BALTIMORE, February 19, 2012 – The American Visionary Art Museum in downtown Baltimore lives up to its name in every single way. Before you step in the door you will see a giant egg decorated with glass and mirrors, a bus covered in all types of flotsam, and a welcome made of toothbrushes. In mid-autumn, 2011, they opened their latest exhibition entitled All Things Round: Galaxies, Eyeball & Karma.
Running through September 2, 2012, the exhibit is themed around the circular nature of art and life. All works of art are original and come from more than 70 artists. The 17th original exhibition for the museum, All Things Round is featured on all floors of the museum building. Every piece in the exhibit incorporates the idea of round in some way, shape, or form, whether focusing on the roundness of the planed, the circle symbol of the mother, or the orbs of the eyes.
Scott Weaver’s toothpick art. (Photo credits: Amy Phillips.)
One of the most interesting pieces featured in the exhibit is a structure entitled “Rolling through the Bay,” created by Scott Weaver. The piece is built with over 100,000 toothpicks and stands 9 feet tall. It is constructed in such a way that ping pong balls can roll through the structure while rolling past some of San Francisco landmarks along the way, all of which themselves are made out of toothpicks.
The museum is also showing pieces by Baltimore artist Shawn Theron, whose round SOGH pieces are the first one a visitor sees when they step through the door. SOGH? The letters don’t stand for anything in particular, apparently. A short article on Theron in “What Weekly” defined SOGH as the artist’s term as “a living abstract for something that resonates deeper than a person or insignia.”
Of his paintings Shawn said “My round SOGH paintings are really portals for this love energy that tunnels between and throughout all the worlds.”
Shawn Theron’s SOGH art.
Once again the American Visionary Art Museum’s curators have put together a fantastic show, with each piece embodying their continuing commitment to choosing artists and pieces that capture the imagination. Whether it is the spiritually-tinged work of Paul Lancaster, or the complex, multi-dimensional work of Ody Saban, each piece in All Things Round may ultimately lead you to redefine your own personal notion of what “round” really is.
Baltimore based, Amy Phillips is a columnist, blogger, public speaker, twitter addict and all around nerd.
Follow Amy on Twitter @amydpp.
Amy Phillips is an independent writer for the Communities. Read more from Amy at her Accidental Musings blog.
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