Arts

Four great exhibitions closing soon

As the saying goes: “all good things must come to an end,” and with the end of another year several good exhibitions are winding down. It is time to take your last look at the following exhibitions: “Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America” at the Levine Museum of the New South (a Knight Arts grantee), “Reflections: Portraits by Beverly McIver,” “The Weir Family, 1820-1920: Expanding the Traditions of American Art,” and “Against the Grain: Wood in Contemporary Art, Craft, and Design” at the Mint Museum of Art (a Knight Arts grantee).

“Reflections,” an exhibition at the Mint Museum Uptown, closes January 6. This exhibition celebrates the work of a renowned North Carolina native-Beverly McIver. She is known for her colorful and emotive paintings that explore those closest to her. She uses her own experiences as an African American female artists to examine racial, gender and social identities.

“The Weir Family” at the Mint Museum Uptown closes January 20. It traces the trajectory of American art across the 19th and 20th centuries, following the work of Robert Walter Weir and his sons, John Ferguson Weir and Julian Alden Weir. This exhibition shows more than 70 paintings from public and private collections; it is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog.

“Who’s Chicken, Now?” by Silas Kopf 2009.

“Against the Grain” emphasizes the ways contemporary artists, designers and craftspeople have made innovations in traditional techniques through the medium of wood. It further explores the heated debate about the boundaries between art, craft and design, posing questions about the necessity of these categories and whether they should be redefined. Organized by the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, New York (MAD), “Against the Grain,” features 57 artists and designers and will run through January 27, 2013.

“Without Sanctuary” explores lynching in the United States and particularly the South through the disturbing photographs, postcards, and memorabilia from these horrific events. The artifacts were gathered by James Allen, an antique collector, who happened across a lynching postcard and recognized the potential of these artifacts to help society remember and discuss the brutal violence of these killings. The Levine displayed approximately 70 images from Allen’s collection now part of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights from September 29 through today.

"Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America" Levine Museum of the New South. Front right: "Bound in Yes" by John Love.

“Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America” Levine Museum of the New South. Front right: “Bound in Yes” by John Love.