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Lies, Enchantment, Humor & Truth at The American Visionary Art Museum by Lisa Lance

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“There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories.”

This quote by Ursula K. LeGuinn opens The American Visionary Art Museum’s current exhibit, “THE ART OF STORYTELLING: Lies, Enchantment, Humor & Truth.” On display now through September 1, the exhibit showcases works by more than thirty artists, which range in theme from fairy tales to bullying, and in media from photography, to embroidery, to paintings, to sculpture.

“Every year I try to pick one theme that has always inspired or bedeviled humankind,” said Rebecca Hoffberger, founder and director of AVAM and co-curator of the exhibit along with Mary Ellen ‘Dolly’ Vehlow. “Storytelling, although the word sounds sweet, can be a malevolent force that is hurtful. But it can also be the great grace, how we filter personal history, family history and cultural history.”

And each portion of the exhibit depicts a different kind of history.

Postsecret-Bullying-Forgive

In the first floor hallway, Frank Warren’s selection of “Bullying” PostSecrets depicts the pain of victims and serves to raise awareness of visitors to this particular and all-too-common story.

“Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real.” Upstairs, this quote from literary great Cormac McCarthy sets the stage for “Streets Tell Stories,” photographs of graffiti by Larry Yust, which portray natural-light expressions of city scenes in New York, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and other metropolitan areas.

Debbie and Mike Schramer-Fairy Tree House-01-300

But not all the collections are as serious as these. Debbie and Mike Schramer’s “Fairy Tree Houses” were a part of the museum’s “Tree of Life” exhibit in 1995/1996, and these mixed media depictions of moss and wood and stone fairy tale homes are enchantingly detailed with tiny rustic chairs and tables, the things of everyday existence for magical creatures.

Road To Krasnik, No. 20 by Esther Krinitz

One of the most striking collections in the exhibit is “Esther’s Story.” Esther Nisenthal Krinitz created 36 embroideries detailing the story of her childhood, fleeing the Nazis during the Holocaust. In the accompanying video, Through the Eye of the Needle: The Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz, directed by Nina Shapiro-Perl, Krinitz’s daughter says “She was doing this simply to record. It was documentary to her.” And although her intent was simply to share her life experiences with her children and grandchildren, the scenes she stitched weave a powerful account of survival.

As I studied each embroidery, and as I sat on a bench to view the documentary, I couldn’t help but reflect on the trials in my own life and realize just how trivial they were in comparison to what Krinitz survived.

“The Holocaust embroideries by Esther [Krinitz] are one of the most masterful examples of storytelling,” said Hoffberger. “In the process of sewing, she could really savor the people that she loved.”

When Men Were Men by Chris Roberts-Antieau

And, across the hall but at the other end of the emotional spectrum, the fabric appliqués of Chris Roberts-Antieau add a touch of humor, with “Killed by Their Own Creations,” featuring Wan Hu and the rocket chair and Franz Reichelt’s overcoat parachute, “Power Brows,” featuring interpretations of Colonel Sanders, Al Capone, and Mother Theresa, and “Good Intentions Gone Bad,” featuring images of diet cookies, swerving for squirrels, hosting the holidays and birthday clowns.

P Nosa-Communicating with Music-300

How does “The Art of Storytelling” fit into the broader vision of the museum? “Visionary art is the most narrative art,” said Hoffberger. “The artists are responding to something in their lives, but they don’t have the words. There is this storytelling nature where their art makes sense to them for certain reasons. They have something deep to say.”

Among her favorites are the Native American paintings of Judy Tallwing, who incorporates precious metals, beads, and sacred pipe dust into her acrylic creations. Hoffberger said Tallwing’s work inspired her to begin a protest against a proposed plan to install a pipeline through the heart of Spirit Bear Coast in British Columbia. “I heard in my head ‘raise an army of poets’ and put out the call to my poet friends and some others,” Hoffberger said. Her call to friends resulted in the work, “Spirit Bear Defense Cento,” which contains lines from writers including author Eckhart Tolle; Michael S. Glaser, Poet Laureate of Maryland from 2004 to 2009; and activist and environmentalist Julia Butterfly Hill.

Vanessa German: Minstrel Blood

“THE ART OF STORYTELLING” contains many more works by artists such as Vanessa German, P. Nosa, Leslie Hope and Andi Olsen, and I found it beneficial to make multiple trips to the museum absorb the full breadth of stories being told. The overall effect is one of perspective. As with any artistic works, I caught a glimpse into the world of each individual artist, but (and perhaps this is because I am a writer) this exhibit spoke to me in a way that was more personal than I expected. I left with a broader understanding of the pain, sorrow, joy, and hope of human existence.

Hoffberger hopes visitors leave with one essential message. “How we speak to and of one another is the only story we have control over,” she said. “We can’t undo things we’ve done before, but we can pay attention to what we say.”

Mars Tokyo - Teatro Di Uccello Del Malauguria

“THE ART OF STORYTELLING: Lies, Enchantment, Humor & Truth” at The American Visionary Art Museum will be on display through September 1, 2013.

Author  Lisa Lance  is a writer and communications specialist living in the Baltimore area. She will graduate with an M.A. in Writing from Johns Hopkins University in May 2013. Her articles and essays have appeared in print and online publications including Baltimore Magazine, National Parks Traveler, Seltzer, Outside In Literary & Travel Magazine, 20 Something Magazine and Sauce Magazine. Website:www.lisalance.com.

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