Jim Kerr (center) posed with his eldest watercolor student, Kathleen Bates, and his grandson, Mitchell Kerr. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Artists, art lovers, town officials and friends celebrated the art of watercolor instructor Jim Kerr and his students Friday night, June 7, with a reception at Davidson Town Hall that included snacks, music, and speeches and music by the Harken Jazz Project.

Kerr has been teaching watercolor classes for Davidson Parks & Recreation for years, and although the night was focused on him, he turned the spotlight on his students.

“It’s a pleasure to be associated with them and they’ve become like a family,” he said.

Mayor John Woods even presented Kerr with a key to the town. “We love Jim,” Woods told the crowd. “I don’t know how many years he’s been teaching watercolor here. He tells me this is his last year. I’m not going to accept that,” he joked.

He praised Kerr for his many years of “honoring the citizens of this region with your watercolor techniques and teaching, and for your great personality and your pretty good jokes, and your great sense of humor.”

Kerr then broke into song, accompanied by the jazz quartet.

Kerr is a longtime teacher and performer. He attended Suffolk University in Massachusetts, majoring in education and art, and the Graduate School of Design at Harvard.  He later worked with Bob Hope Enterprises in Beverly Hills, CA, and appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jack Parr.” At one time, Kerr and Jamie Farr, who later went on to fame in TV’s “M.A.S.H.,” were a comedy team.

“The Beautiful World of Watercolor” exhibit, with work by Kerr and his students, will run through June 28 at Davidson Town Hall, 216 S. Main St. The exhibit can be seen weekdays from 8am to 5pm. music by the Harken Jazz Project and refreshments.

Gallery goers looked at the paintings by Kerr and his students. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Harken Jazz Project. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Davidson Mayor John Woods (left) gave Jim Kerr the key to the town. (David Boraks photo)

One of PK’s “Vintage Tree” series, which is one display at Davidson Town Hall in May.

PK

A reception is planned Friday evening, May 17, 7-9 pm at Davidson Town Hall for an exhibit of photographs by digital photo artist PK Donson of Davidson. PK’s photos range from landscapes and trees to buildings and shorelines. Some are edited creations combining multiple images, while are others are scenes captured at just the right moment of light.

Here’s the artist’s own description: “Her whimsical photos directly respond to the surrounding environment and she uses everyday experiences as her starting point. Often these framed images would go unnoticed in their original context. By applying abstraction, she tries to approach a wide range of subjects in a multi-layered way.”

The exhibit may be viewed during work hours at Town Hall. You can see more of her work at PKsphotos.com

SUMMER AT WATERWORKS

The summer exhibition “Memory – Nature and Nurture” runs May 25-Sept. 7 at Waterworks Visual Arts Center in Salisbury.  Four female artists examine the function and meaning of memory and its role in nature and nurture in shaping cultural norms for women.  Through vastly different life experiences, creative process and inspiration are highlighted in a woman’s life through visual representation in various mediums.

The exhibition is a feminine and delicate blend of memory and imagination.

“A Dozen Dresses: The ReCollection” by Diana Greene (Winston-Salem) is a beautiful photographic narrative featuring photographs of different dresses from various stages of Greene’s life.  “This series is unsentimental. It explores the theme of fashion as personality, clothes as symbols, dresses as conduits for dreams and mistakes, identity and loss.”

Primoris Ortus by Allison Luce (Mooresville) explores concerns about fragility and femininity.  Using clay as a metaphor for the body, she creates structures that are symbolic of the body and soul.  Kristi Ryba (St. John’s Island, SC) uses vintage family photographs to create paintings based on the iconography and the sacred hierarchical messages of Medieval and Renaissance altarpieces and illuminated manuscripts in Significant Moments.

Kathy Sosa’s series of portraits titled Adornment and Identity is a celebration of women.   Her two series, Huipiles, depicting women wearing the traditional blouses of the Mayan, and Trees of Life, with women wearing elaborate headgear filled with symbols of what the women are thinking about,  are influenced by the rich cultural heritage of Mesoamerica.

An opening reception is planned Friday, May 31.  Informal gallery talks with the artists begin at 5pm.  Reception is from 6-8pm.  Free and open to the public.

For more information, visit www.waterworks.org.  Waterworks is at 123 E. Liberty Street in historic downtown Salisbury.

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Donor Jim Pepper, Davidson Class of ’65, with “Waves III” by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa (Cathryn Westra photo)

By ANDREW WILKINS
DavidsonNews.net

A small crowd gathered at Davidson College Thursday to dedicate “Waves III,” the newest addition to the college’s outdoor sculpture collection. The work by contemporary Spanish artist Jaume Plensa is a stainless-steel figure, seated on stone and fashioned from letters and characters representing languages across the globe.

The guests included President Carol Quillen and other college staff, students and art lovers, and alumnus Jim Pepper, of the Davidson Class of 1965, who donated the work. 

Art Department Chair Cort Savage led the ceremony, which celebrated both the sculpture and the importance of art and culture on Davidson’s campus.

Pepper, a longtime supporter of the arts at Davidson, said, “Public art is important in every place.” Pieces such as “Waves III” “expand our view and challenge us to understand and practice tolerance,” he said.

In addition to dedicating the sculpture, the ceremony celebrated the broader significance of arts and expression on Davidson’s campus. Students performed “Art is Universal,” a song written by Choral Director Dr. Christopher Gilliam and debuted at yesterday’s dedication.

Students from China, Ecuador, and France spoke about the significance of art in their lives, both in their native country and at Davidson. Reflecting on her passion for dance, Gaby Baldeon, a senior from Ecuador, said that “I couldn’t imagine my Davidson experience without art on campus and in the classroom.”

Art Department Chair Cort Savage delivers remarks at the dedication of Waves III (Cathryn Westra photo)

Savage, who is himself a sculptor, elaborated on the significance of the sculpture on Davidson’s campus, stating that the sculpture “does exactly what art does so well. Waves III encourages us to muse.”

Quillen echoed this sentiment in her closing remarks, saying that Jaume Plensa’s work “invites me to re-evaluate work I do, both as a historian and as a college administrator.”

“Waves III” is the latest addition to the Campus Sculpture Program. It joins other pieces installed on campus, including four sculptures located nearby between the Chambers Building and E.H. Little Library. More information on Davidson’s sculpture collection and its permanent arts collection can be found online at davidsoncollegeartgalleries.org.

Works by Mary Crow (dog painting) and DAG (“Thelonius Monk”) are on display in Davidson this month.

DAG’s LEGENDS & LANDMARKS

David Alan Goldberg, or DAG, is showing six paintings this month on the walls upstairs at Summit Coffee, 128 S. Main St., Davidson.

The exhibit “Carolina Revelries: Legends and Landmarks” will open with a reception Wednesday from 5-7pm. They’ll have beer and wine specials all night.

DAG’s show includes three large scale works, and three medium-sized pieces. The artist could not afford supplies to paint, so he has been sponsored by lawyer Robert L. Forquer. The paintings are on display through May.

PAINTINGS BY MARY CROW

A reception with artist Mary Crow is planned Friday, March 22, 5-7pm at Davidson Town Hall, 216 S. Main St., Davidson. Her paintings on view at the Town Hall’s atrium gallery weekdays during business hours, 8am to 5pm, until March 28

Crow attended Columbus College of Art and Design and West Virginia University where she earned a BFA in painting and printmaking. She is a lifelong learner and has taken classes at the Penland School in Penland, NC, and attended many workshops with leading portrait artists.

She has experience in ceramics, stained glass, pastels and even courtroom art, but she currently focuses on painting portrait commissions and landscapes. Crow’s paintings and sculptures have been exhibited and collected nationally and internationally. She was a recipient of an Emerging Artist Grant in 1991, through the Arts Council of the Lower Cape Fear and the NC Arts Council.

She is a member of the Charlotte Plein Air Painters. She is one of 12 members of the Plein Air Painters chosen to paint at this year’s Charlotte Garden Tour, followed by a reception at the Mint Museum, in April. She is also a member of the Portrait Society of America.

She lives with her husband, Tom, and daughter, Maddie, in Huntersville. She recently completed the coursework prescribed for the state’s lateral entry teaching program, and is qualified to teach art at the K-12 levels. Teaching is a part of her life, as she offers private and group classes and summer camps, and is a substitute teacher at Community School of Davidson, where she enjoys sharing her enthusiasm about the visual world.

Her work includes landscapes in oil and pastel, some featuring local venues such as Bradford Farm Market, and also paintings of the North Carolina mountains and beaches. The show also contains mixed media compositions based on the spiritual writings of Vassula Ryden in her book series True Life in God.

ARTFEST IN MOORESVILLE

Mooresville Artist Guild is preparing to open its 35th Annual Spring Artfest, fearing top artists from around the region competing for cash and product awards in a variety of mediums and categories. The show will be on display from March 26 through April 26, with an opening reception Friday, April 12, from 6-8pm, in the historic Mooresville Depot Art Gallery is at 103 W Center Ave, at Main and Center streets in downtown Mooresville.

Regular gallery hours are 11am to 4pm Tuesdays through Saturdays, and the Depot will be closed March 29 and 30 for the Easter holiday. For more information, www.MAGart.org or 704-663-6661.

Click to download a copy of the flier for the next ‘Tawba Walk.

Bella Love and Cornelius PARC are planning another ‘Tawba Walk art crawl this Friday night, March 15, in downtown Cornelius, with live art, local bands, food trucks and other vendors and entertainment.

The ‘Tawba Walk III will run from 6 to 10pm at the Oak Street Mill, 19725 Oak St.

The nighttime street festival is the latest in a series of events aimed at promoting downtown Conrelius as an arts district. Downtown businesses and organizations will extend their hours for the event, including Kadifit, Community Arts Project, Bebe Gallini’s, Ava Lilly’s, The Olive Branch, Memories Pawn Shop and Bella Love Studios.

Entertainment will include music by The Goodnight Brothers and Güder and Arsena Schroeder as well as a live graffiti wall. Crawlers will be able to snack from local food trucks including Sunrise Grill & Sandwich Co., Homegrown Crepe Inc., and The Roaming Fork.

Meanwhile, more than 50 local artists will have booths selling everything from jewelry and accessories to paintings, hand-crafted items and home décor.

Event sponsors include the Town of Cornelius PARC Department, CorneliusNews.net and DavidsonNews.net, Mama’s Pizza, Promo Threads, Cooke Rentals, Memories Pawn Shop, Kadifit and The Olive Branch.

See more information on Facebook. See also our coverage of previous ‘Tawba Walks on CorneliusNews.net.

THROUGH SUNDAY, MARCH 3

Frank Poor Art Exhibit – Davidson College invites the public to an art exhibit displaying the work of Frank Poor through Sunday, March 3. Poor uses personal photographs and sculpture to create two and three-dimensional mixed media works, breathing new life into old, southern experiences. There is no charge to view the exhibition, which is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends noon to 4 p.m. in the Van Every Gallery of the Belk Visual Arts Center. For more information call 704-894-2344.

THROUGH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 1

Senior Art Exhibitions – Davidson College invites the public through Wednesday, May 1, to exhibitions of artwork by senior class art majors. Their work will be displayed in week-long solo exhibitions throughout March and April. There is no charge to view the exhibitions, which are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and noon to 4 p.m. on weekends in the Smith Gallery of the Belk Visual Arts Center. For more information, call 704-894-2344.

TUESDAY, MARCH 12

Environmental Studies Lecture – Davidson College invites the public on Tuesday, March 12, to a talk about “Using Decision Analysis to Improve Environmental Rating Systems” by Lynn Maguire, Professor of the Practice of Environmental Decision Analysis at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 11 a.m. in Dana Building room 146. For more information call 704-894-2314.

Biology Lecture – Davidson College invites the public on Tuesday, March 12, to a lecture by Harvard medical student and Davidson alumnus Kelli Carroll based on her research titled “The Role of Estrogen on Blood Stem Cell Formation.” There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 4:30 p.m.in Dana Building room 146. For more information call 704-894-2184 or email labarker@davidson.edu<mailto:labarker@davidson.edu>.

Archaeology – Davidson College invites the public on Tuesday, March 12, to a talk entitled “The Archeology of the Intangible: Monumentality in Cameroon,” by Professor Nicholas David from the University of Calgary. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in Semans Lecture Hall of Belk Visual Arts Center. For more information email pekrentz@davidson.edu

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13

Russian Festival – Davidson College invites the public on Wednesday, March 13, to a “Maslenitsa” festival, which will feature Russian food, trivia with prizes, live dancing and music by guitar virtuoso Vadim Kolpakov. Meal tickets for the public cost $12.25, and the festival is from 5 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. in Vail Commons. For more information email amewington@davidson.edu.

THURSDAY, MARCH 14

Religion Lecture – Davidson College invites the public on Thursday, March 14 to a talk entitled “The Case for Islamo-Christian Civilization” by Columbia University historian Richard Bulliet. Bulliet will discuss how Christianity and Islam have more in common both theologically and institutionally than is recognized. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 7 p.m. in the Alvarez College Union Smith 900 Room. For more information please call 704-894-2170 or email makirti@davidson.edu.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15

Chemistry Lecture – Davidson College invites the public on Friday, March 15, to a talk about “Toward Computational Design of Chromophores for Solar Energy Conversion” by North Carolina State University Professor of Chemistry Elena Jakubikova. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 2:30 p.m. in the lecture hall of Martin Chemistry Building. Light refreshments will be served at 2 p.m. in the lobby. For more information call 704-894-2307 or email kafilar@davidson.edu.

Piano Recital – Davidson College invites the public on Friday, March 15 to a Musical Interlude performance by Davidson Artist Associate Cynthia Lawing and her sister, Gloria Cook of Rollins College. There is no charge to attend this event, which begins at 12:30 p.m. in Tyler-Tallman Hall of Sloan Music Center. For more information, call 704-894-2848.

TUESDAY, MARCH 19

Piano Recital – Davidson College invites the public on Tuesday, March 19, to a performance by piano students of Cynthia Lawing and David Palmer. There is no charge to attend the performance, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in Tyler-Tallman Hall of Sloan Music Center. For more information call 704-894-2848.

Organ at Davidson – Davidson College invites the public on Tuesday, March 19, to a performance titled “An Agreeable Harmony: Intimate Chamber Works by Bach and Handel.” Organist Vivian Montgomery and baroque violinist Jennifer Roig-Francoli will be featured. They will be joined by soprano Penelope Jensen and baroque cellist Barbara Blaker Krumdieck. Donations are appreciated, but there is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of Davidson College Presbyterian Church. A reception with the artists will follow. For more information call 704-892-5641.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20

Biomedicine Lecture – Davidson College invites the public on Wednesday, March 20, to the annual Smith Lecture by Dr. Anthony Atala, chair of the Department of Urology at Wake Forest School of Medicine and Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Atala will speak about regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, transplantation and bioengineering. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in Hance Auditorium of Chambers Building. For more information call 704-894-2838 or email tichartier@davidson.edu

MONDAY, MARCH 20 to SUNDAY MARCH 24

Theatre : Guys and Dolls – Davidson College invites the public to performances of the Broadway musical “Guys and Dolls” Wednesday March 20 through Sunday, March 24. The Davidson Theatre Department and Music Department join forces in presenting this award-winning 1950’s madcap adventure in the New York underworld. It features gangsters, gamblers, outrageous bets, love, showgirls, cops, and missionaries bent on saving their souls. Performances will be March 20-21 at 7:30 p.m., March 22-23 at 8 p.m. and March 23-24 at 2 p.m. in Duke Family Performance Hall. General admission is $15, students $6, and seniors $12. Tickets can be purchased by calling or visiting the College Union ticket office, weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 704-894-2135. Tickets are also available online at www.davidson.edu/tickets. For more information call 704-894-2930.

THURSDAY, MARCH 21

Science Fiction and Philosophy Lecture – Davidson College invites the public on Thursday, March 21 to a talk about “Science Fiction and Philosophy: from Time Travel to Superintelligence” by University of Connecticut Assistant Professor of Philosophy Susan Schneider. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Alvarez College Union Sprinkle Room. For more information email darobb@davidson.edu

SUNDAY, MARCH 24

Baroque Music Concert – Davidson College invites the public on Sunday, March 24, to a performance by the period instrument duo “Adastra” and friends from Cincinnati in a program titled “To the Stars!” The performance will include Baroque duos and solos on period violin and harpsichord, featuring the music of Bach, Corelli, Scarlatti, and Handel. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 3 p.m. in Tyler-Tallman Hall of Sloan Music Center. For more information call 704-894-2848.

Passion Pit in concert – Davidson College invites the public on Sunday, March 24, to a performance by the Indie-rock band “Passion Pit.” Tickets are $20 to $35 and can be purchased by calling or visiting the College Union ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 704-894-2135, or online at www.davidson.edu/tickets The concert begins at 7 p.m. in Belk Arena. For more information call 704-894-2651.

MONDAY, MARCH 25

Poetry Reading – Davidson College invites the public on Monday, March 25, to a poetry reading by Marie Howe, the current Poet Laureate of New York State and creative writing teacher at Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia, and New York University. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 4:30 p.m. in Hance Auditorium of Chambers Building. For more information call 704-894-2472 or email narandazzo@davidson.edu.

TUESDAY, MARCH 26

Piano Recital – Davidson College invites the public on Tuesday, March 26, to a performance by Davidson artist associate David Palmer, who will perform his first solo faculty recital at the college. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in Tyler-Tallman Hall of Sloan Music Center. For more information call 704-894-2848.

Art Lecture – Davidson College invites the public on Tuesday, March 26, to lecture by Tirtzah Bassel, an Israeli artist based in Brooklyn as a resident of the Chashama Visual Arts Program. Bassel will speak about her work in a talk titled “Airport InSecurity.” Bassel’s drawings, paintings and site-specific duct tape installations explore the permeable borders between public and private domains in subways, barbershops and airport security zones. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 6 p.m. in the Belk Visual Arts Center Semans Auditorium. For more information call 704-894-2344.

Health Fair – Davidson College invites the public on Tuesday, March 26, to a health fair in which area health and wellness providers will offer free health information, wellness tests, raffles and giveaways, massage, dance lessons, food demonstrations, acupuncture and other activities. There is no charge to attend the event, which is from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Brown Atrium of the Alvarez College Union. For more information email geringle@davidson.edu

War and Culture Lecture – Davidson College invites the public on Tuesday, March 26, to a talk about “Japan’s Erotic, Grotesque, Nonsense: Commodity Aesthetics becomes War Aesthetics” by Mark Driscoll, Associate Professor of Asian Studies at UNC. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 7 p.m. in the Alvarez College Union Smith 900. For more information call 704-894-2170 or email makirti@davidson.edu.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27

Ethics Lecture – Davidson College invites the public on Wednesday, March 27, to a discussion titled “The End of Sex: The Future of Human Reproduction” by Hank Greeley, Professor of Law at Stanford University. Greely believes that in 20-40 years, most babies of parents with good health coverage will be conceived through in-vitro fertilization so that those parents can take advantage of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 4:30 p.m. in Hance Auditorium of Chambers building. For more information call 704-894-2285 or email ethics@davidson.edu

THURSDAY, MARCH 28

Mathematics Lecture – Davidson College invites the public on Thursday, March 28, to a talk titled “Designing Loops and Labyrinths with Integer Programs,” by Robert Bosch, Biggs Professor of Natural Science at Oberlin College. The program will demonstrate how mathematical optimization can be employed in the construction of visual artwork, specifically a labyrinth. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 3:30 p.m. in the Alvarez College Union Smith 900 Room. For more information call 704-894-2838 or email tichartier@davidson.edu

Poetry Reading and Awards – Davidson College invites the public on Thursday, March 28, to a reading by Award winning poet Christopher Bakken, and his presentation of the R. Windley Hall and Charles E. Lloyd Awards in Writing to students. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Alvarez College Union Smith 900 Room. For more information call 704-894-2472 or email narandazzo@davidson.edu.

Dance & Discussion - Davidson College invites the public on Thursday, March 28, to a reconstruction of Martha Graham’s work, “Panorama” presented by dancers from the Charlotte community under the direction of Kim Jones, Assistant Professor of Dance at UNC Charlotte. A discussion of the original context and staging of the work will follow. There is no charge to attend the event, which begins at 11 a.m. in Duke Family Performance Hall. For more information call 704-894-2542.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Information about upcoming events at Davidson College also is available on the the college website, Davidson.edu, under the “Events” tab.