It might be a little early to get excited about this, but if you like sculptures, or wood carvings, or whatever the heck this is, of men with green eyes, bow ties, and birds on their tongues, then I’ve got good news.
It’s coming to Westminster. The show’s called “The Art is Inside You.” But actually, the art will be inside the Tevis Gallery at the Carroll Arts Center from June 17 through August 13. (Like I said, I’m a little early, but I just really wanted to get that picture on the blog.)
Here’s the contact stuff: Susan Williamson, Susan@CarrollCountyArtsCouncil.org, 410/848-7272.
Did I mention it was visionary art? And did you just say, “What the heck is visionary art?”
Well, the guy with the bow tie is an example. Basically it’s art that includes guys with bow ties and birds on their tongues. No, I’m being stupid. Actually, if you want a definition, you can travel on over to the awesome American Visionary Art Museum website (the museum is in Baltimore, which you knew, right?) where they will tell you this about visionary art:
Like love, you know it when you see it. But here’s the longer definition, straight out of our Mission Statement: “Visionary art as defined for the purposes of the American Visionary Art Museum refers to art produced by self-taught individuals, usually without formal training, whose works arise from an innate personal vision that revels foremost in the creative act itself.” In short, visionary art begins by listening to the inner voices of the soul, and often may not even be thought of as ‘art’ by its creator.
Did that help? Here’s what the Carroll Arts Council says.
Visionary artists are generally self-taught without formal training but they can be trained artists as well. These artists find inspiration from mystical, magical and spiritual experiences, mythological symbols and a profound sense of the creative act. Visionary art is deeply imaginative and comes from a place deep inside the soul of the artist.
Oh come on. It’s just fun, weird, funny, strange, sometimes terrible, sometimes great, stuff.
Here’s the artist list.
Joel Cohen, Baltimore, MD; Danny Doughty, Cambridge, MD; David Evans, Taneytown, MD; Brian Dowdall, South Carolina; Tim McAvoy, Buffalo, NY; Joyce Ritz, Cambridge, MD; Tom Steck, Fallston, MD and more.
The bird-on-tongue guy is by Tom Steck.