Jasper Galleries presents Pam Bowers at Motor Supply
The Jasper Project is delighted to welcome the work of renown visual artist Pamela Bowers to the Jasper Galleries space at Motor Supply in Columbia’s historic Vista.
A Chicago native, for the past 20 years Pam Bowers has divided her time between in Columbia, South Carolina, the Umbrian hill town she calls her second home, and her world wide wide travels.
She has exhibited her work internationally at venues that include the Guilin Academy of Chinese Painting in China, the University of Fine Arts in Budapest, numerous venues in Italy, University of Newcastle in Australia, and the Ecole Nationale in Rabat, Morocco.
Nationally she has exhibited at the Bowery Gallery, New York, Blue Mountain Gallery New York, ARC and WMG galleries in Chicago, and many other university or museum venues including the the State Museum of South Carolina, City Gallery at Waterfront Park In Charleston, the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and St. Mary's College of Notre Dame among others.
This is one of the first solo exhibits of her work in Columbia for many years.
Pam has lectured on her work and conducted numerous workshops both here and abroad. Her work is represented in numerous public and private collections. Additional works can be seen at pamjbowers.com.
About this exhibition and her work, in general, the artist says:
The work in this exhibition spans decades of my career as a painter and my life as an artist. As a kind of lifelong travel journal, these works express my passion for color and materials while reflecting my personal stories and imaginative musings on nature. Mine is a playful but serious practice rooted in the experience of the senses. I often paint directly from life outdoors; celebrating its elemental beauty through observation––watching the play of light across a flower, the flow of water over rocks, a storm at sea or the subtle movements of animals. I then bring these perceptual works into my studio where they inspire more elaborate pieces that allow for layers of imagination, meaning, and metaphor. Through a process of free association I enter into an almost sacred feeling, intimate kind of mental space within my psyche. In this, I create works that speak to the experiences, emotions and thoughts present in my life’s journey.. In pursuit of this inspiration I have travelled widely working and exhibiting in many enchanting places across the globe. However, the watery Southeastern coastal areas remain closest to my heart. My studio in the woodlands between Columbia and the coast serves as basecamp for many adventures and excursions to explore our beautiful landscapes’ flora and fauna both here and beyond. I hope you enjoy this show.
The Jasper Project
will host a
Meet the Artist Evening
in the Motor Supply Bar on
Thursday, November 18th from 6 - 9pm
during Vista Lights.
Please come by, say hello to Pam, pick up the newest copy of Jasper Magazine, and have a drink or dinner at Motor!
Jasper Galleries Presents New Gallery Space at McDonnell & Associates with Exhibition By Lauren Chapman and Pam Bowers
The exhibition opens on Thursday, June 24th
reception from 6 - 8 pm
McDonnell and Associates
2442 Devine Street - Columbia
The event is free and the public is invited to attend.
Lauren Chapman and Pam Bowers
The Jasper Project is excited to announce a new gallery space for local artists at McDonnell and Associates law firm, 2442 Devine Street, in Columbia. We’ll be opening the gallery with an exhibition of work by Lauren Chapman and Pam Bowers. Reception is Thursday night (TONIGHT!) from 6-8 pm.
This collaboration with McDonnell and Associates came about when the organization reached out to Jasper and asked if we could help them find artists who would exhibit their work in the law office lobby and conference rooms. Of course, Jasper jumped at the opportunity to help fine art make its way into the homes of art lovers and we immediately booked Lauren Chapman, who we had previously worked with in our gallery at Motor Supply, and Pam Bowers, who previously taught Chapman at the University of SC.
The women’s relationship began as that of mentor and protege but developed into a close collegial friendship.
A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Chapman received her BFA in Painting at the University of South Carolina and has been awarded the Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Key Award for excellence in Visual Arts, the Yaghjian Studio arts scholarship at USC, and the 2018 Artfields Solo Award Exhibition at Jones-Carter Gallery. She has been featured in Garnet and Black, Daily Gamecocks, The State, Free Times, Susie Magazine, and Jasper Magazine. She has lectured for classes at USC, SC State University, and spent a summer residency in Monte Castello, Italy. Exhibitions include group shows in Italy, New York, South Carolina and solo shows in Iowa and South Carolina.
Chapman says, “I create immersive environments via vibrant thick textured romantic paintings telling short stories, in the forms of fables, folklore, and fairy tales challenging our current cultural climate through the eyes of feminine figures and personified creatures. The narrative of the work promote lessons from my personal experiences and question dangerous themes within American society.”
Artist - Lauren Chapman
Bowers, who earned a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Indiana University-Bloomington, has a distinguished career as an artist and an educator that has taken her all over the world for lectures, residencies, unique academic opportunities, and pleasure, including China, Hungary, and throughout Italy. Her work is in many private collections both in the US and internationally from Morocco to Greece.
According to her artist’s statement, “Bowers work explores nature as a connecting force in the intersection of art, science and mythology and express her affection for the wilderness and biological forms. There is an emphasis in her work, teaching and research on the interrelationship between environment, culture and individual material usage in the formation of visual meaning and metaphor.”
Artist - Pam Bowers
Jasper Project Galleries Adds New Location at Motor Supply Company - Curated by Laura Garner Hine
The Jasper Project is pleased to add Motor Supply Company Bistro in Columbia’s historic Vista to our growing list of Jasper Project Galleries, including Harbison Theatre Gallery and the Meridien Building Sreetside Galleries (curated by Bert Easter) at Washington and Sumter Streets in downtown Columbia.
Jasper Project board member and Jasper Magazine visual arts editor Laura Garner Hine will be curating the series for the Jasper Project and is opening the series with a selection of her own work beginning this week.
Below, please find an excerpt from a story featuring Hine written in 2019 for Jasper Magazine by Christina Xan.
Laura Garner Hine
Though many people struggle to decide on a career path, Hine knew she was going to be an artist for as long as she can remember. “It's my strongest sense,” Hine says, “There was never a question, my whole life.”
Hine started seriously studying art as soon as she became cognizant of her choice to commit to it. Upon graduating high school, when she got a scholarship for USC, she knew immediately she was going major in art studio. “I didn't know what I was going to focus on yet,” she recalls, “but eventually it became oil painting. You can make it so many different things.”
Hine is indebted in large part to her mentor, Pam Bowers. She remembers her and Bowers harvesting dirt from which they would make their own paints: “I felt like I was doing alchemy,” she said. This is when she ended up minoring in art history.
After Hine graduated, she studied abroad in the Netherlands. While there, she heard of a conservation course happening in Maastricht, and she decided to go – a decision that would change her life. Hine reflects on her first experience with conservation: “It was the marriage, to me, of all the things that I'd loved: art history, that alchemy, and the science behind art.”
Although this trip was the first time Hine had experienced conservation hands on, she believes she was always meant to conserve art. She remarks that, “I think I'm in the business of seeing. Everybody has the capacity to look, but there's merit and thought behind really seeing. It's kind of a fantastical thing.”
Hine believes her relationship to seeing beyond the surface of an image or object is really what led her to first her path as an artist and then her job as a restorator, a process she is incredibly lucky to be a part of: “It's quite meditative,” she ponders, “I think it transcends you into this moment of this dissolving of perception, and you become one with it.”
The process of conserving and restoring art is a multistep process, and it’s not formulaic. However, there is a system to work through. First, Hine has to do research, find out what the materials are and what they're sensitive to. After preliminary research, Hine begins testing to deduce what would be safest to use on the art piece. Grime or dirt can be removed with something as simple as distilled water to something as damaging as toluenes, but Hine avoids using anything toxic unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Sometimes, though, the painting is further compromised. If there is a tear or severe damage, Hine must remedy that first. These losses need to be fixed by covering cracks and shaping areas that have lost texture. Last, it’s time to color correct, which is where “the fun starts” for Hine and where her jobs as artist and restorator most closely overlap. When just a little color is missing, she looks at the surrounding area and mimics, but if something major like a face is missing, then she has to do more detailed research to create an impression as close to the original as possible. From start to finish, on average, it takes Hine around 8 hours to restore a painting.
Hine worked at the CMA as an Assistant Preparator for two years, but now she works full time for Carolina Conservation. For her, restoring art is just as intimate as creating it: “I want to hear the paintings talk to me. I want to know what they've seen. I'm a firm believer that energy never dies. People always come back through the ethers.” This conversing is one aspect that strongly connects Hine’s restoration and personal creation.
Hine laughs when trying to pin point herself as an artist, claiming people will go into a show of hers and think the art is from multiple different artists. One continual tether Hine has with her art, however, is her sensitivity and how once something has touched her, she has no choice but to create in inspiration of it. “My inspiration can be pretty; it can be grotesque,” she muses, “Any moment that arrests you, whether it's disgust or awe, I like those moments.”
While she might feel all over the place as an artist, she feels a strong importance in her work: “I think that what really inspires me is how people are inspired by me. I feel that anybody I meet likes to listen to my story, and I like to listen to their story.”
-Christina Xan
Motor Supply Company Bistro is located at 920 Gervais Street in Columbia, SC’s historic Vista
Find out more about Motor Supply at
www.motorsupplycobistro.com
To support the work of Jasper, including articles like the one above, please consider becoming a member of the Jasper Guild at www.JasperProject.org
Columbia Museum of Art has a Busy September Planned
From Marilyn to Mao: Andy Warhol's Famous Faces
On View in the Lipscomb Family Galleries through Sunday, September 13
The CMA presentsFrom Marilyn to Mao: Andy Warhol's Famous Faces, a thematically focused look at the artist's influential silkscreens and his interest in portraits.Andy Warhol (1928-1987) is central to the pop art movement and one of the best-known 20th-century American artists. From Marilyn to Mao uses 55 of Warhol's acclaimed portraits to explore pop art's tenet of the cult of celebrity, the idea that pop culture adores the famous simply because they are famous. Warhol exploited society's collective obsession with fame like no artist before or after him. The exhibition celebrates the Mao suite, an anonymous gift to the CMA of the complete set of 10 silkscreens Warhol created in 1972 of Mao Zedong, chairman of the Communist Party of China from 1949 to 1976.
Warhol first gained success as a commercial illustrator before becoming a world-renowned artist. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture, and advertisement that flourished by the 1960s-concepts he continued to examine throughout his career. His art forms a mirror of the rise of commercialism and the cult of personality. He was not a judge of his subjects as much as a talented impresario who brought thousands of people into the pantheon of fame, if only for fifteen minutes. Some, such as Marilyn Monroe, got a few more minutes.
In addition to Marilyn Monroe and Mao Zedong, the exhibition includes the faces of Judy Garland, Muhammad Ali, Sigmund Freud, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Albert Einstein, Annie Oakley, Theodore Roosevelt, Giorgio Armani, and Superman, as well as two self-portraits by Warhol, to name a few. The majority of the works outside of the CMA's Mao suite are loaned by the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Penn. The CMA has also secured a partnership loan with Bank of America to borrow seven pieces from their collection. The run of the exhibition is filled with an array of related evening and daytime programs for adults and families.
Identity
On View in the Community Gallery through Sunday, September 27, 2015
Warhol interrogated the concept of identity, which remains at the core of the American experience. From Marilyn to Mao: Andy Warhol's Famous Faces provides the broader community the opportunity to both appreciate the enduring qualities of his art and to question the nature of fame and identity. How do we understand fame and identity in relation to others or to our own sense of self? Can we, like certain celebrities, politicians, or artists, remake ourselves? How are these concepts a part of the 21st-century experience? The Identity exhibition, a community gallery show whose opening coincides with Arts & Draughts on August 14, attempts to address and perhaps offer answers to these broad questions. The CMA has invited four established Columbia artists - Michaela Pilar Brown, Ed Madden, Betsy Newman, and Alejandro García-Lemos, who have each chosen one or more artists to mentor. Together each group creates a work or installation that responds to the questions of identity raised in the Warhol exhibition.
The Art of Joseph Norman
On View in Gallery 15 through Sunday, January 10, 2016
African-American artist Joseph Norman is a Chicago native whose lithographs mesmerize the viewer with an exploration of dark human emotion and raw commentary on black life in America. The Art of Joseph Norman introduces two complete print portfolios: Out at Home: The Negro Baseball League, Volume I, and Patti's Little White Lies. While Norman's work is said to be concerned with social injustice, inequality, and conflict, it is equally about love, transformation, and self-reflection. T
Gallery Tour: From Marilyn to Mao: Andy Warhol's Famous Faces
Saturday, September 5 & 12 | 1:00 p.m.
A guided tour provides an overview of the Gladdddthematically focused exhibition, From Marilyn to Mao: Andy Warhol's Famous Faces, featuring 55 of Warhol's famous portraits to explore pop art's tenet of the cult of celebrity, the idea that pop culture adores the famous simply because they are famous. Free with membership or admission.
Gallery Tour: Highlights of the CMA Collection
Every Sunday | 2:00 p.m.
Free
A guided tour provides an overview of European and American art in the CMA collection. This family-friendly tour features masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo from the Samuel H. Kress Collection and the American galleries.
Gladys' Gang: Join us for this popular series! Gladys' Gang is a free, early childhood arts and literacy program for ages 2-5 that focuses on preparing children for kindergarten. Using art as a guide, children and their adult caregivers enjoy story time and a visit to the galleries followed by a hands-on art project in the CMA studios. The program is held the first Wednesday of each month from 10:00 until 11:00 a.m. Spaces are limited. Reserve your free spot in Gladys' Gang at columbiamusuem.org
I'm a Little Teapot or Coffee Pot
Wednesday, September 2 | 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Join us for some stories and songs and visit to the galleries to find some tea and coffee pots followed by art time in the studios where we will work together to decorate a tea pot.
Baker and Baker presents: Beethoven Cello Sonatas with A.W. Duo
Friday, September 4, and Saturday, September 5
Doors at 6:00 p.m. | Concert at 7:00 p.m.
2015 is the year of Beethoven for the A.W. Duo-Alyona Aksyonova on piano and James Waldo on cello. During their two-night stint at the CMA, the duo plays the complete cello sonatas. In the spring of 2014, the duo went on its second regional tour of the southeast, during which their performance at Church of the Good Shepherd in Columbia, SC was recorded by SCETV South Carolina Public Radio. This past summer, the duo had its debut at Alice Tully Hall with the ICN International Music Festival and made its first appearance with the Highland-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival in North Carolina. Cash bar. Both nights: $25 / $20 for members / $5 per night for students. Single night: $15 / $12 for members.
About Face Drawing Sessions
Mondays, September 7 & 21: Topics vary | 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Tuesdays, September 8 & 22:
Portrait Drawing | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Figure Drawing | 7:15 - 9:15 p.m.
Looking for a supportive and friendly environment to hone your artistic skills? About Face Drawing Sessions are for you! There's no instructor, but there is a group of inspired artists, representing a wide range of abilities, who love to draw from the live model. Must be 18 or older to participate. Mondays: $12 / $10 for members / $5 for students. Tuesdays: $10 / $8 for members / $5 for students. Includes both sessions.
Passport to Art: Set the Table
Sunday, September 13 | Noon - 3:00 p.m.
Create a still life collage using a variety of different materials during this free drop-in open studio for families. Enjoy a self-guided tour or join the family-themed tour at 1:00 p.m. Free.
Dinner in White
Sunday, September 13
Cocktails at 6:00 p.m. | Dinner at 7:00 p.m.
Based on the incredible Diner en Blanc events that have popped up in cities around the globe, Chef Ryan Whittaker and 116 Espresso and Wine Bar are excited to present their own Dinner in White here at the CMA. The museum transforms into Warhol's factory for a totally unique dining experience. Come dressed in all white and bring an item for Warhol-inspired table decoration; the table with the centerpiece that pops the most will win a prize basket. Enjoy cocktail hour in our mod '60's lounge, then indulge in a multiple-course dinner inspired by the works in the Warhol exhibition. All proceeds go toward supporting the CMA educational mission. $120 / $100 for members. See the CMA website for details on discounted pricing for groups of 4 or 8.
Contemporaries' Oktoberfest
Thursday, September 17 | 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Come and enjoy a fun-filled evening of music, brats, and beer. $20/$5 for Contemporaries members.
CMA Jazz on Main: Trumpeter & Vocalist Joe Gransden: Songs of Sinatra and Friends
Friday, September 18 | Doors 7:00 p.m. | Concert 7:30 p.m.
Clint Eastwood referred to Joe Gransden as "a young man with an old soul and a classic voice." On September 18, Joe brings that classic voice (as well as some smoking trumpet playing) to the CMA as he kicks off the third season of the Jazz on Main concert series. A native of New York, Joe Gransden has become one of the premier performers in the Southeast. On the heels of a new release entitled "Joe Gransden: Songs of Sinatra and Friends," Joe joins the Noel Freidline Trio for an evening of music from "ol' blue eyes" himself, as well as other Rat Pack era greats such as Dean Martin and Tony Bennett. Individual Tickets: $35 / $28 members / $5 students. Season Tickets: $140 / $100 members. Premier Table Seating: $300 for 6 guests & 2 bottles of wine, $200 for 4 guests and 1 bottle of wine. Purchase tickets at columbiamuseum.org or (803) 799-2810. Presented by Family Medicine Centers of South Carolina.
ArtBreak
Tuesday, September 22 | Café 10:30 a.m. | Lecture 11:00 a.m.- Noon
ArtBreak is a program that looks at art through a different lens. Each session features a speaker who gives insight into their worldview by sharing their interpretation of works of art at the CMA. This month, begin the morning at the museum with pastries and coffee sold at the pop-up café by Drip followed by a talk from Pam Bowers, USC professor of Studio Art, who discusses nature in art. Free with membership or admission.
En Plein Air Oil Painting Workshop
Saturday, September 26 | 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Join The CMA, Congaree Land Trust, and artist David Phillips at Goodwill Plantation for a unique art and history experience. $45 bring your own art supplies/$75 includes art supplies. Box lunch included. Information and registration: congareelt.org or 803-988-0000
Warhol Community Gallery Salon
Sunday, September 27 | Noon
Free
The community gallery show, Identity, features artwork that responds to the questions of celebrity and identity raised in the Warhol exhibition. The CMA welcomes two of the four Columbia artists, Michaela Pilar Brown and Ed Madden, along with the young artists they've chosen to mentor and collaborate with, to discuss their work.