two hundred seventy-seven

Cherry Bounce greets you at the William King Museum of Art

Cherry Bounce is a special beverage -- depending on your point of view and your constitution.  Methinks moonshine is always a special experience.   And cherries whether consumed as juice or fresh fruit brings about a warming smile any day.  Cherry Bounce is the combination of the two.  The first time I even heard of the cherry/alcohol mixture was during an email from a Virginia art venue, The William King Museum of Art.  Very quickly I learned that the red elixir is a beverage favored by those nestled in and around the Appalachian Mountains region.  The drink is pulled out from hiding for special occasions -- like during US presidential election nights that apparently used to last longer than one day.  

Thumbs up from Callie & Les III (image by Katherine)

Back to the email -- Callie Hietala, Director of Exhibitions over at King invited me to make political art.  King Museum and special guest curator, Eric Drummond Smith specifically were searching for non-political based visual artists for an upcoming celebration of the art of Appalachian/American politics.  And the show name: Cherry Bounce.  Okay, I'm interested.  When do we drink?

Eric did a hell of a job masterminding the intricate scope for this exhibition.  He is an artist, political scientist, professor at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, and guest curator of Cherry Bounce: Appalachian Art, American Politics.  He invited 56 Appalachian-based (yes, Asheboro counts) artists to randomly pair up with one of America's presidential election campaigns.  The mission?  Each artist creates an 18 x 24 poster response to their campaign assignment for future display in the upcoming exhibition.  But then it goes a bit further -- a comprehensive website popped up with all the campaigns; a brief explanation of who and what was going on during each campaign; and reference images to help foster inspiration for the artists.  Aaaand Eric also created a list of links to all sorts of articles and essays on political art, campaign posters, presidential campaigns, and anything else remotely related to this project.  Dang.  It proved quite helpful.  Check out the Cherry Bounce website here.

   

"Vote Reptilian!"

On to the work.  I was tasked with responding to the election of 1808 -- James Madison's first presidential campaign.  Off to the local library for research to get my cogs going.  1808 candidates felt that being elected was a form of service to their country and more of an obligation than something one would campaign about.  The campaign poster hadn't even been invented yet.   There wasn't really campaigning like contemporary society sees.  Also the young US government wasn't a clear two party system -- but there were certainly those trying to advance their agenda.  Fun stuff.  So I call my brother-in-law Dr. David Herr, a Southern U.S. History professor.  He gives me more to chew on -- embargoes, Napoleon, Jeffersonian democracy, a bunch of men in Virginia that are trying to advance a more rural America -- I think.

Much was learned about the political cartoon that is often associated with the 1808 campaign.  It's an etching that includes a snapping turtle.  The political cartoons of yore were heady stuff -- just like visual art.    They would often use symbols to express a prevalent concept and some of the symbols would eventually be synonymous with the event/concept.  The snapping turtle or Chelydra serpentina was used to describe the frustration over the Embargo Act of 1807.  America had to stop all exports to Canada, Britain, and France. Naturally there was political reason to do so and it involved money.  The turtle concept grabbed me (ha) and he was even named O. Grabme which is embargo spelled backwards. The snapping turtle was often seen grabbing the American exporter who was being prevented by the American government from being able to do business.

The idea developed to feature the snapping turtle in a fictitious campaign poster. The concept of using script was pushed too, as often seen in the early political cartoons -- long hand, dense, and often covering much of the political cartoon art.           

The final result is a composite of many thoughts.  This piece features O. Grabme clutching a banner that says "the clear choice in muddy waters".  Above him are three bodies of water with national flags -- France, Britain, and the U.S. with captions about the embargo.  I feel this is a way to effectively demonstrate what was going on in 1808, nods to the art styles back then, and still fits in as a campaign poster.  The title is "Vote Reptilian" and basically represents 'a cluster' that is the political climate at the time.   

Les III and Eric and Eric's mural (image by Katherine)

The opening reception was a hoot -- complete with "Cherry Bounce" beverages and a mural made by Eric featuring all the locations of the participating artists.  It was compelling to learn other non-political artists had similar experiences in their creation process.  Many also enjoyed interesting/obscure facts about their campaign era.  The results of their research are included in their artworks too.  And there was much variety of art -- of course 2-D paintings and drawings but also sculpture, sound art, textiles, dioramas.  I met artists from Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and N.C..  And the King Museum is a beautiful old school on the top of a hill.  The museum personnel provided a warm reception and many pleasant conversations. 

O. Grabme on exhibit

And you know what else?  This laborious exhibition is comprehensive.  It is a sheer joy to participate in an exhibition that has their wheels on the tracks, facing the right direction, and moving forward.  This exhibition features the artists and the heady show concept on a thorough website.  This four month exhibition has multiple auxiliary programs (including a presidential election return party) to foster interest on the topic.  All the artists received postcards for the show to distribute and the museum even had hand-made screen printed shirts available for sale during the opening.  This Cherry Bounce tastes good.  More power to venues like King Museum -- non-profit or commercial that are able to operate on this frequency.  I hear your passionate campaign.  Thank you for the forum to express my creative endeavors and challenge me in a supportive environment to try something different.  I love it when everybody wins.    

Cherry Bounce: Appalachian Art, American Politics is on exhibit September 2, 2016 -- January 15, 2017 in the United Company Contemporary Regional Gallery at William King Museum of Art, 415 Academy Dr NW, Abingdon, VA 24212 .