This year’s lineup at the Gibbes Museum of Art will cover an array of topics and encourage visitors to engage with new art forms and genres.
“We are excited for another year of engaging exhibitions and talented artists for our guests to experience in 2023,” said Angela Mack, executive director of the museum.
The lineup of 2023 exhibitions will serve to advance the museum’s four themes of health and wellness, social justice, innovation and conservation and the environment, Mack said in a statement.
“The Gibbes aims to introduce new art forms, promote creativity and connect the community with art in new and exciting ways, and our special exhibitions and visiting artists program both promote that goal,” she said.
The museum will launch its 2023 season on Feb. 3 with the Un/Natural Selections: Wildlife in Contemporary Art exhibition. It will explore wildlife images from the last two decades.Organized by the National Museum of Wildlife Art, it looks at diverse ways contemporary artists use animal imagery to address humanity’s interconnectedness with the natural world.
The exhibit will explore themes of tradition, politics, science and aesthetics to investigate the ways we use this imagery to tackle human concerns. Un/Natural Selections: Wildlife in Contemporary Art will be hosted in galleries eight and nine until April 16.
On March 17, the museum will welcome the Damian Stamer: Ruminations exhibit, which will run until Oct. 15 in galleries two and three. This exhibit showcases new work by North Carolina-based contemporary painter, Damian Stamer.
Stamer depicts barns, abandoned buildings and other vernacular structures. His heavily layered canvases blur the line between abstraction and representation as they seek to express the beauty of the old and overlooked.
“Black Girl Beauty” by Beverly McIver
The Beverly McIver: Full Circle exhibit will present nearly 50 works from the last 25 years from the contemporary artist based in Durham, North Carolina. This exhibit will be held from April 28 to Aug. 4 in galleries eight and nine.
McIver is known for her bold, thematic approach to portrait painting. The exhibit will include early self-portraits as well as portraits of family members and friends that provide a glimpse into the artist’s life moments.
A Queer Kinship: The Art of Aubrey Beardsley and Edward Ned I.R. Jennings will open on Oct. 20 in galleries two and three. It will run until March 10, 2024.
This exhibit will explore the LGBTQ influences on the Charleston Renaissance. Focusing on the work of Jennings, a Charleston Renaissance artist, it will explore the stylistic affinity of his work to British aesthete and famed illustrator, Aubrey Beardsley.
The Gibbes Museum’s 2023 Visiting Artists
The 2023 class of visiting artists will feature eight artists in four sessions. As part of their residency, these artists will engage museum visitors through free, public studio hours.
The initial session of the museum’s visiting artists program will kick off on Feb. 20 and run until April 2. The museum welcomes artists Austin Norvell,a Charleston native, and Reuben Bloom, an artist based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Currently, Norvell is developing several series of glass sculptures and installations dealing with the concept of nostalgia in objects. Bloom has been exploring fine art photography for more than 12 years. His longtime practice of street photography led him to a sculpture and found-object-based studio practice that explores themes, materials and motifs generated by his images.
The second session of the program will include Robin Howard and Ransome. It will begin on May 1 and run until June 11.
A sculpture artist, Howard explores the intersections of motion and stillness. She uses wooden geometric shapes to construct assemblage sculptures and then adds kinetic elements with glass, clay and wood beads on wires. Ransome creates pictorial narratives. All of his works are abstract and he creates collages with acrylic paint and purchased papers.
Artist session three, running from Aug. 28 to Oct. 8, will feature Boston-based artist Javonte Jenkins and Charleston artist Nathan Durfee.
Jenkins uses a series of powerful imagery, whimsical perspectives and compelling truths that redefine modern art through new, stylized aesthetics. With a background in children’s book illustration, Durfee now uses that aesthetic to convey the nuances and complexity of the human experience.
Beginning Oct. 23 until Dec. 3, session four will feature Alice Colin and Elizabeth Williams.
A portrait artist, Colin’s aims to express emotions and thoughts through colors and patterns in a constant search for balance between shapes and shades. Her inspiration comes from her travels, countries of adoption and people’s facial expressions. Using a range of painting and drawing mediums,Williams combines figurative realism with expressive abstraction on oil-lined linen, panels or paper.
For more information about the Gibbes Museum of Art and its exhibits, visit gibbesmuseum.org.
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