ART RISE SAVANNAH, INC
on the rise towards a thriving arts economy

This week, we shine the spotlight on Jennifer Lee Hallsey, an artist and teacher who has been an Art Rise member since September 2016.

What medium do you primarily work in?

First and foremost, I consider myself an artist and do not like to be defined by or limited to a medium.  In general, I make work that references the human body.  This is not limited to materials that normally are considered ‘jewelry’ and can range in scale from wearable to installation.

Additionally, I am teaching now.  I love it.  However, my first year has been devoted to developing projects and course content.  This has left little time to work on my own studio practice.  I am eager to get back to creating this summer.

What inspires you? 

I am inspired by reading critical and contemporary theory.  These writings sometimes reference jewelry, but often are about literature, photography, music, ideology and semiotics. 

What do you love about the Savannah art scene? 

I'm constantly delighted by the level of work being brought in by local galleries.  Non-Fiction Gallery and Sulfur Studios, to name a couple spaces, consistently have excellent group and individual exhibitions.  The themes are relevant and add to the discussion.  

How is Art Rise good for you?

Art Rise is excellent for me as an artist because, though I have been teaching more than working lately, it keeps me connected to Savannah’s art scene.  As an arts educator, Art Rise provides me with endless opportunities to recommend to my students and they in turn become more invested in local art and the community as a whole.

It's an exciting week of art! Get out there! 

Tonight marks the opening of “The Personal is Political” at Non-Fiction Gallery. This important double exhibition features “Hills & Valleys” by renowned feminist artist Niki Johnson and a juried show of over thirty artists. Art Rise partnered with Planned Parenthood Southeast for this dynamic show, and a portion of the sales will be donated to the organization which risks being defunded under the current administration. If access to safe and affordable reproductive health care is an important cause to you, make sure you show your support. More information can be found here. 

Sulfur Studios opens “Around the World” tonight. Combining the works of Zach Federbush, Yiran Ren and Johnie Williams, the show is about each artist’s interpretation of self-discovery within themselves and their place in the world. For more information, click here. 

“Built | Savannah” opens at Location Gallery tonight. Sixteen local artists share their interpretations of Savannah, and the gallery profits from the show will be donated to the Revolving Fund for the Historic Savannah Foundation. For more information, click here. 

Oglethorpe Gallery will exhibit a collection of Dr. Seuss’ unknown works on March 15. Visitors can view his best-known characters as well as “The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss,” a collection of art that Dr. Seuss made at night for his own pleasure. The exhibition will run through March 20. For more information, click here. 

It’s an Art March Friday! If you don't make it to at least one show tonight, what are you even doing? 

Non-Fiction is celebrating it with the opening of “Non-Existent Blossom” by Ying Chen. The installation fixates on the relationship between daily supplies and communication. For more information, click here. 

Group show “From the Hand” also opens Friday evening at Welmont Gallery. The exhibition features work by Jinny Choi, Abby Cochran, Hanna Hentze, Morgan Smith, and Oliver Stephens, all painting students at SCAD. For more information, click here. 

Oglethorpe Gallery will open “Explication” this Friday. Fred Hirschman and Tianran Qin, two SCAD Photography MFA students, explore visual language in the American landscape. For more information, click here. 

Graveface will showcase hand-painted movie posters direct from Ghana on Friday night. The works are from an industry called the Ghanaian Mobile Cinema, when artists set up movie screenings in villages without electricity, and span the late 80s to present-day. For more information on this unique exhibition, click here. 

“KOBO: A Ten Year Retrospective” is now open at Kobo Gallery. The artist co-op just celebrated its ten-year anniversary, and they’re celebrating in grand style with over thirty of Savannah’s best artists in a jam-packed group show. The show will run until March 16, so you have plenty of time to catch it. For more information, click here. 

Melanie Mills is an artist who works primarily in mixed media sculpture and collage. She has been a member of Art Rise since July 2015.

What inspires you? 

My interest in psychology, human rights, metaphor and play on words are my main focus. I’m drawn to work that inspires me conceptually, aesthetically and emotionally, so I frequently relate more to art created by women.

What do you love about the Savannah art scene, and what might you change?  

Exciting changes are happening after an infusion of artists decided to make Savannah home after studying here. This fresh energy has influenced not only community gallery and studio spaces, but the involvement of the Jepson and other non-profits to be more inclusive of local artists. I have lived in places where the visual arts were actively supported by the public and private sector. For every investment in the arts, communities benefit with quality of life and tourist growth. I would love to see the City of Savannah conceive of supporting the arts as an investment, rather than an indulgence. 

How is Art Rise Savannah good for you? 

I used to have to enter juried shows outside of the area to show my work. After moving to the area in 2006, I found very limited opportunities for quality contemporary themed gallery shows. Im thrilled ArtRise has created a noticeable presence in Savannah, representing different areas of the arts, juried shows in a larger space, and hosting benefits for progressive causes, such as Planned Parenthood. 

Lisa Watson is a multimedia artist and has been a member of Art Rise since August 2015. 

What inspires you? 

I’m obsessive about my own individual refuse. I try to keep my ecological footprint small by reusing, composting and donating. The repurposed material sometimes becomes the inspiration for the subject matter. Or, I’ll seek out material from commercial waste, thrift stores or scraps at hardware stores. 

Who inspires you? 

If you asked me this while I was in art school in the 90s, I would have said Eva Hesse and Anselm Kiefer. But now, I’m mostly inspired by individuals making a stand when it comes to saving our natural environment. Jane Goodall tops the list. Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, develops advanced systems to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. 

What do you love about the Savannah art scene? 

I definitely have found a support team of artists, curators, writers, and advocates. I love seeing these individuals during art openings, lectures or hanging out in their studios. Also, there is always new and local art to see every weekend.

How is Art Rise Savannah good for you? 

First and foremost, I’ve met a few people who I consider my good friends through Art Rise. That is everything. Art Rise as an organization has changed this city to a more contemporary art scene. When I moved here eight years ago, I viewed enough oyster shells and moss-covered oak trees to last a few lifetimes. Now, you see new ideas and technology. I’ve received opportunities to show my work, and I loved writing for Artists on Art last year. Trust me, artists need to vent in words, not just in brush strokes. 

We have an exciting week of art ahead of us! 

Tonight, "SIP: A Ceramic Cup Show" opens at Non-Fiction Gallery. The exhibition features over 200 functional ceramic  cups and seeks to show the diversity of drinking vessels. At the closing ceremony on Feb. 24, the pieces will be available for sale. For more information, click here. 

"Wundercamera: Savannah" opens tonight at the Jepson Center. Klaus Wehner, a.k.a. Museum Clausum, brings work by twelve artists that highlights the relationship between the museum and the visitor. For more information, click here. 

Also tonight, Lind Hollingsworth's show "Looking Back, Moving Forward" opens at La Terra Natural Oils. Lind presents work that spans her nearly twenty-year creative career. For more information, click here. 

Feb. 21 marks the beginning of SCAD deFINE ART! Color theory pioneer Carlos Cruz-Diez is the honorary guest in a loaded four-day stretch of exhibitions and lectures. "Take Note" opens at the Gutstein, "Oversaturated" opens at Alexander Hall, and Hank Willis Thomas will deliver a lecture. For more information, click here.

It's a great week for some awesome, thought-provoking art! Let's get right into it! 

Tonight, Page Rippers at Location Gallery opens. The exhibition is in conjunction with and benefits the Savannah Book Festival. Artists were invited to rip a page from the 1939 potboiler "The Damned Don't Cry" and illustrate it. Twenty artists participated, and the range is pretty impressive. For more information, click here. 

Also tonight, Reliquary opens at Kobo Gallery. The members of the gallery share stories behind the objects they've made. Their jewelry is the perfect gift for a special someone (hint, hint). For more information, click here. 

What Is Your America opens tonight too (busy night!) at Sulfur Studios. The call for entries asked artists, simply, what is your America and what is your place in it? Curated by Stephanie Raines and Jeremiah Jossim, the show is bound to be politically charged and runs through the 19th. For more information, click here. 

Tuesday night sees the opening of The Storyteller Returns: Prints by Elmer Ramos. The work in the show is process-driven and equal parts monoprint, screenprint, drawing, and collage. For more information, click here. 

Have an artful week! 

It’s First Friday in Starland! From 6 to 9, check out the Starland District for some top-notch art. 

The opening reception of “There’s Enough Time in Distance” by Jordan Fitch Mooney opens tonight at Starland Cafe. Mooney embraces the inadvertent divergences in his printmaking. The exhibition is up through Feb. 21. 

If you feel like creating some art yourself this weekend, stop by the Sentient Bean on Saturday for the first Feminist Drink and Draw. Art supplies will be available for your use. 

Super Bowl who? This Sunday is Super Museum Sunday, which means many museums around here, from the Jepson to Fort McAllister and every one in between, offers free admission for the day. That’s what we call a touchdown around here. 

Julie Miller presents her installation, “Cloudland,” at the Jewish Educational Alliance this Sunday. The opening reception begins at 2 p.m. and the installation will remain up through the month of January. Miller calls it “an installation hell-bent on creating a state of ataraxia within a certain space and political climate.” 

Happy New Year from Art Rise! Hopefully your holiday was restful, because there's some great art coming at you this week.

The First Friday Art March is tonight in the Starland District! Graveface Records is holding “Serial Killer and Oddball Art Show,” featuring work by John Wayne Gacy, Charles Manson, Richard Ramirez, and other lunatics. This art is on display for one night only, so don’t miss your chance to view the work that Ryan Graveface says is surprisingly good. 

Also opening tonight is “Emergent Geographies” by Jennifer Moss. Her mixed media fibers collages draw on elements of nature and feel both abstract and familiar. The show is on display in the main gallery at Sulfur Studios until January 14. 

“There’s Enough Time in Distance” opens January 9 at Starland Cafe. Jordan Fitch Mooney’s prints embrace inconsistency in the printmaking process, like an ink blob in the wrong place. His show will be up until February 21. 

“Oils and Watercolors” by Nancy Solana opens on January 12 at Hospice Savannah. The show is dedicated to Nancy’s father, Clifford Lebey, whose last six weeks of life were spent in Hospice Savannah’s facility. This touching show will hang through March. 

Closing on January 13 is “Recycled Self: The Limbs that Bind” at the Butcher Tattoo Studio. Victoria Sheppard paints on wood panel, creating a very unique look.

“Eastern Edge” opens at Location Gallery on January 13. Preston Orr’s mixed media pieces are organically modern, and the proceeds from his show will be donated to the Ossabaw Island Foundation. The exhibition runs through February 3. 

"Low Country Callings: Goin' With the Flow" by Carol Lasell Miller opens at Ships of the Sea Museum on January 13. The ten large-format acrylics portray maritime life in Savannah, particularly those who live and work on our waterways. The show is up through April 2. 

The First Friday Art March returns today, Friday, December 2, with events across the Starland District from 6pm to 9pm. Click here for a full listing of events or to plan your Art March!

 

Cara Griffin’s latest exhibition of work, titled Mind’s Eye, opens at Starland Café and Catering during the First Friday Art March on Friday, December 2 from 6 – 9pm. This body of work explores the relationship between one’s internal perception and external projection of reality. Click here for more information. 

 

Join Sulfur Studios for an open studio night and the debut of their latest group exhibition, White Elephant 2, on Friday, December 2 during the First Friday Art March from 6 – 9pm. The event features an eclectic range of artwork by 25 local artists, all priced from $10 – $100. Click here for more information.

 

Non-Fiction Gallery plays host to a delightful Holiday Pop-Up Shop with items from Loop It Up Savannah and Handmade Neighborhood, LLC during the First Friday Art March on Friday, December 2 from 6 – 9pm. All items in the shop are handmade and your purchases will support children’s art programming, childcare tuition, and the creative women of our community. Click here for more information. 

 

The Butcher will host a closing reception for Marc Osborne’s exhibition Masters of Decay on Friday, December 2 from 7 – 10pm. Click here for more information.

 

Purchase holiday gifts from some of Savannah’s most talented artists and craftsmen at the Craft Scout Holiday Market on Saturday, December 3 from 10am – 6pm at the American Legion Post 135 Ballroom. The event also features children’s activities, live music, and holiday beverages. Click here for more information. 

 

Check out new mixed media artworks from Tiffani Taylor and new encaustic photos from Melissa Schneider at Tiffani Taylor Gallery’s “Soiree” on Sunday, December 4 from 6 – 8:30pm. Click here for more information.