Spicy, confrontational, insightful, and irreverently funny, Jerry Saltz, the infamous Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic for "New York Magazine" is coming to Savannah on Thursday, Nov. 9. Saltz’s talk, entitled ‘The Art World Problem,’ is at 6 pm in the Fine Art Auditorium at Georgia Southern's Armstrong Campus (11935 Abercorn Street).
His talk, the seventh and final in the Mark Finlay Memorial Lecture Series, will be followed by a brief Q&A and a book signing for his most recent publication, "Art is Life: Icons & Iconoclasts, Visionaries & Vigilantes, & Flashes of Hope in the Night."
I met with Norton Pease, associate dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at GSU who had the idea to invite Saltz to Savannah (he successfully secured the visit by reaching out via Instagram). Pease explains that the college has partnered with co-sponsors Telfair Museums and the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, and that after kicking off the Memorial Lecture Series in 2015 with rock star Chuck Leavell (keyboardist for the Rolling Stones), Pease can think of nothing finer than closing it out with a “rock star of the art world!”
Saltz, an early champion of forgotten and overlooked female artists, and of work by African American, LGBTQ and other marginalized creators, famously said, “Yes, 85 percent of the art you see isn’t any good. But everyone has a different opinion about which 85 percent is bad. That in turn creates fantastically unstable interplay and argument.” His 2022 book "Art is Life" draws on two decades of his writings, interviews, reviews, and essays to offer a survey of contemporary art as a barometer of our times. Gallerists, art students, amateur artists, professional artists, art collectors, and art appreciators alike will not want to miss his lecture!
Kicking off another busy art month is November 3rd's ART on Bull, the celebratory culmination of the non-profit ARTS Southeast’s inaugural community fundraising campaign. The public is invited to Bull and 39th to party with DJ MK (Marcus Kenney) and Miss Paradise (Maggie Hayes), enjoy cocktails, fire breathing and trapeze artistry by the stardust Pixxies, site-specific fibers installations, and more. Inside Sulfur Studios, I am super excited to attend the opening reception of LOOK!, a group exhibition of such acclaimed Georgia-based artists as Betsy Cain, Leia Genis, Susan Laney, Sharon Norwood, Blanche Nettles Powers, Ben Tollefson, and Gabrielle Torres.
The ART on Bull event also features the project finale for Atlanta-based Artist-in-Residence Timothy Short who contributes to the long tradition of Black figurative artistry and painting by centering the lives of people close to him within his work; the release of the latest issue of IMPACT Arts & Culture Magazine; the continuation of the ‘Off the Wall’ show (affordable, buy-off-the-wall pieces by ARTS Southeast supporters); and open studio visits with many of the artists who work out of this important community space. I am particularly intrigued to see the collaborative installation planned by Rebecca Braziel (see my March 2023 column) and multi-discipline artist/producer of the Ten Frame podcast for creative professionals, Kevin Kirkwood. The installation entitled “Collision” will be staged in Braziel’s Studio 10 Project Space.
During November and December, grab a coffee at Gallery Espresso on the corner of Bull and East Perry Streets (subject of a column last month) and view the nostalgia-filled, 50’s-inspired, mixed media artwork by Melody Postma. Postma is excited that her work will be on display during the holidays and tells me that when she told BFF and inveterate punster Peter Roberts, “He said it’s a holiday Pop Art pop up show! So that’s what it is! I’ve done some new fun and playful small works as well as framed originals on paper.”
Meanwhile, over at the JEA Gallery at 5111 Abercorn Street, ceramic artist and sculptor Justine Ferreri will show throughout November with an opening reception on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 2 to 4 pm. Ferrari, based out of a studio in City Market, has almost three decades of experience and is often on the road showing art fairs and festivals. Her hand sculpted clay pieces typically portray whimsical, colorful, highly detailed, elongated, imaginary figures.
Next up, on Monday, Nov. 6 from 5:30 to 8pm, is an opportunity to meet Jean Claude Roy, a Kessler Collection signature artist, at an exclusive reception at the Grand Bohemian Gallery at Plant Riverside District. Born on France’s western coast in 1948, Roy is a self-taught artist who describes himself as an expressionist-colorist, applying paint thickly with a palette knife or brush. The color and dramatic movement in his landscapes are instantly recognizable, often somewhat reminiscent of Van Gogh’s pigment-dense, Post-Impressionist style. Represented exclusively by the Kessler hotels’ galleries, Roy makes regular visits to talk about his work with collectors.
Affirm sunshine and no rain for Nov. 11’s SLAM (Savannah Local Art Market) to be held in the Salvation Army Ballfield at 3000 Bee Road! Spearheaded by the indefatigable Charlie Ellis (see my 2021 column), there will be over 75 local and regional artists and makers (including the above-mentioned Justine Ferreri and yours truly) hawking artworks and wares between 10 and 4 pm. The perfect opportunity to stock up on holiday gifts, this year’s SLAM includes community painting, a poetry slam, live music, and plenty of food truck options.
The following week brings an exciting group exhibition at the 208 Wine Bar, 208 East Bay Street. Cora Ennis Morris, a mixed media artist and photographer who shows at the Savannah Gallery of Art, has curated a show entitled ‘Artists That Lunch’ includes work by herself and by her lunch buddies: painter Laura Till Barton who has a studio in City Market and was recently honored as a featured alumnus at SCAD’s Fall Showcase at Alexander Hall; photographer Jamie Azevedo who also shows at Savannah Gallery of Art; and mixed media and encaustic artist Melissa Schneider who is represented by Tiffani Taylor’s virtual gallery. Plenty of work will be available at their opening reception on Thursday, Nov. 14 from 6-9pm, and a limited number of pieces will hang through December 11.
Options!
And finally, Saturday, Nov. 18 would be a great day to take a pre-Thanksgiving walk on the beach and attend the Tybee Tour de Art. Sponsored by the vibrant Tybee Arts Association, Tim’s Bikes, Casey Jones Photography, and Sea Wolf Tybee, this fun event features over 50 vendors located at various North End businesses and locales within walking distance of each other from Tybee Oaks down to S. Campbell Avenue: Hucapoos, Inferno, Tybean Art & Coffee, Tybee Cottage Art Gallery, the Shoppes at 1207, Zunzibar, Chamaco’s Tacos, Tim’s Bikes & Beach Gear, Sea Wolf Tybee, and the Irritable Pelican Gallery. Find more information at tybeetourdeart.com and on social media.
See you out there, fellow art lovers! Buy local. Buy art.
