Spalding Nix Fine Art
Atlanta Art Week Event:
Something Beyond Ourselves | Buckhead
September 30, 2024 | 6:30 PM Reception, 7:00 PM Presentation
425 Peachtree Hills Avenue, NE, Suite 30A, ATLANTA, Georgia, 30305
Spalding Nix Fine Art
425 Peachtree Hills Avenue, NE, 30-A ATLANTA, Georgia, 30305
About Event:
Spalding Nix Fine Art is pleased to present “Something Beyond Ourselves" featuring new work by three Atlanta-based Artists Charlie McCullers, Tokie Rome-Taylor, and Jerushia Graham. Each artist will be exhibiting a solo body of work. These Artists ask us to examine our ideas of devotion, loyalty, and perseverance, through their unique perspectives and approaches to their media. Charlie McCullers’ “Silk Asylum: Refuge Among the Sylphs” is the culmination of 20 years serving as the principal photographer for the Atlanta Ballet. His photographs examine the illusion and enigma of dance. Tokie Rome-Taylor’s “Rooted: Seeds of Memory'' is a series of mixed media photographic works that originate in the strands of her heritage and explores the universal kinship we all share with nature. “Speak to My Heart” is Jerushia Graham’s meticulous figurative papercuts embrace and encourage the radical act of fierce unconditional love for one another.
There will be an Artist Panel with Charlie McCullers, Tokie Rome-Taylor, and Jerushia Graham at the gallery on Monday, September 30, at 7 p.m. Moderated by Spalding Nix.
Exhibition Duration: Sep 13, 2024 - Nov 8, 2024
About the Artists:
Charlie McCullers:
https://www.charliemccullers.com/
For over twenty years, Charlie McCullers served as the principal photographer for the Atlanta Ballet. During that time, his job was to provide imagery for their commercial campaigns. But he also had unrestricted access and creative freedom to capture images for his own personal fine Art work. “Silk Asylum: Refuge Among the Sylphs” is a presentation of photographs that aim to express the visceral experience of ballet and examine the illusion and enigma of dance. “A ballerina strives to break two things: the fourth wall that separates the performer from the audience and the surly bonds of gravity that keep mere mortals earthbound,” says Charlie. From rehearsals to the performances, working in an environment where ego is minimalized and expression is currency, there is an emotional overload that precedes and immediately follows - a release of artistic energy. Charlie’s images serve as document rather than documentary; expressing his reaction to the artistic experience, rather than the capture of the on-stage persona that is so meticulously crafted and choreographed. “I have taken shelter among these artists in good/bad and indifferent times,” says Charlie, “the experience has made me a better person, I want that experience to be shared. Artistic expression is its own language, it can be transformed by anyone who is willing to engage in the quiet contemplation of reflection, resilience, inspiration, and the scariest word I know, Beauty.”
Based in Atlanta, Charlie holds a BFA in Photographic Design from the University of Georgia and a MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design in Contemporary Photography Practices. In addition to a clientele of Fortune 500 companies, his work continues to be published and acknowledged, most notably by the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), the Tate Gallery (London), the National Gallery of Art, in Washington, DC, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, and on behalf of the Sir Elton John Photography Collection.
Tokie Rome-Taylor:
https://www.tokietaylorstudio.com/
Tokie Rome -Taylor is an interdisciplinary photo-based Artist. Her practice investigates familial and cultural archives of African Americans in the south through what has been shared and passed down. Through this work she is also excavating what has been forgotten. Research questions probing material, spiritual, and familial culture of descents of southern African Americans are entry points for her to build symbolic elements that communicate a visual language.
Tokie’s current body of work, “Rooted: Seeds of Memory'', combines photography, archival images and illustrations, layering, textile manipulation or other mixed media processes. Each unique work is rooted in the strands of her heritage and the universal kinship we all share with nature. The photographic seedlings of ancestors far removed from their homeland are placed in dialogue with the ethnobotanical legacy of plants that were and are still used for sustenance as well as for medicinal and spiritual purposes.
Drawing from ethnobotanical accounts of how people brought their skills and knowledge of the natural world and adapted them to new regions, this body of work explores their intertwined ability to adapt and thrive in new grounds. Tokie sheds light on the plants that were essential for survival in the face of adversity, from the medicinal and spiritual herbs that offered healing to the nourishing staples that sustained communities through hardship. Her works serve as potent symbols of cultural continuity and spiritual resilience. From the healing properties of castor to the protective powers of hibiscus, these botanical entry points offer a window into the rich tapestry of African diaspora heritage.
Tokie holds a BA from Morris Brown College, Atlanta, GA and an MAEd and an EdS from Lesley University, Cambridge, MA. She is currently in the Atlanta Contemporary Studio Artist Program, a recent Penland School of Craft Artist Fellow, and a Funds for Teachers Fellowship recipient, studying photography in Santa Fe, NM, and in San Francisco, CA. Her work is held in multiple public and private collections and was recently acquired by the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art. Tokie Rome-Taylor an educator and working artist.
Jerushia Graham:
https://www.instagram.com/jerushia.graham/
Jerushia Graham is an Atlanta-based Artist whose work straddles various media, including printmaking, book arts and fiber arts, but the most important aspect of her Art is human interaction. “Speak to My Heart” is Jerushia’s latest series of meticulously cut paperworks that explore the act of leading with Love.
Fierce unconditional love has always been a radical concept. It is both the simplest and hardest path for humanity to walk. “Our current world is filled with so much senseless death and hatred that it can feel overwhelming, so I choose to create images that invite people to envision a world filled with love,” says Jerushia. “These images are not a call to turn a blind eye to the atrocities in the world but a call to work towards a kinder way. Some may say that this is naive but that is the perspective of a fearful heart. Love, care, and kindness require more work, more effort, more commitment than the tantrums of destruction and hatred. May the moments of tenderness I capture in my work rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul to be an unflinching advocate of love.”
Jerushia earned BFA degrees in Fabric Design and Printmaking from the University of Georgia and an MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. She is the Museum Coordinator for the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking. Jerushia served as the VP of Exhibitions/Curatorial for the North American Hand Papermakers (2019-2021). Jerushia has been a guest curator for the Zora Neale Hurston Museum in Eatonville, FL and The Hudgens Center for Art and Learning in Duluth, GA. Jerushia was one of five artists selected by the GA Committee for the National Museum of Women in the Arts exhibit at MOCA GA, Paper Routes: Women To Watch 2020. Her work is in the collections of the Thomas J. Watson Library for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Fabric Workshop and Museum, The Cocharn Collection, and Clark Atlanta University Art Museum.
About Organization:
Art is the cultural thread that weaves us together. Art captures, conveys, and connects our experiences. The purpose of our gallery is to connect you with our favorite Southeastern Artists. We want to help you to look, to participate, and to discover what YOU love. We are Art Lovers, and we want you to be an Art Lover too.
Established in 2003, Spalding Nix Fine Art focuses on Artists in and of the Southeast, highlighting the best of Contemporary Art. We curate six shows annually featuring three to four Artists in each show, celebrating work across all disciplines from a diverse range of emerging to established Artists. Our website hosts a rotation of available inventory from over 70 Gallery Artists. We enjoy working with new and seasoned collectors, interior designers, art consultants, advisors and corporate clients alike. We are here to help you find the perfect work of art for your space and to help you build a cohesive and personal Art collection.
In addition to dealing art, Spalding Nix is an appraiser valuing personal property, Art and antiques. As an Accredited Member of the American Society of Appraisers, Spalding provides valuation services for donation, estate, insurance, and litigation-related purposes.
www.spaldingnixfineart.com | @spaldingnixfineart
Hours of Operation:
Monday: 10 AM - 5 PM
Tuesday: 10 AM - 5 PM
Wednesday: 10 AM - 5 PM
Thursday: 10 AM - 5 PM
Friday: 10 AM - 5 PM
Saturday: 12 AM - 4 PM
Sunday: CLOSED