Category: Exhibit M

The uninspiring dog days of summer are the unlikely muse of Maggie Exner’s latest exhibition, Heat Wave, appearing this Friday from 8 to 10 p.m. at the P & H Cafe. I say “appearing” because the bulk of the show is live representation, and after Friday night only a few installation pieces will be on display.

“It’s not about painting. It’s more about mixing different elements,” explains Exner. “Mainly I do drawings with strange environments and characters I create, and this is supposed to be that come to life.”

To that end, Exner will turn the stage area at the P & H into a live representation of a heat wave with collage, installation, and live characters.

“It’s just kind of the way I’ve been feeling this summer,” says Exner. “Obviously it’s about the heat, but a lot about the repetition of things and moving in circles.”

For more on Maggie and her work, visit her website .

P & H Cafe, 1532 Madison Avenue, 726-0906

For Joel Hilgenberg and Garen Shrader, a two-man show seemed almost inevitable. “We’ve paralleled each other in the Memphis art market for years now,” says Garen, “and he’s a good friend of mine as well.” The two are both MCA grads and have both been on the Memphis art scene for 16 or 17 years. Last spring, their agent was pushing their individual work when he came up with the idea of a joint exhibition.

Thus the two-part series of Six Kinds of Liars was born. You can catch the first part of the show starting August 1 and running through August 31 at Mona Lisa Gallery.

• Garen Shrader, Doc Holliday Gets a Shave

This Friday, join local artists and musicians at “Art for Earth’s Sake,” an art auction benefiting the National Wildlife Federation. Proceeds will go towards the restoration of wildlife in the Gulf.

“About five weeks ago I sent out an email to local artist friends I have,” says event organizer, Emily Walls, “and asked who would be willing to do something to support the wildlife of the gulf right now. It was kind of a half-idea. I didn’t really expect to get as much response as I did. All the artists immediately said, ‘Yes, if you organize something we’d love to donate.'”

Artists featured include Greely Myatt, Beth Edwards, Tad Lauritzen Wright, and others.

Marshall Arts will host the event, and local restaurants like Tsunami and the Hi Tone have agreed to provide food. Local musicians Holly Cole, Blaire Combest, and Bryan Hartley will each perform during the silent auction. The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m., is free and open to the public, and donations will be accepted from those who do not wish to participate in the auction.

Marshall Arts, 639 Marshall, 522-9483

All the People Who Died, Jonathan Postal’s exhibit at the Robinson Gallery, is more than a collection of his photographs of erstwhile friends; it is an exploration of reproduction and depreciation, objects of value, and the preservation of photography as art. Postal uses light boxes, “ghost boxes,” old TVs and various other objects to control the viewer’s observation of his photographs.

• Jonathan Postal
• Michael and Deedee

You have an impressive collection of photographs, with a number of fairly famous subjects. Where are they from?

I’ve been a photographer my whole life. I was in San Francisco and involved in the punk scene, with my band, the Readymades. Before that I was in a band called the Avengers and we played with Blondie. I was there at the last Sex Pistols concert. That’s where I got the Sid Vicious picture that’s in one of the boxes. And we played with Talking Heads and the Stranglers. But I didn’t always pull my camera out. I was actually pretty good friends with the Clash, but I don’t know, somehow I just felt it was inappropriate to pull my camera out. The same thing happened with Alex Chilton. I never felt like I should ask ‘Hey can I take some pictures?’ I took one later, and that’s the one shot I have of him. After doing that I moved to NYC and I wound up getting a position at the SOHO weekly news, and every week I was shooting somebody. I was out every night being friends with people.

• Jonathan Postal
• Sam Phillips

Why not just display your photographs, your digital prints, as they are?

My dilemma was I walked in Jay Etkin Gallery for my last show and looked at my show and I thought ‘I wouldn’t pay $1500 dollars for these. I wouldn’t pay over $100 for these.’ Because they’re digital prints and in my mind, just a digital print alone is not worth that much money. You’ve put it into your computer and generated it from your computer and part of the value of photography is how many editions there are of the print and how was the print made. I’ve talked to people who say it doesn’t matter, but I can’t see how it wouldn’t matter.

The opening reception for Jonathan Postal’s exhibition, All the People Who Died, is tonight at The Robinson Gallery from 6-9 p.m. Check back in tomorrow for an interview with Postal and be sure to stop by the event tonight, or make an appointment to see the exhibit, Monday through Saturday by calling 521-0400 or 871-1998.

The Robinson Gallery, 44 Huling Avenue, 521-0400

Broad Avenue is the site of a burgeoning art scene, featuring an eclectic mix of fine arts, metal works, crafts, and junkyard sculptures. And this Friday, July 23, is the perfect time to witness the surge of talent, at the inaugural Broad Avenue Summer Art Jam. The festivities are free and open to the public and will last from 6 to 9 p.m. all along Broad between Collins and Hollywood.

Although the district has had art festivals in the past, this is the first event with music and dance workshops as well. Collage Dance Collective, a contemporary dance group, will be giving live demonstrations and teaching attendees some basic dance moves— you know, like this:

• Tiffany Glen, principal dancer and choreographer, Collage Dance Collective

Just kidding. The dance moves will be a tad less advanced, and appropriate for all ages. Plus, there will be a ton of participation opportunities at the Junk Jam Session, where the Junk Jam Team, led by local musician James Sexton, will play a percussion-based sculpture. The sculpture, including an oversized xylophone and trashcan drums, was crafted by this summer’s Junkyard campers and is comprised of 100 percent recycled materials. (For more information on the Junkyard Camp for Kids, check out Mary Cashiola’s coverage here and here.)

Gallery 210, located inside Lifelink Church on South Cooper, will introduce its newest exhibit tomorrow, July 16th, with an opening reception and artist lecture from 6 to 8 p.m.. “Sitting up with the Dead” is the exhibition of work by Melinda Eckley and Chris Nadaskay, both professors of art at Union University.

• Melinda Eckley (left), 6’x2′, thread; Chris Nadaskay (right), 20″x28″x3″, stoneware/mixed media
• Shroud (left); Urbi et Orbi (right)

“The theme that they’re working with— Sitting up with the Dead— is an allusion to cultural artifacts that are passed down; that are, in a sense, like dead remains,” says Jess Erickson, curator for the exhibit. “It has more of an archeological significance. The dead objects that are passed on from our culture— that’s what Mr. Nadaskay is dealing with. Melinda is dealing with family objects that are passed down through the women in her family.”

Nadaskay’s work is composed of three-dimensional clay pieces, while Melinda is focused on installation work, displayed almost as if it were in a museum. “It’s a combination of the two types of media working off of each other,” says Erickson, “which I think will be really interesting.”

The exhibit will run from July 16th to August 15th. Gallery 210 is open 9:00 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 377-3372 or visit lifelinkmemphis.org.

Gallery 210, Lifelink Church, 1015 S. Cooper, 377-3372