Thids MinniPurl knitted “arf!” graffiti warmed up an East End playground earlier this year.
By MinniPurl

Maybe you’ve seen some of my graffiti: the scarf on the man at Boulevard Towers, the knitted cozies on trees around town. Or maybe you’ve seen other artists’ work: the yearbook pictures or the thin-lined sketches of a man attached to poles around town. For me, these are good forms of graffiti. Then maybe you’ve seen the black marks left at the base of the Henry Gassaway Davis statue. This is what gives graffiti a bad name.

What makes graffiti vandalism? What makes graffiti art? The Hentry Gassaway Davis statue is an example of what I call vandalism. With so few statues in the city, one would hope they’d be better cared for. The rider and horse are already weeping green from the lack of care. Mr. Davis and his steed are begging for a spring cleaning, and not just from bad graffiti.

A carwash in North Charleston shows a more positive form of graffiti- a mural by Hand Held Operations. This commissioned piece is “sanctioned” graffiti, and turns a barren wall into art. While graffiti is usually not something “approved of,” if done well and thoughtfully it can add something to its environment. Public art implies something that is either 1) approved of or 2) if not approved doesn’t damage something. Increasingly I like this mix – art that is NOT approved of, but does not deface things permanently. (more…)

“Distant Echoes” by Canadian artist Ingrid Bachmann of a digital photo by David Leeson printed on fabric. From Fiberarts International Show at the Clay Center through June 22, 2008.

SOUR: “So, Sweet, what were some of your favorite art exhibits/events of April, now that “the cruellest month” is done for?
SWEET: “I have two favorites, in terms of innovation and artistic relevance and excellence: No. 1: The photographic installation by Doug Minnerly, Mark Wolfe and company at the “Stations of the Cross” exhibit during Easter. That collaborative effort was outstanding. It worked visually and intellectually. Really unique, unlike anything else attempted here in Charleston in that vein. Also, kudos to the church for showing this always interesting and consistently outstanding creative art exploration of the Easter Season.
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SWEET: No. 2 favorite thing on display in April is the excellent fabric show on view at The Clay Center. This is indeed a worthy showing by a regional art player (which the Clay Center purports to be and hopefully will continue to grow into). Here’s the official statement of the show, organized by the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh: (more…)

“Moth Man No. 8 ” by Robert Villamagna, now on view at Taylor Books Annex Gallery. See more of Villamagna’s work at his website.

SOUR: “I have two faves exhibits that have been on display recently. Robert Villamagna’s new one-person show at Taylor Books and the Recent Earth Day auction for Habitat for Humanity. Villamagna, who teaches at West Liberty College, works in assemblage, collage, and mixed-media. His work has been exhibited at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Andy Warhol Museum, ARC Gallery (Chicago), Penn State’s Robeson Gallery, Pittsburgh Center of the Arts, Erie Museum of Art, Huntington Museum of Art, and the West Virginia Cultural Center. His work continues to develop. The work on display now at Taylor is funny and personal, smaller pieces that are nonetheless effective. This may be the strongest one-person show of his I’ve seen.

And let’s hear it for a plethora of established and up-and-coming artists who contributed for the worthy cause of Earth Day and Habitat for Humanity on April 22. Great work, great variety, good for mother earth and good for the community. A Triumvirate Show.”

Ryan Russell’s “Route 39 Haybales,” an oil on canvas, is among the works at the Callen McKunkin Gallery. Click to enlarge

Sweet and Sour pass on this early reaction to the new Callen McJunkin Gallery space at 219 Hale St., in the loft upstairs from Gina Puzzuoli Miller’s Stray Dog Antiques, which you can see on the Thursday, April 17 ArtWalk in downtown Charleston.

Wow! Ups the game of being a “gallerist” as they say in the Big Leagues in NYC, LA and beyond. Actually, the new Callen McJunkin Gallery space is like being in NYC, LA or beyond. Never been a space like this one in Charleston. Kudos to her. Fantastic. Looks like she’s inherited the reigning art doyenne title from Sherry Lovett, although, of course,

Marilyn Cooper’s Cooper Gallery in Lewisburg is in the running. And Lisa Fischer Casto and Mimi Dinsmore are coming right along at The Art Store. (Their new show is intellectually and visually impressive.) And then you have to give a nod to Ann Saville and Angie at the Taylor Books Annex Gallery, also. And, while we’re handing out enconiums, the Art Emporium folks also deserve “Mr. and Mrs. Congeniality Award.” They are always doing such great service to the circle of artists who work in this area. They really give back to the community.