awards in San Francisco, CA, she returns to her hometown of Roanoke to pursue her M.F.A./Creative Writing at Hollins University. Elizabeth can be contacted at 540.345.6300 or elizabeth@citymagazineonline.com.