These art exhibits will spark your creative spirit

Whether you’re interested in the “ordinary,” photographs that challenge, paintings that encourage fantasy, or work that soothes, you can find something to spark your creative spirit in Columbia right now.

The Midlands has the top-notch Columbia Museum of Art that continuously offers compelling and incredible art exhibits from around the world.

But Columbia art fans also bask in their choice of small galleries and art centers throughout the city, as well as periodic exhibitions at the S.C. State Museum.

“Visual arts in Columbia are flourishing,” says local artist Lee Ann Kornegay. “You can walk down Main Street, stroll through the Vista, Five Points or West Columbia and take in a spectrum of galleries, public art and exhibitions.”

Here are a few exhibitions to check out:

‘Wild in Wonderland’

What: Works by Lauren Chapman.

Where: Tapp’s Arts Center, 1644 Main St.

Reception: 6 p.m. Oct. 5.

On display: Through Dec. 1.

“Wild in Wonderland” presents a magical world of feminine wild release. Chapman has created an immersive environment for viewers to experience the visual delight and seductive quality of pattern, texture and the human figure as it relates to play and empowerment.

Chapman has created her own fantasy world focused on womanhood and the absence of rules. Duck through a rabbit hole at the front of the gallery to encounter works that depict a universe full of jungle vegetation, wild animals, embellished patterns and women fully embracing their being.

Chapman chooses models for her work and photographs them, carefully constructing the pose, lighting, and props. She makes detailed color studies from the photos, and combines these with her imaginative environments, filling her canvases with bright patterns, magical realism imagery, and thick tactile surfaces. She works predominantly in the medium of oil painting on canvas.

‘Face Value: Artists’ Portraits by Alphonse van Woerkom’

What: Pencil drawings on paper by van Woerkom.

Where: Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main St.

On display: Oct. 6 through Nov. 26.

Eight-foot-tall portraits give viewers a surprisingly intimate look at 11 contemporary artists: Ida Applebroog, Elizabeth Catlett, Chuck Close, Molissa Fenley, Sam Gilliam, Kiki Smith, Pat Steir, William T. Williams, and Fred Wilson.

“The relationship between artist and subject is an interesting one,” said Will South, the museum’s chief curator. “What happens when the subject is an artist as well?”

Van Woerkom himself wrote the exhibition labels, which tell of his experience creating the portraits. Sometimes, his process included interacting with his subjects in their own studios.

‘Black & White’

What: Photography by Dalvin Spann and Lee Ann Kornegay.

Where: 701 CCA, 701 Whaley St.

Reception: 3-5 p.m. Oct. 8 in the Granby Room. Indigo Soul, led by Terrance Henderson, will perform.

On display: Through Dec. 10.

These 20 black and white photographs photography strive to promote frank, intimate conversations about race. The idea is to be a tool for discovering more about people in the community.

The portrait exhibit was created by photographers Dalvin Spann, a black 36-year-old, and Lee Ann Kornegay, a white 57-year-old. They envisioned it as a project that would challenge themselves – then ultimately, viewers of their work – to learn new things about their subjects and talk about what it feels like to be black or white in current times. Each agreed to photograph 10 people of a different color.

“ ‘Black & White’ came out of a desire to gain and promote a better understanding of people of a different color,” Kornegay said. “The hope is to use the show as a tool to move forward with more positive race relations by getting to know each other – a way to share our fears and joys and have authentic relationships.”

“For me, ‘Black & White’ was a representation of people who use their art form, profession and life to cross over the boundaries of color,” Spann said. “True passion of what inspires you should have no bearing on color, race or walks of life.”

‘Eclipsing 50: The State Art Collection 1967-2017’

What: Works in various media by artists with South Carolina ties.

Where: S.C. State Museum, 301 Gervais St.

On display: Until August 2018.

Eighty pieces from the rarely displayed State Art Collection compose the exhibit in honor of the South Carolina Arts Commission’s 50th anniversary.

The lead relief “0 Through 9” is an example of artist Jasper Johns’ experimentation with materials and techniques, as well as his frequent depictions of numbers. Johns grew up in Allendale County and attended the University of South Carolina for three semesters before moving to New York, where he became one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He is also known for his paintings of flags.

Linda Williams McCune’s personal “Ede No. 2 fom the ‘Slew’ Series” has six sculptural elements – one from each decade of her life. She recently added the sixth element, which reflects on her family’s expansion as her daughters have married and had children, to the mixed-media sculpture.

‘The Beauty of the Ordinary, Home and Abroad’

What: Paintings by Dylan Critchfield-Sales.

Where: Over the Mantel, 3142 Carlisle St.

On display: Through Oct. 7.

The paintings by the artist, who lives and teaches in Columbia, respect and illuminate the beauty of the objects and scenery that we live with daily. Critchfield-Sales’ work ignites the spirit of those who relish the look and value of the ordinary.

The exhibit is “a must-see translation of Dylan’s life, home and abroad, through mediums emoting local and international flavors,” says gallery founder Julia Moore.

‘Floating’

What: Paintings by Lee Monts.

Where: City Art, 1224 Lincoln St.

On display: Through Nov. 11.

Monts began painting in November 2002 at age 38. This exhibit features several large paintings on canvas as well as small acrylic works on paper. The landscapes are imagined, and many have a strong coastal or water-body influence. Monts produces an abstracted landscape image with simplicity; however many of the more simplistic landscapes in this show have been created with many layers of translucent color.

This story was originally published October 4, 2017 at 3:36 PM with the headline "These art exhibits will spark your creative spirit."