A compelling look at "raw art," and the lives of several self-taught artists who live in the Heartside district of Grand Rapids, will be featured at Grand Valley State University's Art Gallery in a new exhibit, "RAW ART: Division Avenue Artists." The exhibition runs August 26-September 23, is free and open to the public.
The French artist Jean Dubuffet is credited with beginning the raw art movement in the late 1940s. He coined the term "Art Brut" which literally translates into "Raw Art." He'd rejected the restraints of conventional expectations and began experimenting with materials such as ash, straw, and concrete to darken and add texture to the gritty urban scenes in his paintings, which were first exhibited in the United States in 1947 in New York.
Dubuffet also began to collect artworks from people on the margins of society; many had been institutionalized, incarcerated or had struggled with poverty and personal loss. He believed that their works were created from authentic impulses, unfettered by concerns about commercial appeal or critical acclaim.
Curator Paris Tennenhouse said the artists selected for this exhibit reflect a variety of artistic, physical and mental abilities.
"Each has their individual story as well as an innate desire and ability to create," said Tennenhouse. "It is their passion that motivates them even when obstacles may arise, and it is exactly their passion that can not be defined."
She asked Reb Roberts of Sanctuary Folkart to be the guest-curator, since he has a relationship with many of the artists. Ruth Swier from Heartside Ministry also helped to locate artists.
"The first time I wandered down South Division Avenue, 10 years ago, in search of that little known group called the "Heartside artists," I had no idea what I would discover," said Roberts. "I'd been told by a fellow artist that there would be a welcome place for me in the 10- by 8-foot room at Heartside Ministry. I had to make a choice: Either join the folk hanging around the dumpster sharing a bottle, or go inside and visit the 'sanctuary' of local art. I went inside."
There are 50 pieces in the exhibition. The imagery is often deeply personal, sometimes repetitive, and always unique. Methods and materials range from the most elementary to complex combinations of subject, pattern, color and form. This type of art is often called "Outsider Art" because it is typically created by self-taught or untrained artists who don't conform to the boundaries set by mainstream Western or Classical art expectations.
"Many terms and definitions are used to describe Outsider or Raw Art and the artists who create it, but few are satisfactory," said Tenenhouse. "Not everyone fits into a defined social or psychological characterization, and some marginalized artists suddenly find themselves sought after with commercial success."
A public reception with artists is scheduled on September 8, from 5-7 p.m. at the Art Gallery. There will be food and beverages, music by Mantra, poetry readings, and the premiere showing of a documentary by Kenny Smith made especially for this exhibit. All work that is not in private collections will be available for purchase.
For more information call the Art Gallery at (616) 331-2563.
