Let it be known: Dwayne Butcher is officially “full smart.” Among his various vocations, Butcher is an artist represented by the David Lusk Gallery, a poet, the editor of the local arts journal Number:, curator of the P&H Café’s Artspace, and the writer of the Artbutcher blog, which reports on the city’s arts happenings in addition to rather cheekily and lower-casedly keeping up with Butcher’s own progress in becoming famous and smart. That last matter has been measured in fractions while Butcher pursued his master’s at the Memphis College of Art. With the approval of his thesis in mid-November, Butcher says, “I can now say that I’m officially smart, but I have no idea what I’ll be able to do with that.”
On Friday, November 28th, Butcher and two other MFA candidates, Jason Cole and Melinda Eckley, will present their thesis works in the exhibit “Three Way” at MCA’s On the Street Gallery. Cole will present a video installation of self-portraits, while Eckley has created a sculptural installation using materials gleaned from her unused trousseau. Butcher will show five videos.
“Three of them are conceptual, time-based [digital] paintings,” Butcher explains. “One is pink, one is orange, and one is purple. It’s an experiment to see how many variations of the colors I can create using a computer. I’m trying to push the boundaries of what a painting can be.”
Of the other videos, Butcher says, one shows him eating chicken wings and drinking beer and includes a poetic commentary on weight issues and being from the South, two subjects he deals with regularly in his work.
“The opening is on a shitty day — the day after Thanksgiving,” Butcher says. “Be sure to come out if you’re tired of your relatives and want to see an interesting show. Hopefully, we’ll have enough there to keep people entertained.”
Opening reception for “Three Way” at the Memphis College of Art’s On the Street Gallery, Friday, November 28th, 6 to 9 p.m.
