Hunter Clarke, Mark V Turner & Michael Kalmbach in the April Loop

Walking up the steps of the Mezzanine Gallery of the city’s Carvel Building, I was greeted by a small girl pushing her head through a gap in the railing and calling, “I can see you, Mommy!” I could not see who greeted her, but it was Hunter Clarke, the artist whose exhibit Aerial was opening in the Mezzanine Gallery. She had created a work especially for the small space with high ceilings: strips of vellum painted with bright acrylic silhouettes of predatory birds and what I thought were wolves, but Clarke, who seems to be an animal buff, said, “Actually, they are African dogs.” The piece is entitled Into the woods, 2010 and I hope it gets a new home after this exhibit ends on April 30. Pictured above top is an enlarged version of one of the many very small paintings Clarke grouped in nines. Clarke used bright colors to feature many animals in this exhibit – some acting on their natural predatory instincts, some enduring their fate, and some facing the viewer with a steely stare.

Was delighted by Mark V Turner’s exhibit of acrylic on paneling at the Wilmington Institute. Turner is a member of Delaware by Hand. (See 1/24/10 blog). Visiting artists tried to figure out how he achieved the tactile feel of layers and three dimensional illusion with acrylics. Turner’s vivid portrayals of doors in New Orleans have purples and other outrageous colors which blend into a realistic imagery.

Spectrum: contemporary color abstraction (open until August 1) left me with more questions than answers. I read that curation of this exhibit was started by Carina Evangelista (who is no longer at DCCA). Some local artists were included and others were selected in another way….open competition? Well worth seeing, in particular, Michael Kalmbach’s work on outdoor carpet wrapped in clear plastic and decorated with an abstract of acrylic and chains of dots. Second picture.

See http://www.hunterartist.com/.
See http://www.artsdel.org/.
See http://www.delawarebyhand.org/.
See http://www.markvturner.com/.

A Lively Talk at The Mohawk

On a recent sunny afternoon, I headed down 9th Street to pay a long-overdue visit to the infamous Geoff Blake, otherwise known around town as the statement-making "Red Mohawk". True, he is that, but so much more. My hour-plus visit to his corner gallery, with sounds of early 90s Depeche Mode setting the mood, found us settling into an informal rap session with several of Wilmo's "Who's Whos" and characters alike. It was a blast. Example: As I arrived, an attractive young woman exited, having just finished a photo shoot of sensuous "pinup" shots. ("Does this happen everyday?" I asked.)

Mohawk's a 2005 UD grad in Photography with strong local ties. With Red Mohawk Gallery, he has created an amazing buzz around town, hosting monthly exhibits and events, providing opportunities for artist hangouts and generally serving as one very cool -- and identifiable -- champion of downtown's revitalization efforts. He worked nearly two years as the right-hand man for rock photographer/personality extraordinaire, Mark Weiss, a position which stemmed from a serendipitous visit to Weiss' studio with his musician friends.

In addition to his own work, his gallery currently features pieces by six Delaware College of Art & Design students. He describes his own work as "low-brow pop surrealism with a gritty tone". I describe it as art that will make you do a double-take; you may laugh wildly, you may cringe, you may be puzzled, but you'll take notice.

Blake welcomes emerging and established artists to drop in and show him what they've got. He wants to cultivate partnerships with local photographers to shoot and print at Red Mohawk, and he has a space below the gallery that he'd like to make available as a workspace for other artists. He wants his gallery to be a "...place where good stuff comes out of." Blake notes, "That is kind of the feel for the entire street...we want to create a 'diagonal of cool' here."

As we talked, we were joined by Wes Garnett, Jr. and Steve Roettger -- the guys behind the CoIN Loft -- who agreed with Blake's sentiments. "Your city is defined by your culutre," noted Garnett. "We're trying to create a '3rd Place' here, a neutral spot that is home to the entire community." In my opinion, they're all well on their way. Copper, a restaurant and catering business tied to the already launched CoIN Loft, will open in mid-July. To their description, the focus will be "the people, the libations and the menu". They're all about the partnerships and expanding the buzz, too. "Red Mohawk is all about showing the stuff that young people are into and pricing it so that all people can buy," Garnett said.

Joining us shortly into the conversation was, as Blake referred to him, "the Messiah of 9th Street" Chris Winburn of Preservation Initiatives. Winburn envisions 9th Street as the center for designers, fashion and the like. He heralds the foresight and leadership of Red Mohawk and The CoIN Loft, and hopes their efforts will spur the energy forward.

Finally, just to keep it interesting, we were interrupted by an array of salespeople and a "questionable" female artist. Blake laughs and says that he's also visited by Wayne, a homeless sage who advises him to be wary of Socialists carrying venereal diseases.

As I left, I felt so jazzed about the potential for this end of town led by "Red Mohawk" and his counterparts. Come down to 9th and spend some time...maybe buy some art and enjoy some suds or vino while you're there.

See http://www.redmohawk.com/.
See http://www.thecoinloft.com/.

From Russia to Delaware, with Love

People in Wilmington are always talking about the city’s small-town feel. Take that small community, and divide it many times over, and you have the dimensions of a very dense, interconnected Arts community thriving in Delaware and Greater Philadelphia.

Fellow blogger Margaret Darby and I were recently at the Exchange on Market after our performance at the Wilmington Library. We struck up a conversation with two dashingly handsome and personable waiters, Jake Allison and Nukri Mamistvalov, who turned out to be dancers from First State Ballet Theatre. They encouraged us to attend their upcoming performance of Swan Lake.

Graciously, the company’s artistic director, Pasha Kambalov invited me to attend a dress rehearsal of the famous ballet, choreographed to Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky’s glorious music. This vibrant young company has its roots in the Donetsk Ballet. Originally the Russian Ballet of Delaware, the company celebrates its tenth anniversary this season. Pasha Kambalov and his wife Kristina, ballet school director, are co-founders of the growing company, which is based at the Grand Opera House.

Swan Lake is the epitome of true classic ballet: graceful lines and delicate beauty based on a tragic fairy tale. Angela Zintchenko was lovely as the ill-fated Odette-Odile, paired with Justin Estelle, a convincing Prince Siegfried. Outstanding was Mamistvalov as the villain Von Rothbart as he cut an evil swath through the stage with his mysterious black-feathered costume. During a dress rehearsal, one often gets to see a director’s vision in its final stages of realization. Because it was the company’s first rehearsal for the production on the main stage, Pasha Kambalov was tweaking the spacing and overall look of the production. His gentle, yet firm direction to the dancers resulted in refined and beautifully spaced tableaus.

Next year, the company’s production of The Nutcracker will include a live performance by The Delaware Symphony Orchestra, since last year’s collaboration on the selections from the work was so successful.

See: http://www.firststateballet.com/.