Author: Elle Perry

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Art Art Feature

Vitus Shell and the Moonpie Project

“Protect Her” by Monroe, Louisiana, artist Vitus Shell is the latest to be featured in the Crosstown Arts’ ongoing mural series, The Moonpie Project, which launched last April.

Shell’s work is a pop-art portrait of a black woman with the words “Protect Her” prominently displayed.

“I feel that people of color have always been under attack — mentally, physically, and emotionally — since forever, but in this new political climate, it’s become okay to publicly attack people of color again, especially women,” Shell says. “That’s scary. So with this project, I wanted to create something that could begin the conversation.”

Shell attended Memphis College of Art, where he met and was inspired by Memphis artists like Brenda Joysmith, George Hunt, and Alonzo Davis. He says he participated in the series because he thought it was cool and it would give a platform for an important message.

Past Moonpie Project artists include its creator Michael Roy (also known as Birdcap) and Christopher Reyes (also known as Ninjacat), both from Memphis, and visiting artists Lauren Asta (from San Francisco), Jacob Berkowitz (from St. Louis), and Jason Spencer (also known as Killer Napkins, from St. Louis). Each mural stands for two months before being replaced.

The murals are situated in an alley at Crosstown Arts, which sponsors the series.

“Although we operate two art galleries along North Cleveland, the Moonpie Project mural series adds an element of neighborhood beautification, and it gives muralists a canvas to create work that’s best suited for an outdoor space,” says Crosstown Arts Communications Coordinator Bianca Phillips.

The series is curated by Roy in memory of Nashville muralist Brad Wells. The name is inspired by Wells’ turn as a child model for MoonPie confectionary.

Vitus Shell’s “Protect Her” will be featured in The Moonpie Project through January.

Wells visited Memphis in 2015 to participate in Paint Memphis. He died in December of that year.

“He was an artist that was genuinely enthusiastic to see other artists succeed,” Roy says. “He had a kind heart and had made a career out of murals for longer than I had, so he was a great person to get advice from. He died suddenly pretty shortly after [I got] to know him.”

With the series, Roy says the main goal is to embody the community spirit that made him want to become a street artist.

“I make art at the end of the day just to show my friends,” he says. “It felt natural to name the project after Brad, because he exemplified everything I love about this group of artists.”

Roy also wants to showcase the city of Memphis through the series.

“If we get a good artist to come in from Chicago and he posts new work from Memphis, now Chicago knows Memphis is dealing in good work,” he says. “That’s how I found out about cities like Detroit and Denver. My favorite artists were painting there.”

Roy says the series will have some changes this year to “up the ante,” but he still plans for five new muralists to come in and paint.

For the selection process, Roy says he picks artists whose work he loves and that he feels carry the traits that make the graffiti/street art/mural community special.

“It’s a mixture of portfolio review and how much I trust the person to come through and take care of business,” he says. “I’m a fan of every person who comes through, so I’m always a little blown away when they say yes.”

Murals stay up for two months. Shell’s “Protect Her” will be up through January.

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Art Art Feature

Nnenna Okore’s “Sheer Audacity” at the Brooks.

Wheeler Williams’ 1961 female forms “Spring, Summer, Fall,” flanking the main entrance of the Brooks Museum, cycles from birth to death.

In a softer and much more abstract way, Nnenna Okore’s “Sheer Audacity” also offers commentary on aging, deterioration, and the temporary state of things.

“Sheer Audacity” is the second in the Brooks’ Rotunda Series, a part of the museum’s year-long centennial celebration. Assembled over two days and designed especially for the rotunda, Okore’s installation follows the looming “Rage of the Ballet Gods” by another artist of Nigerian descent, Yinka Shonibare.

Okore teaches sculpture at Chicago’s North Park University. The daughter of a professor and a librarian, she often examines her American identity versus her Nigerian identity and the contrasts between her homeland with that of the States. She says her works are inspired by the landscape and natural attributes. Her works also require tedious processes, time-consuming steps, and repetitions, something she says she enjoys greatly, a reflection of the non-microwave nature of completing simple tasks (specifically cooking) in Nigeria.

Nnenna Okore’s “Sheer Audacity” at the Brooks Museum of Art

Okore’s exhibition, like Shonibare’s, examines the relationship between humans and the environment. While Shonibare’s art explores climate change via Greek mythology, Okore’s burlap work draws inspiration from the environment and the decay and erosion of natural objects. The three themes that guided her throughout the creation of the piece were transience, transformation, and the breaking down of objects.

“Sheer Audacity” descends from the floor above. There’s webbing and multiple figurative limbs, so that visitors don’t just view the work, they inhabit it. They can press their faces right up to burlap, smell the slight mustiness the material emits.

The heavy use of red, a favorite color of Okore’s, makes the piece feel like a living organism, and it takes on a quality of an aquatic animal — a three-dimensional sketch of an octopus or an exploded jellyfish. The piece is punctuated with blobs of orange, blue, and burgundy, and a pile of fabric sits in a heap on the floor in the center of the piece as if said creature has shed its skin or rid itself of waste.

Okore’s pieces typically consist of organic materials, often burlap or reclaimed discarded materials such as old magazines, phone books, plastic grocery bags, or newspapers. The use of found objects is a way for her to showcase the abundant nature of such materials and to critique American wastefulness, consumerism, and excess. Her work allows her a chance to return those items back to a natural state and offer a brief stay in the cycle of depletion of those natural resources.

Each installation of Okore’s typically takes two to three months to create. Okore transported this work in smaller pieces to Memphis from Chicago not knowing what the final form would look like until she started putting it together.

The shrinking, shriveling, and shedding of the burlap used in “Sheer Audacity” reveals the beauty in aging and shows how fleeting everything is around us, how everything, all of us, last but a while.

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Art Exhibit M

Art Apprenticeship Offers Outlet for North Memphis Teens

CREDIT: Elle Perry

Elle Perry

Apprentice Ca’Terrya Hilson works on screen printing during an exhibition hosted by the Klondike/Smokey City Community Development Center.

Blocks away from Northside High School, girls aged 15 to 19 spent several months learning art and other skills from mentors at the Klondike/Smokey City Community Development Center in North Memphis.

The program began in March 2016. The next month, the number of girls went from eight to seven when a 15-year-old apprentice in the program died violently.

Mentor and visual artist Drea Powell said that the death was sobering to the girls. For some, it fueled them, while others wanted to retreat.

Creating art and journaling served as outlets for the girls. The work made them confront their feelings about their friend’s death and other issues they were facing.

Visual artist Brittney Bullock, who served as project lead, said she first developed a professional relationship with CDC Executive Director Quincey Morris while working at Crosstown Arts. Bullock then volunteered for the CDC and continued to attend the monthly neighborhood partnership meetings.

When the community engagement grant was offered Bullock asked Morris if the CDC would apply. Bullock said Morris initially said “no” because she had no one to manage the project. The two landed on the apprenticeship model after talking about their interests (Bullock’s in community engagement work and youth development and Morris’ in community development and providing resources).

Khara Woods, a local designer and photographer, served as a mentor to the participating girls.

“Watching them grow has been amazing,” Powell said.

Through the apprenticeship, the girls were paid a stipend and worked four hours on two Saturdays a month. The grant money ran out in September.

When they decided what to work on, the girls landed on screenprinting. They learned how to set up the entire process and work with different colors for prints.

Elle Perry

Apprentice Ca’Terrya Hilson hangs a screen printed piece to dry during an exhibition hosted by the Klondike/Smokey City Community Development Center.

A show and sale of the prints was held on October 29th at the CDC.

One piece reads “Reach for the stars” — a note of hope and possibility — and shows a chorus of hands reaching towards a group of stars. Another reads “Our Lives Matter,” a way for the girls to personalize the Black Lives Matter movement. A third reads “Fear – Violence = Peace.” Peace is represented by the peace sign, while violence is symbolized by a gun.

Throughout the CDC’s office are large sheets of white paper listing the skills the girls worked on during the camp, such as branding and product development. The lists were flanked by large prints of the girls and their mentors.

Part of the apprenticeship included the girls visiting the studios of professional, working artists to show that entrepreneurship and working as an artist could be a viable path.

The mentors even brought in their work and showed client receipts as part of that process, Powell said.

“Evidence was important,” she said. “To build trust and show it could happen.”

Sixteen-year-old Ca’Terrya Hilson applied for and was accepted to the program after hearing Bullock speak about the opportunity at the Boys & Girls Club.

Hilson said she had not previously worked with art, but found painting to be her favorite part of the experience.

She said that working the apprenticeship was a good experience because it allowed her to try something new and because, “I’m a quiet person and I learned how to communicate and talk to people.”

Morris said that she continues to follow up with the girls, to encourage them ib things such as taking their ACTs and applying to college.

Morris said with additional funding she would like to continue the program and expand it to more girls, and eventually boys.

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Art Art Feature

“Spectacular Vernacular” at the Memphis Slim House.

If you’ve walked down the Main Street mall in the past year, you’ve encountered the work of Eso Tolson. That’s his hand-lettering on the banners marking the street.

Or maybe you’ve seen Tolson, a native of East St. Louis, Illinois, and a Memphis College of Art graduate, at assorted events around town, posted in a corner, completing a quick illustration. Or maybe you own one of his “Embrace Your Inner Memphis” graphic tees.

Make note of the phrase “Embrace Your Inner Memphis” — that’s exactly what the artist does in “Spectacular Vernacular,” currently showing at the Memphis Slim House. Each piece features Tolson’s interpretation of a Memphis colloquialism accompanied by a definition and an example in smaller, standard text.

Eso Tolson Lookin’ Ass

Flyer: What prompted you to do an exhibit featuring Memphis slang?

Tolson: I’ve always been intrigued with phrases and sayings. I’m not originally from Memphis, so the phrases and sayings stood out to me. In my hand-lettering work, I like to create pieces that inspire and instill pride in the people viewing it. Slang, urban vernacular, or anything associated with the urban community is usually looked down upon and isn’t celebrated greatly outside of the world of hip-hop. “Spectacular Vernacular” was an opportunity for me to highlight these unique, lively, and colorful expressions and present them in a way that hasn’t been seen before.

You’re originally from East St. Louis. How is the slang there similar or different from Memphis slang?

The slang is actually similar in a few cases. For instance, “Fire” or “Fye” has been a staple for years back home. “Mane,” although not as widely used as it is in Memphis, is a constant in some circles. On the other hand, it is very different. [He laughs.] For example, “Checking” would be the equivalent to “Joaning” or “Flaming” back home. Memphis and East St. Louis are what I call “sister cities.” They have a lot in common and aren’t too far from each other geographically. So, some things naturally cross.

How did you define each phrase?

I used a few resources. It was a combination of personal experiences, Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, a few South Memphis natives, and urbandictionary.com. It was a lot of research. That was probably the most difficult part of the process. But definitely fun and informative.

What makes these colloquialisms appealing?

They’re very expressive, brash, authentic, and black. I just love how most of the phrases in the exhibition have multiple meanings depending on the context they’re used in. For the most part, they are completely unique to the Memphis. That’s something worth noting and celebrating.

What phrase gets the most feedback from viewers?

“Fuck You Mean” definitely gets the most feedback. [Laughs.] It’s a crowd favorite. “Lookin’ Ass” is a close second.

What is your favorite phrase of the group?

“Mane What” and “What Chu Said” are my favorite phrases to say. Fuck You Mean is probably my favorite piece in the show. I personally think it’s beautiful.

Part of the exhibit includes an easel for attendees to use the phrases in a sentence. Why was it important to you to have an element of active audience participation?

I believe in interactive pieces at exhibitions. It gives the viewer an opportunity to be a part of the show and facilitates interactions with other viewers. In this show, I wanted people to use phrases and sayings from the exhibit in a sentence. Some have used a single phrase while others challenged themselves to use as many phrases as possible. During the opening reception, there were quite a few people who weren’t aware of all the expressions presented. The interactive piece not only aided in their understanding of certain phrases, it allowed them to be a part of a conversation that they hadn’t been a part of previously. That was my goal.

Through December 10th

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Art Exhibit M

Night Women by Delita Martin

CREDIT: Elle Perry

Elle Perry

Night Mother by Delita Martin

For the upcoming print edition of the Flyer I wrote about Eso Tolson’s “Spectacular Vernacular” exhibition now showing at the Memphis Slim House.

Another local art exhibition that incorporates text to tell a story about African-American life is “Night Women” by Huffman, Texas-based mixed-media artist Delita Martin.

From the exhibition’s statement: [Martin’s work] “deals with reconstructing the identity of Black women by piecing together the signs, symbols, and language found in what can be called everyday life…”

Elle Perry

Effie: She Sees The Truth by Delita Martin

Many of the portraits, inspired by vintage family photographs, feature the women superimposed over colorful, large graphical patterns, a nod to Martin’s printmaking background. Others include cursive text or safety pins and other household objects.

These objects are nondescript, but the subjects, these women, are not. From each set of frames, the women make eye contact with the viewer drawing them in to learn more about their stories, their histories.

At Annesdale Park Gallery through November 9th.

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Art Exhibit M

SWEET by Brantley Ellzey

CREDIT: Elle Perry

Elle Perry

The frontage of 422 N. Cleveland St. at Crosstown Arts for Brantley Ellzey’s SWEET.

With the orange and pink graphics (designed by Loaded for Bear) on the exterior of Crosstown Arts, one gets the feeling immediately that he or she is being transported back in time to a vintage candy shop.

The purity of the 22 pieces in SWEET, which artist/architect Brantley Ellzey spent a year working on, are a reaction to the contentious climate that the country finds itself in.

Over the past 15 years, Ellzey typically has done commission work consisting of rolled magazine, book, and other printed pages, something he refers to as “time capsules.” SWEET has the artist drilling down to the most simple form of his practice in terms of color and composition. Instead of patterned papers, he uses blank sheets of individually hand-rolled construction paper.

Ellzey sought out the inspirations derived from growing up in late 1960s Osceola, Arkansas — things like the Sears “Wish Book” catalog (also in a nod to the neighborhood’s affiliation with Sears, now Crosstown Concourse), childhood books, and the interior design and home decorating magazines that his mother received.

Other inspirations: Mary Blair, who worked for Disney studios, whose folk art and imagery Ellzey realized had inspired the way he perceived the world growing up. (Blair also designed “It’s a Small World.”) Also, modernist architects George and Ray Eames and Alexander Girard. In particular, Girard’s textiles are an obvious source of inspiration for several pieces, with bright, one or two color columned or checked patterns.

All of the pieces in SWEET are horizontal and face up except the Pixies (a reference to Pixy Stix), which on its base nearly reaches the room’s ceiling; Homer, which is a donut; and Honey, Honey, which is modeled after a honeycomb with rolled paper tubes facing outwards toward the audience.

There are grapes (with groups of rolled paper tubes in different hues of purple in the shapes of bunches), licorice, pink glittery spun cotton candy (surrounded by a contrasting cotton candy machine base designed by Perry Sponseller), and Laffy Taffy.

Elle Perry

Homer by Brantley Ellzey

The aforementioned Homer is an oversized homage to The Simpsons’ family patriarch and his love for the pastry. In real life, the piece is an inflatable pool raft with rolled paper paper-mached to it, topped with with three kinds of glitter replicating a donut, purple icing, and delectable sprinkles.

Homer includes a placard humorously forbidding both touching and eating the object.

All in all, SWEET accomplishes a tricky feat — invoking whimsical escapism while at the same time maintaining a high level of sophistication.

Through November 5.

Elle Perry

Carnival by Brantley Ellzey

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Art Art Feature

“The Weight of Hope” at Clough-Hanson.

After three venue changes, the 400-plus capacity Bryan Campus Life Center auditorium at Rhodes College was filled to standing room only, with dozens turned away at the door and at the school gates. Such is the draw of artist Dread Scott, whose work provides a clear connection from the bigotry and injustice of years past to the racism and state-sanctioned violence of the present day.

The September 8th talk was held in conjunction with “The Weight of Hope” group exhibit currently at Clough-Hanson Gallery through October 24th.

Scott’s visit could not have been more timely. He’s been courting controversy for 30 years with performance works (including asking people to walk on the U.S. flag) that speak directly to the current discussions in the media about nationalistic symbols and patriotism.

Most searing to Memphians, perhaps, is Scott’s I Am Not a Man performance stills, which play off the “I Am a Man” signs carried during the 1968 sanitation workers strike. Scott is shown walking the streets of New York wearing clothing befitting a man of the 1960s while holding a sign that reads, “I Am Not a Man.” The On the Impossibility of Freedom in a Country Founded on Slavery and Genocide stills feature Scott walking against the force of a fire hose, bringing to mind hoses used on civil rights protestors. How much (or how little) has changed in 50 years for black Americans, these images ask.

Scott’s most provocative work in the show is the updating of a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s “A Man Was Lynched Yesterday” flag from the 1930s with the insertion of the words “by Police” — an explicit link to today’s climate of protests against police brutality.

Also in the show: Mariam Ghani’s 28-minute dramatic narrative video The City & The City is about how the two halves of St. Louis live, but the descriptions of two societies (unequally) co-existing and overlapping in the same space at the same time could be about our own city.

Local painter Terry Lynn contributed three pieces to the exhibit. In a nod to the recent Olympics (and black American female dominance displayed therein), Rise features a young black gymnast beaming proudly with one arm outstretched, wearing an American flag leotard and surrounded by thick splotches in different colors. His most evocative work, Pink, is composed of a very young-looking black girl looking straight ahead clad in all pink clothing with her hands clasped in front of her. Most of the painting is not of her, but the black, oily-looking, roughly textured mass surrounding and enveloping the small, doe-eyed girl. She still has her naiveté, but the sinister world awaits her.

In the center of the room is Damon Davis’ All Hands on Deck — photographic prints of enlarged black male hands outstretched over a white background on heavy paper. On the back of the print is an explanation of the climate leading up to the work, beginning with the hope generated from the election of the country’s first black president through the death of Travyon Martin and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Davis began the project in Ferguson in 2014. From the text: “This exhibition looks at the impact of that shifting hope’s weight in the last eight years on the body politic, and in particular on the Black body.” Visitors are encouraged to “display the image where they live or work as a ‘sign of collective responsibility and an ode to that diverse collective dedicated to protecting human rights, no matter race, age, or gender.'” Viewers are invited to download their own images of hands, of all races and ages, at allhandsondeckproject.org.

The work in “The Weight of Hope” sticks to you. It is a call to action against injustice instead of idly standing by.

Through October 24th