Category: Talks and Lectures

“I love the scent of jasmine, honeysuckle, and orange blossom. They remind me of gardens and visits to the ocean I would make as a boy.” – Narisco Rodriguez.

Hank Feeley examines the fascinating history of flower painting from the ancient Egyptians to today’s masters like the radicals Gert and Uwe Tobias, with stops along the way to discuss Hans Memling, Zen Buddhism, Jan van Huysum, Monet, Manet, Picasso, Fairfield Porter, Andy Warhol, Luther Burbank, and the meaning of it all.

Feeley, a Glen Arbor resident, is an author, painter, and sculptor whose second book Painting the Joy of Sleeping Bear County was published in 2016. He is a graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Harvard Business School. He has been a Visiting Artist at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, an Artist-in-Residence at Ox-Bow School of Art, and has taught at Roosevelt University and the Dennos Museum. His work is held in public and private collections nationally and internationally. He is represented in Chicago by Aron Packer Projects and, in New York, by First Street Gallery.

The world is swimming in material goods – the stuff of landfills as well as the stuff of a rich body of work by visual artists. “Everyday Objects: Common Things, Uncommon Art” is a survey of work created during the 20^th and 21^st centuries from plumbing fixtures, shoes, and tires – among other things. This slide presentation is part of the Glen Arbor Arts Center’s exhibition Everyday Objects.

Common objects are well represented in the art historical movements of Dada, Surrealism, Pop and Modern Art; as well as the contemporary fashion world. However, the disarming nature of these familiar things often leads the viewer into more complex ideas, or asks the viewer to reconsider what qualifies as the subject of art and the materials used to make it.

This presentation is led and narrated by GAAC Gallery Manager Sarah Bearup-Neal. Sarah has a BFA in Studio Art from Michigan State University, and has maintained an active studio practice in fiber art since 1999.

“Everyday Objects: Common Things, Uncommon Art” is viewable online. Free!

Pictured: Lobster Telephone, Salvador Dali, 1938

Some material contained in this presentation is sexually suggestive, and would be considered “adult.” It may not be appropriate for younger viewers.

Politics – past and present – provide ample fodder for creative inspiration.  Sarah Bearup-Neal, Glen Arbor Arts Center gallery manager, surveys some of these powerful examples during a slide lecture. Registered viewers will receive link access to the video lecture in their order confirmation email.

From Theodore Gericault’s 19^th century painting, The Raft of the Medusa, to the thousands of pink, hand-knit caps worn during the historic 2017 Women’s March in Washington, DC, the visual arts show themselves to be expressive tools. Craftivism is a creative movement that began to take shape in the early 2000s. It sought to combine visual art with activism and turned to the so-called “domestic arts” of embroidery, knitting, and hand stitching to comment on a wide range of current, topical issues – from feminism to sexism to environmental concerns.

In addition to her duties at the GAAC, Bearup-Neal is a practicing fiber artist. She received a BFA from Michigan State University.