The symbiotic relationship between the visual and performing arts is impossible to ignore. This mutually beneficial connection brings about artworks inspired by music and compositions written in honor of visual masterpieces. Think of Debussy's La Mer, inspired by Katsushika Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa, or even the most recent ACWL-Nuveen-commissioned sculpture created by artists John & Amy Wilkinson, which is titled using music terminology - Opus in Three Movements.
Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa Opus in Three Movements
The first annual Music Exhibition at the ACWL-Nuveen will explore this long-standing collaboration through an eclectic mix of art and music. Opening on June 10, the show will be on display through July 24, with a reception tentatively scheduled for Friday, July 2.
Featured visual artists Ferrel Cordle, Linda Foley, and Lester White celebrate musicians with portraits in a variety of mediums. While Cordle creates realistic graphic renderings, Foley's watercolors verge on impressionism and White's large-scale airbrush and acrylic paintings invoke the imposing presence our favorite musicians often hold in our hearts.
Steve Salter honors musicians in another way - by providing headstones for blues performers lying in unmarked graves through his non-profit Killer Blues Headstone Project. In this exhibit, we are featuring photos of the celebration of life and headstone placed for blues guitarist Eddie King.
Lester White Ann Kraus & Hayley Thompson-King Linda Foley
For Chester Winowiecki and Gabrielle Cerberville, art is used as a vehicle through which the performer and listener experiences music. Cerberville's graphic compositions and Winowiecki's acoustic and electronic musical instruments are works of art in and of themselves.
Artists Ann Kraus and Hayley Thompson-King combine the visual and performing arts in perhaps the most obvious way through their video installation, "She Contains Multitudes", which is comprised of a wood and cloth partition, animated photo collage stills, and layers of sound. According to the artists, this piece," immerses the observer in [a] woman's experience in the woods where she observes strange phenomena."
Originally intended to coincide with the Third Coast Trombone Retreat, the ACWL-Nuveen Music Exhibition will become an annual tradition, with the hope of offering performances and interactive experiences in coming years. According to ACWL-Nuveen Director, Erin Peyer, "This will be our 8th year sponsoring the Third Coast Trombone Retreat. While we had hoped this exhibit would provide a greater opportunity for collaboration between ourselves and the retreat, COVID concerns pushed the event, which is usually held in June, to August. That being said, I'm very excited about the truly wide range of artworks we're exhibiting this year while also looking forward to expanding this annual exhibit in the future."
Stop by the ACWL-Nuveen during gallery hours between June 10 and July 24 to view the show. The gallery is open Tuesday-Friday, 11:00am-5:30pm and Saturday, 11:00am-3:00pm. Impromptu musical performances are also welcome!