Where I'm From
Products of our Environment

August 8th - September 5th, 2009

Guest Juror: Ger Ger
Media Artist - Berlin, Germany

Over the past two and a half years, Gallery RFD has had the pleasure of exhibiting artists and artwork from all over the globe, including 307 cities, 40 states, and 20 countries.  It is apparent that location influences an artist as much as anything, with subject and media being as diverse as the points of origin.  This influx of geographical diversity begs the need to display visual representations of the places they are coming from.  Gallery RFD presents an exhibition titled Where I’m From, which will feature compositions that are either inspired by, in response to, or a documentation of the places we call home.

Willie Tarver

July 11th - August 1st, 2009

Willie Tarver of Wadley, GA is the son of a share-cropper, a welder, and self-taught artist. His unique sculptures and paintings are reactions to life in the South including religion, slavery, farm life, and the struggles of the working man. His pieces are welded and crafted primarily from found scrap metal, though much of his recent work is exploring the 2D realm of painting and mixed-media. In recent history, Mr. Tarver has been in good company, exhibiting along side of Georgia folk legends, R.A. Miller and Howard Finster. His work is widely collected and has been exhibited at the Telfair Museum and is also on permanent display in Atlanta as part of the 1996 Olympic celebration.

Staged
The Constructed Photograph
June 13th - July 4th, 2009

Guest Juror: Harvey Stein
Photographer, Teacher, Curator
International Center for Photography, NYC

Countless photographers discuss the concept of taking a picture vs. making a picture and arguments can be made for either one. Can the constructed image tell us something the found image cannot? Does a photograph that was captured in the heat of a moment comment more closely on society that an image that was thoughtfully composed to have the same effect? Gallery RFD seeks submissions of photographic works that have been created, arranged, and composed from the ground up in attempt to convey their own truths.

Seeking Solitude
Isolation in Art

May 9th - June 6th, 2009

Guest Juror: Desmal Purcell
Artist, Teacher, Stillmoreroots Member

Carl Sandburg commented, "One of the greatest necessities in America is to discover creative solitude." Though artists draw inspiration from the outside world, a certain degree of solitude is essential for creative thought. Seclusion offers time for reflection, to extract the imagery and emotion our minds will conjure and convert them into artistic representation. Many an artist have created their most powerful work in isolation to the outside world, finding that in self-inflicted detachment they are able to extricate lost parts of themselves. Gallery RFD calls for works of art that visually reflect or have been created within the confines of solitude

Sweet Escape
Interpreting Freedom in the Modern World

March 14th - April 4th, 2009

With one of America’s most significant inaugurations just behind us, the country in economic turmoil, and a multitude of wars being fought on foreign soil, freedom is not far from anybody’s mind. Not just in the political sense, for as tension rises we also seek creative escapes, and from that new ideas emerge. Gallery RFD’s upcoming exhibition, Sweet Escape, is about exploring liberty in any context. See how artists express political freedom, personal freedom, and creative freedom, interpreted into works of art.

Paper Works

March 14th - April 4th, 2009

As a young artist, frequently one’s first exposure with creating art is upon the most familiar of artistic medias, paper. The blank page has challenged, often tormented, and ultimately been overcome by many an artist. From drawings, paintings, photographs, and master prints, to collage, charcoal, and an assortment of contemporary processes, the variety of work offered in this format is vast. Gallery RFD’s upcoming exhibition, Paper Works will showcase any nature of works of art made on, or of, this ever accessible medium.

Unauthorized
Art Without Permission

February 14th - March 7th, 2009

When works by the graffiti artist Banksy began to be retouched by city council members in the UK to conserve them from, other offending “tags” placed on top of his, the world of the Graffiti book earned a new chapter. After the same artist armed only with a fake beard, extra strength glue and a trench coat walked into four of New York’s most prestigious museums and placed his own work on the walls; artist the world over had a new sense of power. Why are we waiting to put our work in a museum? Unauthorized is about intelligent works of art that don’t wait, works which engage or interact with its surroundings despite laws or authorities who say it shouldn’t. No permission, no problem.

The Art of Communication
An Exhibition of Mailed Art

January 10th - February 7th, 2009

Gallery RFD presents its 3rd annual exhibition of The Art of Communication: An Installation of Mailed Art. The Grange movement of the late 1800’s helped create RFD (Rural Free Delivery) by lobbying for the postal service to deliver mail to the peoples of rural communities as they did their urban clientele. Gallery RFD similarly advocates offering rural residents the same resources and access to the arts that urban areas already have. The Art of Communication is an exhibition about using opportunities, like the mail system, that our forbearers fought for so that we might more freely communicate our ideas, emotions, and expectations with each other. The exhibition will showcase all natures of artwork that have been created as mail.

Making It
The Art of Contemporary Craft

December 13th, 2008- January 3rd, 2009

While the Industrial Revolution may have worked wonders for the production process in terms of output and standardization, it has arguably written the creator’s role out of the process. As machines replace humans or minimize their necessity in ever more labor fields, we are witnessing nostalgia for the return of a human element, lest automation render us obsolete. Though few are clamoring to give up their tools of convenience, individuation and uniqueness are now novelties as witnessed in the rising popularity of mass-customization.

Gallery RFD proudly presents Making It, a wide array of works that highlight craftsmanship, contemporary craft, and the evidence of the human hand.

Back to Basics
Exploring Natural Materials

November 8th - December 6th, 2008

The natural world has long been an inspirational starting point for artists as well as a source for raw materials. Gallery RFD's current exhibit intends to highlight the use of nature’s bounty in artistic production. Back to Basics will exhibit a wide variety of works that employ natural and organic materials, and works that document, utilize or comment on the use of natural and organic wares.

Four Feet
The Proxemics of Personal Space

October 11th - November 1st, 2008

Coined in 1966 by anthropologist Edward T. Hall to describe the measurable space between two people interacting, proxemics defines four feet as the comfortable limit of what we know as personal space. Breeching this imagined territory is perceived as a threat; step outside it and one enters the more public domain of social space. How we negotiate these virtual spheres, whom we allow in them and how we defend them is the subject of Gallery RFD’s upcoming exhibition, Four Feet: The Proxemics of Personal Space.

Beautiful Losers
The Art of Failure

September 13th - October 4th, 2008

Defined roughly as unmet expectation, failure is often the necessary precursor to its antithesis. Beautiful Losers: The Art of Failure pays homage to the value of the error in all its guises—rough drafts, flawed ideas, mistakes and accidents. Mishaps of a conceptual, mechanical, material or theoretical nature will constitute this exhibition of consolation.

ConTEXTualized
Word as Image

August 9th - September 6th, 2008

From graffiti-scrawled walls and Ed Ruscha's wordplays to contemporary motion graphics, Rauschenberg's word-portrait of Iris Clert, El Lissitzky's Prouns and Braque's text-embedded collages, the visual world is replete with examples of language's graphical properties. Gallery RFD will add to this coterie of cunieforms with ConTEXTualized, featuring work from as far away as California, Texas, and Germany.

Lost
The Art of the Found Object

July 12th - August 2nd, 2008

Working with found objects presents an irresistible creative challenge for many artists. Trolling the edges of synchronicity and relying on chance, they find material inspiration in gutters, garbage cans and bus seats. Lost: Art of the Found Object celebrates the work of pickers and gleaners who imbue lost objects with found meaning.

Unfamiliar Ground
An Exhibition of New and Nontraditional Media

June 14th - July 5th, 2008

Artists of the 20th Century were among the first to break away from the traditional forms of art by exploring mixed media. New media broadened the way people think and communicate through their art. Unfamiliar Ground will thoroughly explore this brave new world.

This exhibiton will feature regional, nation, and international artists from Georgia, California, Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Alabama, Massachusetts, Ohio, Louisianna, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Korea. The works in the show are sure to be as diverse as their points of origin.

Classicism, Modernism & Beyond
Lasting Traditions and Current Trends in Painting

April 12th - May 5th, 2008

Since 30,000 B.C., painting has been a historical record for peoples, events, places, and ambitions of cultures across the world. This exhibition will explore the role that painting plays both historically and in modern art by comparing and contrasting media, styles, and genres.

Collectives & Collaborations
The Creative Process of Artist Groups

March 8th - April 5th, 2008

Collectives and collaborative artists challenge the conventional view of the lone artist laboring away in their studio. This exhibition aims to explore how working in groups of two or more engage and affect artists' ideas, compositions, goals, and creative process. Guest Juror George Scheer has selected a wide array of works that not only demonstrate collaboration within themselves but speak to each other as a cohesive exhibition.

February 9th - March 1st , 2008
Opening Reception: Saturday February 9th, 5-8pm

The complex history, culture, and ideas of The New World have evolved over several generations. This exhibition will explore how America has been defined historically and is being viewed in the modern world by artists across the nation. Works will be exhibited from as far away as Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Chicago, and New York City. Local representation will be in full force as well, featuring 6 area artisans, 2 of which were awarded the Best of Show and Juror's Choice awards.

January 12th - February 2nd, 2008
Opening Reception: Saturday January 12th, 5-8pm

Gallery RFD proudly presents the 2nd annual exhibition of mailed artwork called “The Art of Communication”.
Artists of diverse age, skill level, and geography were asked to create work on envelopes boxes, or any items that
can be sent through the postal service. This years show will feature 3 awards: Best of Show, Farthest Traveled,
and the "Outside the Box" award.

Instant Headlines
A Review of Current Events and Influences

December 8th, 2007- January 5th, 2008
Opening Reception: Saturday December 8th, 5-8pm

Gallery RFD's current exhibition explores the role that news and current events plays on the creative processes of artists. The exhibit features nearly thirty artists from all over the United States. As the year 2007 comes to an end, this exhibition will review the best and worst events that have made front page news as "Instant Headlines," and the entities that brought them to us.

November 10th - December 1st, 2007
Opening Reception: Saturday November 10th, 5-8pm

Gallery RFD's current exhibition thoroughly explores Portraiture as a historical genre that still captures the imagination of artists. The exhibit features nearly thirty artists from all over the United States including Texas, Colorado, and New York City.

October 13th - November 3rd, 2007
Opening Reception: Saturday October 13th, 5-8pm

Gallery RFD's newest exhibition explores childhood, parenthood, and the idea of home. Juror Craig Burkhalter selected nearly thirty pieces from artists across the United States examining how nostalgia, tradition, and a sense of place affect the creative process.

Plagiarism and Appropriation
Borrowing, Stealing and Adapting the Ideas of Others

September 4th - October 6th, 2007

The intention of this exhibition is to create a visual dialogue exploring artwork created through appropriated ideas, styles, compositions, and subject matter. This exhibition showcases work that unapologetically borrows original ideas from anyone of great influence. Please join us for opening night on Saturday, September 8th, from 5-8pm. The exhibit runs through October 6th.

Far From Home
Artwork Inspired by Travel

August 10th - September 1st, 2007

With the end of August comes, for many, the end of their summer vacations and travel plans. Far from Home, Gallery RFD's August exhibition, explores how travel affects an artist's outlook on the world. The exhibition includes artists from all over the United States as well as Canada and South Korea. The wide variety of artists in the show is only matched by the diverse subject matter being explored. We invite web veiwers to review the exhibition through our online slideshow above. The show includes works from almost every continent and depicts how travel and being far from home can affect and inspire an artist's style and world view.

Art Movements Past and Present
Styles, Goals and Philosophies of Artists

July 12th - August 4th, 2007

This exhibition aims to explore how historical art movements affect and inspire contemporary artists. The styles, philosophies and ideas of the artists who created Impressionism, Post-Modernism, Cubism, and Surrealism, among others, have forever altered the landscape of modern art. This exhibition is expected to show examples of modern representations and interpretations of art movement. Gallery RFD is also proud to introduce new and evolving art movements to our viewers that have been submitted and accepted to this exhibition with manifestos. This exhibition will be on display from July 12th-August 4th with a reception and artist talk on July 14th.

Divine Inspiration
Religion: Meaning and Morals in the Modern World

June 7th - July 7th, 2007

This exhibition aims to explore how organized religion and spirituality affect our everyday lives, decisions, politics and philosophies. This exhibition is expected to give insight into the similarities and differences associated with the practices, responsibilities and doctrines associated with different religions. The reception and artist talk for this exhibit is on June 9th.

Documentation & Distortion
The Responsibility and Role of the Contemporary Photographer

May 12th - June 2nd, 2007

This exhibition aims to explore the photographer's capacity to reconstruct or document reality using their camera, darkroom and other photographic tools. The intention of this exhibition is to explore the modern photographer's role and responsibility when recording truth, distorting reality, or creating a middle ground that has elements of both.

Industrial Identity
Developing the American South

April 10th - May 5th, 2007

Gallery RFD exhibited Industrial Identity: Developing the American South from April 13th to May 10th. An artist's reception was held on April 14 th from 6-9pm in conjunction with Swainsboro's Art Stroll. Industrial Identity is an exhibition juried by Albany Art Museum Education Coordinator Nick Nelson. The exhibit is about the traditional and evolving industries of the American South.

Bloodlines
Family in Practice and in Name

March 6th - April 1st, 2007

Bloodlines is an exhibition juried by Augusta State University Professor Kristin Casaletto. The exhibition is about the complex nature of family; its private and public parts. The theme was interpreted in a great many ways by the artists in this exhibition: some artists spoke of the family they know while some spoke of the family they wish to know better, some spoke of the family they have that have passed on while others spoke of their friends calling them “the family they choose.”

The exhibition will be up from March 8th until April 7th. Please preview the exhibit online and leave feedback with the gallery about what pieces you like or have questions about. An art stroll and reception for the show will be held on March 10th from 6-9pm. If you will be in Swainsboro you are encouraged to bring your family to the exhibition.

Conservation and Construction
The Evolution of the American Landscape

February 6th - March 3rd, 2007

Gallery RFD’s second exhibition was a juried show exploring America’s unique and diverse landscape. The gallery received art from across the United States depicting artists' perceptions of what makes up their country’s landscape: from work depicting beautiful green country scenes, to empty deserts to snow covered mountains to industrial parkways. The artists connected a full and comprehensive vision of what it is to exist in America (East, West, South, North) in one gallery space. The work seemed united by similar ideas even though the ideas were not the same.The exhibition made it apparent that America is a large, diverse, but very connected country. The work stood as a testament to the complex nature of our evolving country and landscape.

The artwork was ripe with stories about each artist’s connection to the land. One story that seems very pertinent and should be retold comes from artist Billy R. Miller’s daughter. Mr. Miller passed away years ago but his daughter brought in his work for the Conservation and Construction landscape exhibition. She told the gallery the following story about the piece of artwork displayed for this show:

“Billy’s mother was a Native American who was married and had several children with Billy’s father. The Miller side of the family disowned Billy, his mother, his father, and his other brothers and sisters because of the marriage. When Billy’s father died, his mother was left to take care of the children pretty much alone. After several years, the Miller side of the family visited his mother to say that there had been a death in their family and that in order to pay the funeral expenses they would like her to sell the land they were living on. Billy’s mother did this and gave the money to the Millers for the funeral cost. The fact was, though, that there had been no death in their family and they had sold the land to the TVA to be flooded.”

The late Billy R. Miller’s piece titled “Cow path to the Lake” is a depiction of the land from his memory as a child before his home was flooded by the TVA. It is one piece within this exhibition that speaks to an American landscape that is made up of not only soil, trees, lakes, and horizon lines but of memories of our past and hopes for the future of our great nation.

The Art of Communication
A Mailed Art Installation

January 6th - February 5th, 2007

Mailed artwork is a pertinent theme for Gallery RFD’s inaugural exhibition because our name is derived from Rural Free Delivery (RFD): a historically relevant struggle for equality of resources by the peoples of rural communities. During the 1800’s, the postal service had rural peoples travel to a depot to collect their mail while simultaneously delivering mail directly to their urban neighbors. The Grange movement, a rural advocacy group, helped create RFD by lobbing for the freedom to conveniently communicate with anyone in the nation.

Gallery RFD similarly advocates offering rural residents the same resources and access to the arts that urban areas already have. “The Art of Communication” is an exhibition about using opportunities, like the mail system, that our forbearers fought for so that we might more freely communicate our ideas, emotions, and expectations with each other. Art is a medium for communication

For this exhibition, Gallery RFD received 387 pieces of artwork created by 342 artists. We received work from 18 states and 42 cities. The show was similarly supported by nearly 340 visitors throughout the month from 16 cities, 3 states, and 2 countries (We appreciate the support shown by our Swedish friends). The show introduced the idea of communication alongside a new venue in Swainsboro whose purpose is to promote better dialogue and understanding through the arts.