Heights Arts show celebrates 'Sideways Thinking'

Avocado Cat, by Jenny Mendes. 

Guest curator Julianne Edberg invited her friends to have some serious fun with the group exhibition Sideways Thinking, on view at Heights Arts March 8 through April 21. Artists Leslye Discont Arian, Catherine Butler, Julianne Edberg, Laurie Garrett, Jenny Mendes and Melissa O’Grady focus on playing—the less serious side of art.  

“It may look like fun, but it's all the artist can do!” Edberg explained. “When we play, we let loose the inspired part of our mind to think sideways instead of logically. Ideas flow more freely. Questions may be raised. Is this an alternate, more fantastic world we are looking at? It is definitely a more fun, more magical place. Perhaps less polished, less formal. A childlike viewpoint sparks a connection between hitherto unconnected frames of reference. Playing calms the nerves and provides a new way of looking at things.”

While art may be a culmination of years of learning and practice, much of the hard work of creating involves trying different approaches. Then the artist must carefully plan, using what's been learned in exploring the different angles of each piece. Edberg finds that a playful approach may lead to a more lighthearted result. (Q: How did you think of that? A: I was just playing around.)

The exhibition opens with a public reception on Friday, March 8, 6–9 p.m., at the Heights Arts gallery (2175 Lee Road). On Thursday, April 4, a related gallery talk, “Ekphrastacy: Artists Talk + Poets Respond” brings together the exhibition artists with invited community poets to discuss the inspiration for and interpretation of the works.

In the gallery's Spotlight exhibition space, a solo show by Michelangelo Lovelace will open on March 22, with a public reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Heights Arts exhibition committee member Bill Schubert wrote of the show, “No cultural institution has kept its eye so relentlessly focused on our home town, its neglected neighborhoods, and its citizens. In acrylic on canvas, Michael shows the streets of our often troubled inner city and the rich lives that are lived on them. These recent works have never been shown in public until now, and are a must-see for anyone who loves 'The Land.'"

The talk, receptions and exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information on Heights Arts community programs and events, including house concerts, gallery performances and outreach, visit www.heightsarts.org.  

Genevieve Schwartz

Genevieve Schwartz is the program manager at Heights Arts. 

Read More on A & E News
Volume 12, Issue 3, Posted 1:15 PM, 03.03.2019