A girl

caked in richly-colored dried mud sat still as a bronze statue in the park; a silent tableau set amidst a gallery full of jostling, ogling people.

From the other side of the gallery sprang an arc of paper cranes the colors of the rainbow, suspended in mid-air as if flying against the wind. Sneakers dangled from telephone lines, trees made of tangled cords and wires, hectic flashing video images streamed onto the walls, thumping block-rockin’ beats streamed from the speakers, and dozens and dozens of works in every medium filled The Warehouse’s every space and corner not occupied by the hundreds of guests filling every other space and corner. 

This was the scene at the Renewal Art Show.

The annual juried exhibition takes place in the spring, drawing artists of every style and skill level. It’s held in an open warehouse gallery in West Ghent, out of the way from Colley traffic in a building that adjoins Tortilla West and otherwise plays host to Symphonic Church. The show’s organizers however lend their efforts to promoting community and culture rather than any particular Christian ideals.

Renewal is “inspired by the themes of creation, resurrection and rebirth.  Artists are encouraged to explore these themes from any perspective,” says Symponic’s statement of purpose for the show. “Honesty is essential to any art worth producing in any medium and we desire to maintain an atmosphere at Renewal where artists feel free to create honestly… Renewal is an event for people of all beliefs or no beliefs… Symphonic’s goal is to build a great city in which all people can flourish.  A city without art is not a city where humans can thrive; a great city has great art.”

An unironic and unequivocal Amen to that.

I’ve attended quite a lot of gallery openings in many parts of the world. Actually I studied art history for a number of years with the mind to direct a gallery myself. And though I didn’t follow that path ultimately, I felt I became something of a curator when I worked as the Arts Editor at PFW, discovering and exhibiting talent on pages rather than walls. In all that time I encountered thousands–probably hundreds of thousands of works of art; from anti-globalism displays of fireworks on the roof of the Met to anti-government performances by revolutionary radicals in Manila; stood before breathtaking Caravaggios and looming faces of skyscrapers painted with graffiti. Right here in the Seven Cities I’ve experienced brilliantly-curated shows by Sheila Giolitti at Mayer Fine Art, Lorrie Saunders at ArtGallery, J Scott London at London Square Gallery and Nancy Thomas at her Peninsula galleries, and of course at the Chrysler, Pfac and CAC. To my grateful awe I can even say that I’ve seen an array of canvases produced by a crop of young, fledgling artists here in the area that seem to be honing a distinct style from street art, graphic design and illustration influences.

But at that particular event out in that strange but oddly fitting venue in the middle of our strange and beautiful Virginian spring, my passion for art was not just renewed but awakened in full. I felt like I understood a little of what it must’ve been like in Chelsea in the ’60s or even Paris at the turn of the century–like something was coming together, rumbling underground, waiting for a perfect storm before appearing suddenly as a fully-fledged movement.

I remembered why I studied art for so long and love it so desperately. A powerful work of art can come to you at the exact moment in time that it’s meant to, and change your view of the world forever, shake you down to the core, remind you what it feels like to be sadly, gloriously human. The efforts and extremes that an artist takes to bring an image forward from their dreams, to visualize the demons of their haunted nightmares and to assert the groundbreaking ideas that confront everything we know to be true: it’s brave. And it’s a hard thing to do, and a rare gift to be able to do well–as rare as discovering a cure, and in a way similar.

On the other side of that, I think it’s also challenging to be able to open yourself up to that opportunity which art affords you. Contemporary art is not always meant to be “understood.” And our consumerist minds instinctively respond to paintings in the same shallow way we’ve come to view film and food: either “I like this” or “I don’t like this.” But I’m certain almost every guest in attendance walked away from Renewal last year feeling like some basic, innermost need was restored. If not for art itself, their need for community was restored.

Art and community are both created to achieve a very simple thing. They are both meant to connect us to each other. So on Friday, when you come to The Warehouse at 7 to experience local art at its best, be prepared to enter a tinderbox of connections, awakenings and surprising, intense happenings.

Find more:
Deb Markham’s note in the Ghent Reader
Flickr set by the Norfolk Drawing Group
Images by Shawn of NorVaGoth, courtesy MC7C; MC7C’s Myspace blog; Renewal’s Myspace blog
Renewal Art Show on Facebook

Captions|Photo Credits:
Homepage|Artist Cherie Roe gives a live sculpture performance. Shawn, NorVaGoth.net.
This page|Top to bottom, left to right
1|The crowd gathers at The Warehouse. Amber Nussbaum, myaimistrue.com.
2|Mud-covered Cherie before being cleansed by a deluge of water at the end of her performance. JAC Drawing Group, flickr.com.
3|Paper cranes by Emily Williams. Shawn, NorVaGoth.net.
4|The crowd, including Robert Simmons. JAC Drawing Group, flickr.com.
5|Another of the crowd. Shawn, NorVaGoth.net.
6|A mixed media sculpture of a bare tree. Shawn, NorVaGoth.net.
7|A couple of young art connoisseurs. JAC Drawing Group, flickr.com.
[8-12|The winners. Shawn, NorVaGoth.net.]
8 First place; Lotus by Davmo.
9 Second place; Reprieve by Shaun Whiteside.
10|Honorable Mention; Reflection by Tony Bijeaux.
11|Third place; We Are Vegetables! by Richard Nickel.
12|Honorable Mention, Artist Statement; series of photographs by Deb Markham.
13|The jurors, including yours truly, Hannah Serrano, former Arts Editor of Port Folio Weekly (wearing a hat custom made for me by K@t Marsh); Captain Carl, artist, arts patron and man-about-town; and Ragan Cole-Cunningham, former Director of Exhibitions and Education at the CAC. JAC Drawing Group, flickr.com.
14|K@t Marsh and Gabe Perry of MC7C, local arts promoters/DJs/emcees/artists. Shawn, NorVaGoth.net.
15|Elm & Oak represent. JAC Drawing Group, flickr.com.
16|Artists of the Norfolk (JAC) Drawing Group, which also meets at The Warehouse. JAC Drawing Group, flickr.com.
17|Symphonic pastor Robb Overholt introduces the exhibition jurors, sponsors and organizers. Shawn, NorVaGoth.net.
18|Event organizers Shaula Overholt and Casey Clark present the winners with awards and cash prizes. JAC Drawing Group, flickr.com.