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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Pro Peace Art Show @ Black Dog Cafe
Wednesday 05 March @ 12:58:49 |
 by Jenny Assef
It’s hard to go anywhere these days without running into some form of creative resistance. People are dancing for peace, reading poetry for peace, staging plays for peace. The rest of us need to pay attention—artists have long been considered society’s conscience, and it’s often through their eyes that we first glimpse possibility.
Intrinsic to the act of making art is hope, whether it’s hope that the painting turns out right or hope that we don’t attack Iraq. It’s this hope that drove sculptor Brent Gonyea to organize the Pro-Peace Art Show, now on display at St. Paul’s Black Dog Café.
“We haven’t gone to war yet,” Gonyea says. “I want to hold on to hope. This is an act of men, not nature. It can be stopped.”
Gonyea distributed flyers inviting artists of all sorts to participate in the month-long show. Besides an ongoing exhibit and silent auction, spoken word and performance events are planned for Saturday nights throughout March.
So far, the show is smaller than expected. Empty spaces on the walls of the café await additional artwork. Submissions will be accepted through the end of March.
“This is the way a movement grows,” Gonyea notes. “This show is open to people stepping in. It’s a metaphor for how things are built.”
Also metaphorical is Gonyea’s submission to the show, a wire sculpture in the shape of a chain. The wire he used was collected one piece at a time during his walks in Lowertown. Every day, he’ll add a new piece.
The metaphor of the white dove appears in Rebecca Pavleñko’s untitled photograph, which contributes a new tenderness to an old theme. The image is imbued with stillness and motion all at once, striking a balance that is incredibly serene.
Beside each work of art is the artist’s statement, commenting on the relationship between the piece and current events. “I feel that my responsibilities as a citizen and as an artist are more important now than they have ever been in my lifetime,” one statement reads.
If your desire for peace has driven you to create, there’s a space on the wall waiting for you. Just contact Brent Gonyea at 651-222-7727 or brent@brentgonyea.com.
The Pro-Peace Art Show continues through Mar. 31. Black Dog Café, 4th & Broadway, Lowertown St. Paul. 651-228-9274.
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