Hall-Barnett Gallery in NOLA

HALL-BARNETT Gallery in the French District.

My first visit to New Orleans found me loving a culture that I was not a part of, didn't quite fit, and nonetheless feel at home in. Whenever you travel, you find both that people are people, everywhere, and that simultaneously the pace of life, the common expression of courtesy, and ways of communicating can differ enormously. A place's rhythm is the human beings that live there. In New Orleans, it felt like life is set to a slower beat, where people wanted to enjoy their time. A restaurant where one can sense the deep, abiding pleasure in doing things as they've always done, roots running thick into the past, a stranger on the street who fist bumps you just because he digs the way you're looking, the gentle waves of breeze washing over and through the one way streets out to the water, the city's romance seems to stem from reveling in the present moment. Life is here and now, in all its wonder and unpleasantness, and you'd better carpe-the-fucking-damn-diem.

Beyond having great food and good company, visiting the SNAG Conference, I made sure to take a day off for myself. That led to a visit to a gallery on Chartres Street (That's pronounced "Charter", not the French way!). The first time I'd seen it was on Tuesday night, after I'd finished dinner and went out exploring the city. The light from the gallery shone out onto the streets, and through the display window on the closest side to the street stared solemn sentinels, totemic guardians and tricksters, ceramic visages for animal spirits. Of that first night, I knew I liked it. The work was that of Magda Boreysza, and the place is Hall-Barnett Gallery.

Magda Boreysza spans both prints and her masks in her oeuvre, and the unearthly quality of her work calls to the same primal well that gives birth to Native shamanic and spiritual art. A Polish immigrant who came to New Orleans, Magda has a fascination with transformation, and the connection between human animal and the rest of our shared kingdom. Her illustrations have as their subject diaphanous waifs of androgynous girls who mingle, cohabitate, and indeed merge with strange denizens. Magda makes the point of blending the boundary between the two, while keeping each entity recognizably separate. In one print, the woman is submerged into the body of a beast that seems like a cross between a tiger and a Tasmanian devil. Her hair becomes the creature's mane; an arm projects itself into a forelimb, while she herself appears to be swimming within the greater gestalt. What makes the beast even more fantastical is the giant, deep, black claws, and the shaggy mounds of hair that flow from its body like cilia. Is this woman-beast a deeper commentary on the animalistic urges that reside within us? Or is it a statement to remind that while we have disconnected our identity from those of other animals, we are actually all part of one vast continuum? None of these have to be what this particular piece represents, as is true with all art, the message is in the eye of the beholder.

SPIRIT ANIMAL TAXIDERMY by Merrilee Challiss.

Holly Barnett, the owner, reopened the gallery after her father Howard, the founder of Hall-Barnett, passed away. Once you actually get inside, and stop window gawking, you enter an otherworldly realm. Mrs. Barnett has curated the space to include representatives of the South's best artists, emerging and established, and from the looks of it, there is a unique brew of influences, environment and culture as diverse as New Orleans is itself that informs their aesthetic. It's emotion from the gut; raw, re-interpreted, simplified, twisted, embellished. Even the gaudy is rendered impressive when done in scale. A taxidermied deer that has been completely covered in a mosaic patchwork of miniature sequins is a harkening to the vivacious exuberance of Mardi Gras. Snakes, mirror pupils and flamboyant decoration transform the trophy into some larger-than-life apparition, existing in that delicate space between spectacle and respectability. These totems, made by Merrilee Challiss, which she dubs Spirit Animal Taxidermy, are the tip of the iceberg here.

Sometimes there is a lightheartedness and sincerity in the normal everyday. A Flock of Old Men has five balding old fogies dabbed together with a bare minimum of brush strokes, thick, textured, and exuberant. A rather stunning capture of a moment in time, wavering between past and present. Those who are being so majestically rendered however seem to be cheekily aware of their own portrayal, and with the lack of caring that can only come with age, leads each into being an intense character in this brief tableau.

Hall-Barnett Gallery has been exhibiting the prints of Jim Steg for many years now, and so had available a brochure on his work. As it so happened, there is a retrospective of Steg's at the New Orleans Museum of Art, which is open through October 8th. A teacher of printmaking at Newcomb College, Steg was somewhat of a trickster; he was a member of the infantry engineering unit responsible for decoys during World War II. Perhaps appropriate for New Orleans, the land of a thousand haunted houses, the unit was dubbed the Ghost Army. As participant in the terrible human activity of war, Steg nevertheless managed to dabble in the surreal. The Ghost Army was responsible for making visual decoys to fool the German army into thinking Allied forces were present. This shadowplay dances on the razor's edge of absurdity, and yet it really did happen. After his return from the war, he would go on to learn, and teach, printmaking. The sheer breadth of his work spans traditional, representational sketches to absolutely wild crazy freaky shit.

I was flattered to be in the good company of Jacque Groves, who is an artist herself, and Holly Barnett, both of whom are art enthusiasts who have that emotional appreciation for, and connection to, a painting or a crafted object. That paired with a thorough understanding of the background of each artist, and a conscious choice to help raise awareness of local artists, combine to form the alchemical elixir which is Hall-Barnett Gallery.

Pacific Artefacts

Pacific Artefacts is a little known treasure hiding deep in the heart of Vista. Although those outside of North County are unlikely to understand the deep, twisting suburban jungle which makes up that city, for those in the know you will see why this pacific island trading post could not be more ideally situated.

Once a year, Lesley Martin hosts a little dine & market at her home. The event this year took place in early June. A number of vendors who know Lesley set up shop and exhibit their wares, filling the house and the outside with impromptu booths featuring exotic wares. Pacific Artefacts is the ethnographic distributor and folk art trader established under Lesley, which specializes in Papua New Guinea artifacts. But during the evening of her open house, there is a merchant of African masks, a Miao clothing trader, a seller of Burmese boxes, and more besides. The spectacle of the event becomes a bit otherworldly when all the tribal merchandise is involved as the backdrop. Vista is somewhat of a jungle in any event, with numerous nurseries and a decidely botanical aspect, and Pacific Artefacts feels like it is in the eye of that storm. All of this comes together into an out of this world experience, particularly if you have any interest in ethnographica.

What Lesley has set up is more or less an international bazaar in the suburbia of Southern California. For those in the know, one or two astute buys may be purchased here. For anyone else, if you enjoy talks amongst the anthropological intelligentsia, you will probably find a number of the well-traveled, spotted with academic researchers and other devotees.

A variety of African masks, buddhist art and other sculpture in the collection of Geoffrey Logan.

The items for sale are as incredible as the people attending. Most if not all of the objects being shown are genuine artifacts, and each vendor is somewhat of an expert on ethnographic art in one field or another. That means to the best of their ability they’ve tried to correctly document and identify their wares. For those with solely an aesthetic eye, there’s a number of wild and zany clothing, beads, necklaces and other items that are sure to catch your attention. Having recently seen an exhibition on masks from Sierra Leone and Liberia, I was able to recognize one mask as a Liberian Dan mask, from the collection of Geoffrey Logan. For me personally, African masks are rather fascinating, and as I’m starting to explore the subject I can see there’s a vast variety of lineages and styles which compose the subject. Although I’m not personally attracted to the aesthetic seen in the Dan masks, there were other interesting mask styles that I was drawn to. I thought a tan-amber hued mask, with small mouth, scarifications, and hooded eyes was quite quixotic and well-executed. The mask came from the Baule culture. The Baule are a member of the Akan people, who live across regions of both Ghana and the Ivory Coast. From what few categories of African masks that I’ve seen, I’ve felt the most affinity and appreciation for the craftsmanship and stylization of features seen in Sierra Leonese society masks.

Baining mendaska and other masks of bark cloth, Papua New Guinea.  It is these stark staring visages that catch the eye, although their original use was in various ceremonies — Baining mendaska and other masks of bark cloth, Papua New Guinea. It is these stark staring visages that catch the eye, although their original use was in various ceremonies

Personal familiarity aside, most of the objects for sale here are alien enough to warrant fascination. Pacific Artefacts own considerable stockpile of Papua New Guinea masks and sculptures is a rather amazing collection in and of itself. Great wide-eyed masks with a protruding mouth reminiscent of a giant duck’s bill, these painted leviathans are visually impressive.

Whether one wishes to just peruse in solitude, or find some human interaction with fellow world travelers, this open house is just the thing. A small investigation of this little micro-cosm within a microcosm, this sequestered station of global tribal cultural art, is enough to reorient one’s sense of the world. Particularly if you are a resident of North County or San Diego. You are transported to a parallel place, both near and yet so very far away, where history of the lives of tribal folk, in art form, are standing in front of you, and some of the more discerning selections of that to boot. It’s a connection to a different realm, having an object made in some other part of the globe, without artifice. While there are a few of the more touristy items, by and large the collections at the open house have a decent, genuine selection of garments, objects or sculpture. Or masks! Or deeply frowning faces! Beaked nose masquerades stare hauntingly down at you from on high. Exquisite and unusual is the byword.

With the current world climate of globalization changing and even ending many tribal and folk culture’s way of life, the art and crafted objects they have traditionally produced for tens or hundreds of years is being lost. A coexistant relationship between the first world and the fourth world, the world of tribal peoples, needs to be established, to provide a structure that will allow these people to continue their traditional way of life, while having access to modern technology as they deem it worthwhile to interact with. Ultimately, the ability to respect those ways of life and traditional land of the surviving tribal and folk cultures in the world helps preserve both knowledge and diversity. The method I would think best is giving each tribal society a few assistants, either outsiders who are well versed in their ways and act as intermediaries, or younger tribespeople who have been exposed to technology and/or the modern urban way of existence, and have still elected to return home and live a traditional life. These people would have the knowledge and capacity to use a computer and other basic, useful appliances, and be outfitted with them. They could barter a few modern goods across, to distribute among the tribe, if it was seen by the tribe and the traditional elders as a useful thing. The intent is not to keep a tribal society locked to old traditions; if that’s the case, that society can easily be assimilated into urban society. The intent is for those tribal societies that actively wish to preserve their way of life, a path of preservation is given, where their minimum requirements and more are met, and they are provided with a contact to the modern world. This will hopefully allow tribal cultures to integrate into globalized society with their identity, history and knowledge intact.

I’m sorry for that tangent, but in fact it does have something to do with Pacific Artefacts and friends. They provide a cultural lens, an anthropological telescope, into the lives of tribal cultures from the world over. While there are problems with commercializing another people’s culture, as is the result with tourist art, a proper medium way allows for an exchange between worlds, for example that of Papua New Guinea and Vista, California. And possession of the art with an appreciation for the art results in an appreciation for that culture, and a window into their world.

For those seeking a little bit of the otherworldly in their life, and not minding a bit of a trek to get it, come to Pacific Artefacts.

Location: Pacific Artefacts
Contact: Lesley Martin
2256 ESPLENDIDO AVENUE VISTA, CA 92084

Taboo Studio's "Out of the Blue" Opening Reception

Evening light casts its beautiful glow on Lewis Street.

Taboo Studio, in San Diego's Mission Hills, is the city's primary fine jewelry gallery, displaying the work of craft artisans local and national. Small, cozy, and fielding several large narrow display cases which flank the gallery's walls, it is a venue eminently suitable for a substantial showing of art jewelry. The gallery has been going strong for twenty-six years under the auspices of its owners Jane Groover and Joanna Rhodes, who are jewelers themselves that regularly exhibit their own work nestled amongst that of their peers. In fact, Taboo Studio is a haven for local jewelers, several of whom work at the gallery, and a place for friends and acquaintances to lend a hand occasionally, serving as assistants for exhibition openings and the like.

Myung Urso's multimedia necklaces, incorporating some sort of rubber/plastic and traditional handmade paper, or hanji as it is called in Korea, with acrylic paint. The piece behind it may be using wood for the broad rectangular shape.

The gallery itself, besides its tall impressive standing displays, also requires a visitor to cast a quick glance to the floor, which is papered over from end to end with Japanese newspapers and sealed; a functional side-effect of an upstairs apartment which occasionally leaks, requiring floor renovation. The staff of Taboo have accepted this in stride, and as handywomen and craftspeople taken it upon themselves to inflect a touch of the quixotic on their jewelry's abode.

Now, on to the exhibition! "Out of the Blue" takes two elements of nature near and dear to San Diego's heart; the sea and sky, and encourages its guest artisans to play around with the themes of the color blue, water and air, from literal to conceptual interpretations. The results are enticing, and regardless of divergent approaches manage to form a cohesive whole that is neither repetitive nor too disparate in fashion. The twelve participating invitational artists included:

Brooke Battles • Marilyn Brogan • Susan Chin • Petra Class • Jane Groover • Sydney Lynch • Wendy McAllister • Christina Seebold • Cindy Sumner • Myung Urso

Examining the show, one could find two or three essential similarities in approach to answering the exhibition's theme. One of these was focusing on gemstones, whether precious or semi-precious, to echo the exhibition's thematic color, usually embellished with silver or gold. Petra Class, a renowned lapidary artist and goldsmith, has recently been focusing on incorporating what could nearly be called obscenely large pieces of lapis lazuli in her distinctive gold frame enclosures. These pieces took a thin sheet of the semi-precious stone and rendered it as though it was a painting, glorifying the stone and inviting the viewer to thoroughly examine the irregularities and peculiarities of the material. Rather than being an accent and embellishment, the lapis lazuli becomes the focal point which the gold frame simply delineates for the eye. Of course, the deep cobalt blue color of the lapis was an apt match for the theme of the show.

Lightning and thunderclouds, with a touch of sun, adorn Brooke Battles' enamel pendants.

Cindy Sumner's mixed media rings utilize lithographed steel from vintage objects, as well as brass and wood.

Another avenue of expression was through different materials rendered in the appropriate hue. Wendy McAllister and Brooke Battles took their medium of choice, enamel, and brought forth deep navy blues in their work through this method. Battles in particular had several pieces I especially enjoyed, from her enameled storm clouds pendant with cartoonish lightning bolts emanating therefrom, to her small mask brooches which evoked for me a mixture of tribal art and muppet-like zaniness.

A handful of items in the exhibit gave the mere suggestion of sea or sky, rather than directly alluding to it through coloration. Cindy Sumner's pugnacious rings took scenic slices from imagery present on vintage tin containers and riveted them to silver or brass backings. Multi-layered, with black, white or wooden blobby shapes to create contrast, Sumner's pieces were a delicious insinuation of the quality of air and open space that was effective and subtle.

Gallery co-owner Jane Groover presents a piece of jewelry for a curious onlooker's appraisal.

The light during the summer in San Diego casts a sublime effervescence in the evening hours, and against the backdrop of this enjoyable ambiance the reception took place. Drinks and snacks were spread upon the small table staged outside and manned (and womanned) by friends and staff of Taboo. Inside, guests and artists surveyed the loquacious ensemble and listened intently with eyes instead of ears. Not a few pieces were brought out for closer inspection, and the gentle murmuring of conversation that can be so pleasant permeated the air.

Sydney Lynch's artistically arranged rings, using silver, gold, opals and other assorted semi-precious gems.

Not a few jewelry heavyweights came out to attend the show. Longtime jewelrymaking educator Arline Fisch, a retired professor of art at San Diego State University, among others, and a pioneer of woven metal textile wearables was present, as well as the contemporary jeweler Hiroko Sato-Pijanowski, whose work is now on view at the Donna Schneier exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

I also had the pleasure of seeing an old friend of mine, Reba Engel, who while not officially participating in the show is a longtime exhibitor at Taboo Studio. Her jewelry has a particular zing to it, something tribal, something beach, perhaps Californian, that I covet. Anyways, it was nice to catch up.

I could go further into the evening's delight, but that's my personal story. Suffice to say, it was a pleasurable event, enticing to the senses, and companionable to the spirit. The show ends this July 3, 2014. I encourage you to go and see the exhibition yourself, and make an evening of it.

Location: Taboo Studio
1615½ W. LEWIS STREET SAN DIEGO, CA 92103