The Department of Fine Arts sponsors the Art Gallery Series in the Hyman Fine Arts Center’s Adele Kassab Art Gallery, hosting varied shows of two and three dimensional works showcasing local and regional artists. The Art Gallery Curator selects exhibitions that support and enhance the academic goals of the visual arts program at Francis Marion University, providing a non-profit institutional setting in the service of both students and the wider community. Information about previous exhibits may be found in Art Gallery Archive and additional exhibitions are displayed downtown at FMU’s University Place Gallery.
Diana Bloomfield: Timeless Light
Kassab Gallery, Hyman Fine Arts Center
May 11 – August 12, 2021
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Thursday
“For me, photographs are all about the past. Even when I photograph to make a statement about the present, or to comment on the future, the image itself— the one I’ve just made simply by opening and closing a shutter— is cemented in the past. When I look at photographs, no matter whose photographs they are, or when they were made, they inevitably conjure all sorts of memories. When I look at old photographs of my family, or even of myself, I am staring at tangible memories, often barely recognizing those people in the pictures looking back at me. And late at night, when I replay events that occurred earlier in my day, those events or conversations appear in my mind as a series of visual narratives, not all that clear or well-defined, and very much like half-remembered dreams.
“To help me create images that echo those visual vignettes, I choose to print in 19th century hand-applied printing processes. These antique printing techniques offer me creative freedom and infinite possibilities. They mesh well with my images, which are nearly always interpretive. The repeated watercolor layerings and unintended misregistration of the gum bichromate process, in particular, remove all the hard and clearly defined edges, resulting in softness and ambiguity— much the way we see and remember.
“While the images in this exhibition originate from three different bodies of work, they are connected by a certain kind of timeless light.”
An exhibiting photographer for over thirty-five years, Diana Bloomfield has received numerous awards for her images, including a 1985 New Jersey State Visual Arts Fellowship, and five Regional Artist Grants from the United Arts Council of Raleigh, North Carolina. Most recently, she was awarded a 2019/20 Professional Development Grant from the United Arts Council of Raleigh. She was named a Critical Mass Finalist in 2014, 2018, and 2019.
Specializing in 19th century printing techniques, Diana’s images have been included in a number of books, including Pinhole Photography: Rediscovering a Historic Technique (2004), by Eric Renner; Robert Hirsch’s Exploring Color Photography Fifth & Sixth Editions: From Film to Pixels (2011; 2015); in Jill Enfield’s Guide to Photographic Alternative Processes : Popular Historical and Contemporary Techniques (1st & 2nd Editions); in Christopher James’ The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes (2015); and, most recently, in #NoFilter, by Natalia Price-Cabrera, published in May 2019.
Land Escapes by Sue Mulcahy and Claire Hampton
Kassab Gallery, Hyman Fine Arts Center
August 24 – September 30, 2021
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday
Sue Mulcahy
“My abstract images are an exploration of the mysteries of life. In poetry, it is in the things that are not said, that truth lies: the space between the lines, the underlying rhythms and structures. My images operate in much the same way. If my audience is touched, it is through their own exploration.
“I am often asked where these images come from. I would have to say that, through the act drawing, I find them. I don’t have a vision in my mind as I begin. At most there is a kind of conceptual or emotional direction in which I move. If the drawing becomes too self-conscious, I put it aside until I am able to respond to it in a more honest way.
“I like the immediacy and intimacy of drawings; for me they, make the touch of the artist’s hand most visible. Development of my images does not exist outside the physical act of drawing. I try to exert a gentle control over the drawing, allowing it to take me in new directions, making use of accident and the innate qualities of the materials themselves.
“Charcoal on paper is direct and immediate. My mixed media drawings include various combinations of charcoal, wax, acrylic gel, gesso and collaged papers. The nature of these materials creates images that are layered and more dense.
“Fundamental to all my work is a philosophy that the process of art is analogous to living. It is an activity bound by time, molded by opportunity, choice and experience, and marked by failure and success.”
Susan Mulcahy has been a practicing artist and educator for over 40 years. Originally from Buffalo, where she received a B.F.A. from Daemen College, she received her M.F.A. from Wayne State University, Detroit . She now lives in Nashville and is Professor Emeritus of Art, Volunteer State Community College.
Nashville area exhibitions include: Frist Center for the Visual Arts; Sarratt Gallery at Vanderbilt University; Belmont University, Leu Gallery; Cheekwood Museum; Parthenon Museum; Zeitgeist Gallery. She has also exhibited at the Detroit Institute of Arts; Cincinnati Academy of Art; Schuwirth van Noorden Gallery, Maastricht Netherlands; and B Deemer Gallery, Lousville, KY; as well as a permanent installation at the University of Illinois Chicago.
Claire Hampton
Originally from Louisville, KY, Claire Hampton has resided in Tennessee for 46 years and taught at a community college for most of that time. She holds a BFA with an emphasis in printmaking and an MA in drawing and painting from Murray State University in KY.
“I am interested in levels and structures of consciousness, environmental issues and the feminine principle. Lately, my process has been changing to explore layering, both in drawing and painting, and my imagery has begun to emphasize visual relationships over realism.”
David Boatwright
Kassab Gallery, Hyman Fine Arts Center
October 5 – November 11, 2021
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday
“I consider myself to be a Southern artist in that, not only do I work in a narrative or story telling format, I also have a tendency to paint subjects that are specifically Southern. Although people may know my work through public murals, I take a very different approach to personal paintings originating in the studio. Murals are by necessity completely designed beforehand to acquire approval from both the sponsor and the City of Charleston. For non-commissioned work, I prefer the journey of finding the composition during the process of painting. Beginning with one character or situation I like the challenge of making a painting whole from both the compositional standpoint, but more importantly creating a narrative sense that is true to its own rules.”
After graduating from SF Art Institute as a painting major Boatwright spent several years making short experimental films which he showed at many of the cinematheques in Europe. He returned to his home state of South Carolina in 1977 received a National Endowment for the Arts individual artist grant to make documentary films in Charleston. He later became a graduate fellow at AFI film school in Los Angeles. He co-founded a film production company and directed over 100 commercials and made several documentaries.
While a filmmaker he maintained an interest in studio painting and was fortunate to return to Charleston SC in 1984 as it began to expand culturally and demographically, and found he could support himself and a growing family by working as a designer, painter, filmmaker and musician.
Working under the mantel of Lucky Boy Art his painting evolved into a specialty as Boatwright began creating large murals and hand-painted signs on many exteriors around Charleston. In addition to the signs, he was also being commissioned to make murals and paintings for the interiors of restaurants and was able to sell studio pieces to collectors and commercial establishments.
Producing public murals for clients with a rigorous city approval process while maintaining artistic integrity has at times been elusive and difficult. Over time his clients began to give him a wider latitude and he has been able to merge personal expression with the specific needs of a project in a balanced way and to grow as a painter through the experience.
David now resides in downtown Charleston with his wife, the artist Molly B. Right.
Stormie Burns: Again and Again
Kassab Gallery, Hyman Fine Arts Center
October 5 – November 11, 2021
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday
Stormie is a ceramic and glass artist utilizing the processes of mold making and casting. She recently completed the two-year Core Fellowship at Penland School of Craft. Stormie lives and works in the mountains of western North Carolina.
Senior Shows by Graduating FMU Visual Arts Majors
Kassab Gallery, Hyman Fine Arts Center
November 16 – December 9, 2021
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday
Senior shows are required of all students majoring in Visual Arts. These shows give students hands-on experience in selection and installation of artworks, publicity of exhibition, and external review by the University community and the general public.
Works by Ceramics and 3-D Design Classes
Kassab Gallery, Hyman Fine Arts Center
November 16 – December 9, 2021
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday
Students in ceramics classes learn processes and techniques in both wheel-throwing and hand building in the art and craft of pottery. Throwing leads progressively toward stoneware clay tooling, decorating, glazing and firing. As they advance through the curriculum, students add ceramic fabrications methods of slab-work, modeling from solid masses, and press molding. Multi-part forms and porcelain formula clay bodies are created as artistic discipline develops along with the individual’s philosophy, critical awareness and aesthetics.
Students taking Three-Dimensional Design classes investigate organization techniques, with special emphasis on the plastic controls of form and space. They learn to use a variety of tools and various sculptural media, including wood, plaster and clay.
Charity Valentine
Kassab Gallery, Hyman Fine Arts Center
January 18 – February 24, 2022
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday
Charity Valentine is chair Fine Art, Music and Drama programs at Pitt Community College in Winterville, North Carolina. A U.S. Air Force Veteran trained in Public Affairs, Internal Communication and Photojournalism, she is a working artist whose primary medium is Large Format Photography. She also works in Metals (Lost Wax Casting & Enameling), Encasutic, Collage and Woodworking.
Natalie Daise: Going to Seed
Kassab Gallery, Hyman Fine Arts Center
March 1 – April 7, 2022
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday
“I am a storyteller. I think I was born that way. From my earliest memory I was fascinated with Bible stories and fairy tales and the narratives of the real lives of real people. I listened to the grown ups talk and I sucked down bedtime stories like milk. The day I learned to read for myself may have been the most magical day of my life.
“I have spent most of my adult life traveling the country telling stories to audiences of all ages. I love when the listeners get as caught up in the tales — both made up and true — as I do. I love when Gullah songs and heritage become real to them and when an old Japanese folk tale helps us make sense of our own lives. I love stories!
“I also love faces — so many stories are stored in the fold of an eyelid and the curve of a lip. And I love hands–how they store potential energy that might spring any moment into action. I’ve been making art almost as long as I’ve been a storyteller. I was the kid in kindergarten who lit up when the crayons came out. When my daddy bought me a Grumbacher oil painting kit in 1973 it was like the world opened up again.
“Lately I’ve been painting people and collard greens. Greens represent so much to me. They are heritage and history and family gatherings. They are nourishment and strength and tales told around kitchen tables. My daddy was a gardener and there were collard greens in every yard of my childhood. I just bought a new house and am putting in the first garden I’ve planted in years. Yes — there will be greens.”
Senior Shows by Graduating FMU Visual Arts Majors
Kassab Gallery, Hyman Fine Arts Center
April 12 – 28, 2022
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday
Senior shows are required of all students majoring in Visual Arts. These shows give students hands-on experience in selection and installation of artworks, publicity of exhibition, and external review by the University community and the general public.
Works by Ceramics and 3-D Design Classes
Kassab Gallery, Hyman Fine Arts Center
April 12 – 28, 2022
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday
Students in ceramics classes learn processes and techniques in both wheel-throwing and hand building in the art and craft of pottery. Throwing leads progressively toward stoneware clay tooling, decorating, glazing and firing. As they advance through the curriculum, students add ceramic fabrications methods of slab-work, modeling from solid masses, and press molding. Multi-part forms and porcelain formula clay bodies are created as artistic discipline develops along with the individual’s philosophy, critical awareness and aesthetics.
Students taking Three-Dimensional Design classes investigate organization techniques, with special emphasis on the plastic controls of form and space. They learn to use a variety of tools and various sculptural media, including wood, plaster and clay.
Doug McAbee: Even When It’s Dark
Kassab Gallery, Hyman Fine Arts Center
May 10 – August 11, 2022
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Thursday
“The commute to work. A conversation with my wife. The funny thing my kids did this morning. These are the things that become drawings and sculptures.
“Bold colors, shiny surfaces and whimsical imagery continue to be essential elements in my drawings and sculptures. I am interested in the power of color, beauty and humor in visual communication and how a viewer’s personal experiences will affect how they interpret the images they are presented. My artwork often dips into serious or sinister subject matter, but always does so with a sense of humor, a shiny color and a spoonful of sugar. My approach to concept addresses the idea of complex or multifaceted imagery. Things are rarely only what they first appear. As in life, things may be grave and also hilarious, simple and yet complex, mature but also irresponsible. These images and forms refuse easy labels and beg further thought.”
