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Molly Donovan
The Contemporary Art Museum, located at 409 W Martin Street, is currently hosting works of art by winners of the NC Arts Council Artist Fellowship award. "Dragging" by Tracy Spencer-Stonestreet is an example of the wide range of mediums represented by the 15 artists showcased in the exhibit.
Recipients of the North Carolina Arts Council’s Fellowship award for 2013 are being featured at the Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh through April 27. These 15 artists received money to create new works to be displayed in the museum’s exhibit.
Amanda Small, an artist featured at CAM, said the exhibit benefits the visitor in several ways.
“I think the beauty and integrity of the space at CAM and the quality and variety of the work exhibited by the NCAC Fellowship artists is really something special and worthwhile,” Small said. “In this exhibition, there is something for everyone, and I think people’s imaginations and curiosity will be piqued exploring the various works. It really is a dynamic and thoughtful representation of so many different ways of working materials and concepts.”
Small’s piece is the first exhibit visitors see at the museum.
Leigh Suggs, another artist featured in the exhibit, has several pieces displayed, all involving one thing: dots. These tiny paper dots are all arranged in different ways and according to Suggs, she was inspired by the visions children see when they close their eyes, and specifically from her own childhood, blue moving dots.
Scott Hazard’s pieces appear in wooden boxes, landscapes of paper with text on them. The text is the title of the piece repeated. According to Hazard, the “layers of paper allow the viewers’ eyes to track into the space.”
According to Hazard, he has two pieces that he was particularly excited about, “Rise” and “Read This Line.” The first piece because it is bigger than the rest of his pieces – he usually creates smaller ones. “Read This line” looks different from the rest of his work, not rising like a landscape but instead funneling towards the wall. Hazard said he was excited about this departure from his usual landscapes.
Three sets of wings that look both delicate and robotic, porcelain vases with intricate designs of lines and leaves, paintings of many colors and jewelry made out of vinyl are all among the mediums that are displayed in the museum. One piece includes a table, chair and various dining wear all attached with string to a harness, pulled along the street as the artist walked.
There are rooms for single exhibits on the bottom floor, videos in two rooms and the third dedicated to a piece by Travis Donovan. The room is dark, which made the whole thing seem mystical. Three columns of monofilament hang from the ceiling, taking their turns twisting and turning in the darkness, illuminated only by a pale light that shines down on them.
The exhibit is free to N.C. State students and $5 for the general public.
15 Raleigh-area artists were granted $10,000 in support of creative development and the creation of new work. for the general public. CAM also has a section for people to create their own art, currently encouraging people to be inspired by the porcelain vases and create work on scratchboard.